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May 16, 2002

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We still believe traveling in Syria is easy for the independent tourist, just don't say you're an American. In the bus station at Homs we needed to show our American passports to buy bus tickets bound for Lebanon. A crowd gathered, astounded to see Americans. After the ruckus subsided, facing curious stares, we bought two felafel sandwiches. One of them contained a thumbnail sized piece of glass. Luckily, it didn't cut me as I bit into it. How does glass get into a made-to-order felafel?
Last stop in Syria, the Krak des Chevaliers. Lawrence of Arabia described it as the finest castle in the world.
The castle's architecture is impressive on the inside too.
Syrian signs leave no doubt about their feelings for American foreign policy. Boycotting American products is a constructive approach that works - nobody buys American here.
A glass condiment felafel doesn't dampen our spirits - we're on our way to Lebanon.