Day 17 All about People
FOR THOSE IN A HURRY THE SYNOPSIS: I spent the day with a couple from CA and a guy from London. Along the way all kind of people made an impression on me. From a crazy 90 year old who would climb wooden poles, to a monk who prophecized Mohamed that he would be a prophet.FROM A LAMP POST CLIMBER TO A MONK TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN ANCIENT RUINSWho would ever believe that a 90 year old guy rides around in a motor vehicle as old as time, putting on spikes to climb wooden posts to install street lighting! We were supposed to be impressed by the ancient ruins of Bosra, and we were, but we were even more impressed by him.We - that is Diane, Jim, Ian and I. Yes, I had company today! Diane, Jim and I met on that very rainy day in Byblos in Lebanon. People you meet on a day like that are by default special; determined at least! They are seasoned travelers, retired, from California and on a trip similar to mine: Three months on the road from Lebanon to Syria, to Jordan and Iran. We started to email and today our paths crossed again.In good style we got ripped off by the taxi driver who took us out to the bus station early in the morning. But even after the rip-off, the taxi was affordable and we found ourselves in the most organized bus terminal I have seen in the Middle East yet. There was a ticket counter! We even had to show our passports, go through security, and there was a bus schedule, too! And since we had not checked the schedule, we found ourselves with an hour to blow before the bus would go. And, there was another stranded, foreign looking guy – Ian from London. So we picked him up and became a group of four for the day. Ian is the most privileged traveler I have ever met – three to four months of work, then 3 months travel. Back a bit to work and back to travel and so forth! Wow – give me that schedule any day. Needless to say that he has seen more than half the world as well. As I said, the people to meet at this end of the world are usually not your typical tourists. They are serious and seasoned travelers.Bosra – yet another Roman ruined site – I won’t bore you with details of Corinthian or Nebatean columns, but a couple of things did stick out: The theater for one – is probably one of the largest and best preserved Roman theaters anywhere. It is intimidating to see how small people look when you are sitting in the top row – yet, you can understand their speaking voice! It was Jim’s birthday and he had asked for a song in that theater, so Diane and I serenaded him with “Happy Birthday”. We are no Pavarottis, but he was pleased. Another rare feature was a huge reservoir of water built by the Romans that is functional to this day. I have not seen any of those around anywhere else that I can remember.The rest of Bosra is your typical baths, colonnades, shops, quarter-plan Roman city. But it was fascinating to have our guide point out the recent developments. 20,000 people used to live inside the ruins, actually more on top of it, until a couple of decades ago when the French and the Syrians began a massive excavation project. ¾ of the people were moved out of the site and into the new Bosra; but 5000 remain to this day! Note in the pictures the dwelling with satellite dish and clothes lines. The locals simply filled in walls as they needed and created houses. For years the locals were employed by the project removing sand and debris. Even Zachariah, our guide, a young guy, remembers that the steps into the mosque of the old city – itself a converted church – used to lead down into the sanctuary. Now, after removal of layers of deposits, one has to step up into the mosque. A good 10 feet difference.We saw some of the locals going about their business. School children returned with the school bus, kids climbed the ruins, adults sat and chatted or tried to sell us ancient coins. Yeah, if I ever will believe that again… In China I saw the business of faking – it was perfected to a level that could nearly fool the pros. In Pakistan they were not bad either. The dilemma is this: If these objects (coins, terracotta, etc) were real, then export would be illegal and the prices they are asking is way too low. If they are fake – which they are – then, the price is way too high and it’s a scam. I love fakes for teaching purposes and would buy them any time. But I don’t like to be taken for a fool.Among the locals was that 90 year old guy climbing wooden poles! I wish we had gotten his name. First, we saw him way up there, working without a helmet, without any apparent gear. Then we came across his ancient motorbike and then our guide told us that he was in his 90’s! That caught our attention and so we waited until he got down and moved on to the next pole. Thumbs up for low-tech tools. He had iron spikes (visible in the picture) that allowed him to literally walk up that pole seemingly effortless. We heard him edge on his assistant; likely 1/3 of his age, to get moving. Some people just won’t slow down. What an inspiration!And there was that monastery. It is revered by Christians and Muslims alike. In the 6th century a monk lived there who made history as he predicted that Mohammed, whom he met as a twelve year old boy – would become a great prophet! I could not help but think of the Buddha. His mother had been told by her astrologers that the child she was pregnant with would become a great king but more likely a great sage. Mary, of course believes to have been told by Gabriel, that she would bear the son of god. Now Mohammed, too. Continuing the list just randomly with Frank Lloyd Wright, whose mother was determined to raise a great architect; not to mention an old friend of mine who shall remain nameless, whose mother continually told him what a great loser he was. So, despite extraordinary talents he is just about the greatest loser I have even known. And shall I mention, that in fourth grade my piers told me that I would become a teacher. I knew better: First, I was going to be a bus driver, then a police woman, and finally a veterinarian. Guess, who won?! Has anyone ever looked at world history from the psychological point of self-fulfilling prophecies ? What would have happened to the world, if Mary had been told she would bear a great cabinet maker, and Mohammed would have been told that he would be the greatest oud player of all times?!For the first time, late in the afternoon, some kids followed me around the site, calling out for money in various languages. It has been such a delight not to be bothered for “bakshish” all the time and by every kid in either Lebanon or here. I wonder if increased tourist activities will spoil this in the long run.It was great fun to have company with whom to go to a restaurant. Syrian food is not made for single people. The idea is to have a crowd and to order lots of different dishes and then to share them all, sampling a bit of this and a bit of that. I much enjoyed Diane and Jim’s company and hope it won’t be the last time that we meet. Ian was a bit under the weather, but he was a fountain of anecdotes and stories. Too bad Brits have such an accent… :-)Good night.