Syria Leg - day 2

I'm still in London trying to get a flight home but since I'm feeling a lil better I thought it's best I continue my blog :)

So day 2 in Syria. Like insaid earlier we got a wake up call at 6am. This day was when not only was I sick but then started to develop the flu and was a bit bogged up. So went to get changed and all and was told breakfast is upstairs. Was so funny as at 7:15am the receptionist calls and says 'it's 7:15 now what are you doing?" so I reply "we are going for breakfast" and he says "ah ok very good". It was just so funny to me at that time in the morning. So off we went but as we came out the elevator Kevin was there saying we literally have to leave now so just grab whatever and go. It was too early for me to eat anyway so we grabbed some bread and water and off we went to our vans.

I love this time when we are all getting in and rounding ourselves up in sequence waiting for the z1 to go. You get this adrenalin pump like if ayone has seen the movie twister and everyone is getting in their cars and your in a rush to just go. It's something like that. Sorry just missing everyone right now.

So off we went to Damascus. Again I know there are things happening over in Syria but I'm telling you from what I saw. I saw really beautiful landscape, the people going about their own business, waving to us and giving us the thumbs up when we passed by. If i can remember correctly, this was the 1st country where everyone we passed either stood up from where they were standing and running to the road just to wave. It was amazing really. I can understand now why the queen doesn't wave with much effort cause by the time we got to Damascus my arm was aching but I didn't care. When people are happy to see you, pain in nothing.

Damascus looks like a beautiful city, much like the other ones we have passed, bustling with people. I have heard that driving through Syria can be a nightmare but I've been to Lebanon so didn't flinch at all. Just had to really pay attention to the car in front so that we didn't get lost in Damascus. At one point we stopped as a small group from the PNC had set up another welcome committee just coming into Damascus with this sign saying The Right To Return Convoy (pictures will be up soon once I get to a computer) and it was a lovely stopped whereby we all jumped out, took photos, met our good friend Nabil whom I've met in Lebanon before. Just nice after a long journey. We did have a lil escort which was organized for our safety by the Palestinian National Council as well as VPA talking to all sides to ensure our safety. As I've said before I trust the leadership knows what they are doing and I will repeat myself cause I know all the haters out there for our whole 6 weeks trip and it just seems they don't read so I'm just repeating for their benefit because you know sometimes when you get a blog like this I'm sure it must be very hard to scan and read long blogs like mine just so words can be twisted so I'll repeat just for you.

VPA spoke to ALL sides regarding us passing through Syria and ALL sides agreed we will be safe. Let's face it who wants Palestinian activists on a humanitarian mission to be killed. AND one important fact. We were greeted and hosted by the Palestinian National Council (PNC). They were the ones taking care of us. They consist of doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, you name it. Not just Palestinians but also Syrians. Okay? I hope repeating helps but I can imagine someone out there having a hard time reading and just picking a few points to be twisted but oh well.

So after a pretty long journey from Tartus to Damascus (think if we left by 8am, it took us prob 5 hours), we arrived at this beautiful hotel (yes also arranged by the Palestinian National Council) and settled in. Think we were given 30mins to settle in then we all loaded ourselves into the big school bus Richard drives and went to the office of the PNC where the greeting was so wonderful and there were pictures around the meeting room of Jerusalem and Al Aqsa. Just lovely. By this time tho I felt so ill and just tried my best to keep smiling. They did serve wonderful biscuits though. then we went to take group photos in the front of the bus and off back to the hotel where a wonderful lunchnwas waiting for us. Thinking about it makes me full. Just wonderful.

During lunch we were told about the bombing that had happened in Damascus nearby the airport. Just awful. The bomb went off during the hours when children were going to school. White phosphorus was used I will say and who usually uses that in their bombs?? Think! So we had heard that the PNC and the Palestinian Youth were going to donate blood for the victims and a group of us wanted to go too. So after a lil rest after lunch we met up with this wonderful lady who is a human rights lawyer and she took us to a hospital where 5 of my friends went to give blood. I would have joined them but due to me being sick (think it was day 21 by then) I couldn't so I was photographer instead. The queue for people to donate blood was amazing! From all sorts of places these people were from. Besides the Syrians and Palestinains coming to donate blood there were Iraqis that we spoke too and I'm sure other nationalities turned up too. This bomb was devastating but the way people were brought together to help those that had been injured showed the unity. It didn't matter who you were, what race you were, what your political stand was, you saw your fellow countrymen injured and thisnwas their way of supporting them. That was really touching.

After everyone had given their pint of blood (Faz was so pumped up he wanted to give more) we went back to the hotel where we walked around the neighbourhood to see some sights. Must have been around 6pm by this time and it was like a normal city. I resisted going into shops though as I know how cheap Syria can be. So we went to rest before the press conference.

During the press conference, loads of press turned up. Since I wasn't feeling well and prob looked like crap I stayed by the side to take pics of my friends. One cameraman almost had his flash extension fall on the floor but Rahmah and I had such quick and in sync thinking that using both our legs we caught it just in time. But then we had to sit there and not have a right giggle. So funny!

After, we went to the lounge and just chatted and chilled. We then got the hunger pangs so went up for dinner where again, wonderful food. You can't complain really. Then we had a nice night where a group of us chilled outside the hotel foyer with our drinks and shisha and had a fab convo with Kevin about politics. I may have been so ill by this point but you just can't leave conversations like that.

Luckily though we were there because a tipper truck full of aid turned up and we all (well I wasnt allowed to carry anything) put all the aid inside the hotel. Was so funny with the men all acting tough. I really do have great pics. This was donated by the PNC. So with this new aid, some of us were told to wake up by 7am to move the aid around between cars. 7am?? Sheesh. That's when I decided to go to bed, hesitately. Damascus. I've heard such wonderful things about it. Even though I didn't have time to go around it, the areas I did see looked wonderful. Nvm. Next time