May be my last night here in the Baal-Shamin hotel, den of inequity. Mohammad is known as ‘Abu Ghandi” (meaning ‘father of Ghandi’) and is a non-stop intoxicant taker and basically sits pasha, a charismatic drinking buddy the local man can count on. His hospitality is beyond question, his rates reasonable (I paid 5 USD a day and that unofficially included eating free food at all times), this extends to letting his guests know when a prostitute is staying on and how much it would be. This “girl” wears makeup and no cover-up – she looks like international standard old hooker “thank you for thinking of me but you know I am heading home in two weeks and I can wait” I replied searching for an excuse. That is the game here I imagine for all Middle East hospitality – refusing unwanted offers gracefully.

Today I made the last passes – museum, ethno-museum, Bel Temple, walked through the Oasis and discovered gooey excellent purple dates outside a clay wall, sat for almost an hour with the camel drivers and learned about camels. Some facts:

-Females are useful for portage and ridiing, men only good until 4 years old then become dangerous and horny (especially in winter).

-Camels spend early life free-ranging inn the desert then are brought to service and trained over one to two months. The hurdle is standing up/kneeling down – it is painful for them on the abrasive surface outside the desert – they develop broad calluses on knees and chest (body shape depends on breed).

-Camels cost about 1000 to 1500 USD (priicey breeds are 5000 USD).

-They can be eaten from four to ten yearrs old but after that their meat becomes too tough.

-Their fur is cut in April and is worth about 20 – 40 USD per Kilo.

-They eat camel shit for the salt it conntains.

-In winter they can survive four to seveen days without water, in summer four days.

Looked at Cham Palace hotel and saw the cavern mouth through the abandoned hammam (public bath or spring) at the now dry Aqfa river source. Walked about an hour through the desert in the dark and became a bit spooked when all the dogs or whatever started to howl at once.

A tantalizing truck that was due to arrive at 10 AM full of 26 partying Aussies called and postponed for two days due to a damaged tire – my visa is almost kaput so I should roll tomorrow to Damascus, email, see sights, look at shower curtain materials for Darya, and get set for Lebanon. Here are my planned highlights:

Azem palace

Omayyad mosque

Chocolatier Graoui on Port Said street

The souk /curtains/soap/other? Oils (rose)

Email: family hello, secret Mike Attar Lebannon family info, curtains and Dayo, put Baal Shamin on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree bulletin board, write to Rebecca Neilson, tel Asle Tandogan that I am in Syria so she can be friendly, write Erica at People’s Market about soap and oils

Visit National Museum

For tomorrow I should first thing take a long walk (after hanging up wet clothes if day is clear), try to recruit Frenchman who arrived yesterday to go down to the source of the Aqfa cave, after breakfast pack and take day bag (or big bag) out to salt desert on foot to try my luck on the "Bedueen" hospitality.