Beirut – Damascus – Kuwait
It all started last wednesday morning when Mark’s phone call from Kuwait woke me up around 9am to tell me the airport was being bombed. I didn’t understand what the fuck he was talking about until I turned the TV on to see the disasterous news. That was the end of my vacation.
For the next 5 days I spent most of my time with my family and friends glued to the TV watching the war on Lebanon. It was heartbreaking and I wanted out. Luckily Jazeera called Mark to tell him my Beirut to Kuwait flight was still on schedule except it was going to take off from the Damascus Airport since the Lebanese one was closed. That was on Friday and my flight was on Sunday so for the next few days I started trying to find a cab that would get me out of Lebanon. Most companies I contacted were charging crazy rates going from 500$ to 1500$. In the end though I ended up going with a Syrian-Lebanese driver that my dad thought was good enough to take me through the safest route to the Syrian border.
Sunday 7am, my mum wakes me up to tell me the Taxi driver is here. I didn’t want to leave my family behind but I had no choice since I didn’t know how long the war was going to last and if I was going to have another opportunity to get out. I quickly got dressed, took a few minutes to kiss my sisters and parents goodbye and off I went with my taxi. The road we took was the Tripoli-Masnaa one which had been bombed the day before. I wasn’t scared, I was more like worried that I was going to get stuck for hours at the border due to heavy traffic. On the way I kept looking up in the sky looking for Israeli Fighter jets as if I was really going to spot any.
The whole trip from my house till I crossed the syrian border took around 1 hour and 45 minutes, I was really lucky. The Border was almost deserted so it was very quick.The rest of the trip from the Syrian border to the Syrian airport took around 3 hours and a half and was very uncomfortable. The Cab driver didn’t have AC in his car and the hot wind from the Syrian desert blasting through my open window was more than I could handle. It felt like the ride would never end. Finally we get to the Damascus airport around 1:30pm and I asked the driver to stick around for a while in case I needed something since I didn’t know my way there.
The taxi driver then parked his car on the side of the road in front of the airport’s entrance and bribed one of the officers who tried to stop him from parking his car there. Nothing had prepared me to what I witnessed and endured next. The Syrian airport is not an airport, its more like an overcrowded garage. It was dirty, barely any signage, no consultation or information desk, there weren’t any available trollies it was just absolutely terrible! The airport workers were actually snatching empty trollies and then selling them to gulf citizens, it was unbelievable. The whole airport was total chaos with people shoving each other and bribery taking place every single step of the way, I have never seen so much obvious corruption before. If all that was not enough there was no AC and it was extremely hot and stuffy in there. My Jazeera flight was at 9pm so it was going to be a long wait.
After walking around a bit I spotted a counter for the Syrian airline, so I went and asked them where the Jazzera Airways counter was. They told me there wasn’t one but I might be able to find Jazeera staff inside in the departure area preparing for the boarding of a flight. I looked back and spotted the 3 tiny doors with the largest crowd pushing and shoving in front of each entrance trying to get in. So I went and tried to stand with the crowd but I started feeling overheated, I got a cold sweat and started feeling dizzy and nautious. I had to sit down so I sat on the floor next to one of the entrances. My Taxi driver was still there luckily helping me with the luggages. I felt weak and powerless and I was starting to freak out. I didn’t know anyone there and I realized if I wasn’t going to get a grip on myself and start feeling better and go inquire on my flight, not only was I risking of losing my spot on my flight but I would also be stuck in that crappy airport for the night. Every time I tried to get up I would feel dizzy and nearly collapse.
I then decided to go rest a bit and wait it out in the airport restaurant on the far end of the airport. A couple of hours later I was starting to feel better and I told the taxi driver he could leave now if he wanted since I was ok. I then went to inquire about my flight inside the departure gate and the Jazeera guy at the counter told me to come back at 7pm for check in. It was 4pm at that time and the crowd at the airport was less than when i first got there. At 6pm more people started coming in and it was getting really hektic again. I went to use the ladies bathroom before I headed back to the departure area. Just like the airport the bathroom was a nightmare. All the fucking toilets were Arabic style except for one and that was all covered up in piss! There wasn’t any toilet paper and to top it all off there wasn’t any liquid soap just one lousy used up bar of soap for the whole bathroom, I decided to hold it and got out.
After the bathroom incident I headed to the departure gate and managed to be at the Jazeera counter at 6.15pm, 45 minutes early and I stand with a large group of other people also heading to Kuwait. Suddenly a Jazeera person comes and tells us that we need to follow him and move to the next terminal so we all rushed out after the guy shoving through the people at the departure gate since there wasn’t really any other exit. We continued the marathon outside the first terminal dragging our heavy luggages on the sorry ass pavement. I felt like I was running for my life. I felt that if i was gonna lose my guy and my group I was going to stay stuck in that damn airport and in Syria and I couldn’t have that. I ran like I never ran before in my life.
A few minutes later we got to the second terminal which was more like a big room divided into smaller rooms and glass boots. We started to check in, some Kuwaitis were still on the waiting list and some people start having nervous breakdowns, it was very sad. Finally I managed to check in and get my passport stamped. I then headed to the waiting area where we all waited till 8:45pm when they started loading us on the busses. I couldn’t wait to get on the plane, get in my seat and then take off. At 9:30pm all the passengers were finally on the plane we took off. I was more than relieved.
If I had to rethink and redo the whole think again, I would have definitely stayed in Lebanon and waited till things calmed down and our airport opened again. The syrian airport is a fucking nightmare and that was definitely my first and last time there. I am glad to be back home though.
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27 Comments, add your own...
1. Yazeed | July 20th, 2006 at 12:22 am
the most important thing is that you are safe and back home. i hope your family is safe back in lebanon.
seems like a nightmare of an experience. i know a lot of people who have travelled to syria, but no one told me of how crappy their airport is.
hope this situation ends soon.
2. MARK | July 20th, 2006 at 12:30 am
HEY I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF YOU AND MARK FOR SOME TIME, THANK GOD YOU ARE HOME AND SAFE WITH YOUR PRINCE CHARMING. BEST WISHES TO YOUR FAMILY, AS EVERYONE WISHES HOPE THIS CONFLICT ENDS SOON.
KEEP US IN TH EUS POSTED. LOVE AND HUGS FROM YOUR NUMBER 1 FAN.
mARK(WWW.CHICAGOLANDDIGITAL.COM)
3. Flamingoliya | July 20th, 2006 at 1:13 am
welcome home :)
4. Q8Sultana | July 20th, 2006 at 1:30 am
Welcome back to Kuwait!
5. holla | July 20th, 2006 at 1:41 am
wtf mark from chicagoland?? wellcum back Naat.
6. karim | July 20th, 2006 at 2:57 am
Syria is a joke… I can tell you endless stories about it… Glad that you made it back…
7. Delicately Realistic | July 20th, 2006 at 3:05 am
Il7amdillah 3ela salamtich :*******
I cant imagine what you went through and how u felt, and to handle it all alone, thats just amazing!
Glad ur safe and sound :)
8. The Grenadine | July 20th, 2006 at 4:26 am
Welcome back:-) I bet Kuwait never felt so good, hmm?
Amazing you endured all this alone! Miskeena.
9. Marzouq | July 20th, 2006 at 8:03 am
7amdilla 3ala salamah!
I kept hearing from a lot of people how much of a nightmare it was at the Syrian airport! I can only imagine what you went through, and how rough it got! Im happy you had tickets with Jazeera, because they were honoring it! My cousin who was traveling out of Kuwait Airways was told he would have to wait on the waiting list to get on the plane and he would have to wait at least 8 hours! He checks in to find out they ripped the waiting list and made a new one.. and after complaining the guy said if he knows anyone in Kuwait Airways call him or he will have to go the next day! That is fucking wrong!
But Nat.. happy your ok, and in one piece.. welcome back home.. and hopefully you can go back to Lebanon soon!
10. Dubai Sunshine | July 20th, 2006 at 8:24 am
Welcome back Nat…what a nightmare…Glad you made it home safe.
11. nibaq | July 20th, 2006 at 9:42 am
I should have hired someone to kill you before you arrived. I was going to kidnap you when you arrived but Mark came early so that wasn’t going work.
I was so close to that MacBook and moving in.
12. Nat | July 20th, 2006 at 11:43 am
Lol Nibaq, it wasn’t going to happen. Anyway Thanks guys! you’re all really sweet except for Nibaq. Nibaq I’ll make sure to keep you out of my will before I die!
13. Hiba | July 20th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
Nat glad you’re safe! No need to complain that much about the Syrian airport. Its excuse is built-in: it is SYRIAN LOL. How much can you ask of it? Liquid soap? Are you dreaming?! I should post about my nightmare trip to Syria in NORMAL days. Consider yourself lucky you did not have to EAT there. They have 2 kinds of cheese in the whole country, and 3 kinds of orange juice that all taste the same in different packages. Yalla have a nice time in kuwait, and pray for us to follow you SOON.
14. Drunk_n_Gorgeous | July 20th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Glad you made it back safely Nat! Sorry you had such a horrible trip. If it makes you feel any better, a lot of people would’ve stayed if they had a do-over. The important thing is that you’re safe, and inshalla so are your ‘rents.
15. ananyah | July 20th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
glad ur back and safe :)
it must have been a scary experience and enshalla u will go back to lebanon when things have calmed down.
I hope ur families are both safe
16. Kleio | July 20th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Nat – we had the exact same experience. :) The best part was the marathon to Terminal 2. It felt like we were running to save our lives. It was so surreal! Did you notice someone at the new check-in counter trying to make sure everyone stayed in line and didn’t start cutting and crowding around the counter like they did in Terminal 1? That was me. :) LOL! We were second in line and I was not about to have anyone cut in front of us again! Anyway, glad you made it back safely too. It would have been nice to have known in the airport that we were on the same flight and going through the same ordeal – there’s comfort in numbers!
17. D | July 20th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Don’t get me wrong but you should be thankful to Syrian airport that helped you get back home….Not all countires have equal wealth and the same way of living… If you travel through Dubai aiport, even Lebanese airport might not seem that pretty….and btw…the Syrian aiport is still operational unlike the Lebanese airport which was shutdown because of the air-strikes…
18. limited_edition | July 21st, 2006 at 2:09 am
Welcome baQ!! I hope your family is safe and doing well.
19. Moey | July 21st, 2006 at 2:22 am
everyone welcomed you back Nat, bas wallah I asked about uo on msg boards. el7amdella u r back.. i was ready to help u out in jordan, amman is much civilized and modern, at least we have starbucks and a decent duty free at the airport and yes,, lebanese people too.. I wanted to help thank good ur fine now
20. Nat | July 21st, 2006 at 10:21 am
Hey Moey that was very nice of you. I read your post in the forum earlier. I haven’t been to Jordan yet but i’m sure your aiport is wayyy better, Heh. Thanks:)
21. Hiba | July 21st, 2006 at 10:40 am
I am a Lebanese friend of Nat, living in Lebanon (sadly enough). In reference to Nat’s experience in the Syrian airport, I would like to tell a greatly similar story about my experience with the LEBANESE UNIVERSITY. I just finished my BA in Anthropology, and I applied for the MA at AUB. I got a call from AUB yesterday asking me for my last year’s grades. After months of studying really hard the thousands of pages of theories, and having great grades and being first, I was really happy to be asked about my grades. I went to the university at 9, and found it deserted. It’s nothing strange because the staff always comes late, and we have to wait for them to finish their coffee, so I thought I wait a bit in the car. I waited till 9:30 until the janitor came to tell me that yesterday they have decided to go on vacation until Spetembet 1st. Of course none of the staff is reachable, including the director. What this means for me is that I have lost my acceptance at AUB. Believe me Nat, at this point, I would prefer to be in the dirty soapless Syrian airport… They have indeed screwed up my future.
22. Nat | July 21st, 2006 at 12:18 pm
Hey hiba soo sorry to hear that :S
I emailed you..
23. Tini | July 21st, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Nat I am really glad you made it back safe. I am a really big fan of this blog and am glad you are back posting.
24. Lebi | July 21st, 2006 at 3:49 pm
Syria sucks, i hate it.
25. Pétalo | July 21st, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Hey, I’ll join the bandwagon and welcome you, Nat, back home safe!
Also, I’d like to suggest the following video titled
Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land
U.S. Media & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2004)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7828123714384920696
It’s around 1 hr 20 min long, but worth every second!
Quoted from the video Description:
Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites–oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others–work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.
Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how–through the use of language, framing and context–the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel’s PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.
26. asmaa | July 22nd, 2006 at 12:23 am
el7mdallah 3la el slamah..
hope your family is safe back in lebanon, sorry that u have to live that nightmare with the stupid syrian airport! >.
27. Mounir | August 28th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
I had the same experience went to Egypt via Syria and Jordan.. got stuck 11 days in Jordan bcuz no flights were availabe from Egypt to Prague….never never never ever again in my life i step into those countries… Syria is a fucking trash can, i feel sorry for the ppl there.. after all this i concluded i should have just stayed in Lebanon, I would have enjoyed it more under the bombing than going through syria and jordan i regret it… on the Leb-Syrian border I had to drag my luggage for like a km and the taxi dropped me in the middle of fucking nowhere in syria bcuz he wanted more money which i gave him bcuz his other taxi friend was there and no ppl were around it was a messed up situation and then i ended up taking another taxi luckily i found one which tried to rip me off too with prices but gave him no chance.. i was really close to taking a taxi back to lebanon which i think i should have done rather than going through all that shit experience.. it was the worst experience ever.. but i guess i can’t complain much since alot of were stuck in lebanon and couldn’t leave including alot of my friends, i thank God i made it safely out of there…last but not least, i won’t visit any arab country other than Lebanon…
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