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Thursday 2004-05-13 - Aleppo, Syria
“In my next life I wish to be your hat”
The Syrians have a wonderful gentle kind of humor, of which we had a nice sample before at Krak des Chevaliers: Entrance fee is 150 Syrian pounds for foreigners, 15 for Syrians and 10 for students. After Carla and I paid our 150, Thom followed and said: “I’m Syrian.” “That’s 15 dollars, sir” was the immediate reply.
Today we roam around the very extensive Souk of Aleppo (much nicer than that of Damascus, with many very old vaults over the streets and khans — storage places — and caravanserais); it couldn’t be any closer since our pleasant hotel is right in the middle of the souk. Here we encounter more samples of Syrian humor. Many traders try a little ruse to talk you into their store but it’s all a game and they readily admit it’s just a trick to get you inside: “You have to try something to sell something” one apologizes laughing. What’s amazing is how many Syrians here speak some Dutch, or even have a portrait of our queen in their store: another conversation piece of course to get you inside. Farther on in the main street we chat with a small group of young men; one of them looks at my hat and tells me: “In my next life I wish to be your hat.”
