"Tadmor : One Of The World's Most Splendid Ruins !" Palmyra by coceng

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APAMEA<<<<<PALMYRA>>>>>CRAC DES CHEVALIERS

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SYRIA13th April 2005 ( Wednesday )
Today I woke up late in Hamah so I missed the morning 6 am bus to Palmyra ! 6 am ?
Instead I had to take a bus to Homs & from there I took a bus to Palmyra.
On the bus, I made a big fuss to the brother !
I boarded the bus when the bus was half empty & half an hour later it was full !
The driver started to assign seats to the passengers.
I made a huge fuss about this when he asked me to sit infront of the bus & made my bum sore like hell !
I'm not going to write about this again as you can read everything in almost details on :HERE.Okay, where was I ? Yes, I arrived in Palmyra & it doesn't have any bus station just an area where the buses were parking.
I got out & came a guy with a truck & asked me to get on his truck ! Yes, just like that ! I said, I had a reservation of a hotel to stay in Palmyra.
He asked the name of the hotel & I said Palace Hotel.
I also mentioned the name of the manager.
He said that he knew the hotel but the person of the manager that I mentioned to him didn't exist !
He asked how I knew about the hotel, I said it was booked for me by somebody in Syria.
He urged me to get on his truck & he took me to his hotel instead.
I insisted that I should called the guy who booked the hotel for me (actually it was FOUADS, who's also a VT member !).
At his hotel (I couldn't remember the name now) gave me his mobile & I called FOUADS. I managed to get him...
Fouads asked me where I was. I said in Palmyra. I told Fouads about me coming from Hamah/Homs & previously I was in Aleppo ! Fouads asked me why I didn't call him when I was in Aleppo ?
I said I thought he was in Damascus which I would reach on the follwoing day !
Sorry Fouads...
Fouads insisted that I should go to Palace Hotel instead as the guy there named Ibrahim was waiting for me.
So, I said sorry to the guy with the truck (he was kinda disappointed...& he said he could give me the same rate as I would pay at Palace Hotel !) & dragged my luggage to Palace Hotel.
It's not that far from the first hotel.
At the Palace Hotel, I was welcomed nicely...& got my room with a bit of good view over the ruins.
Ibrahim said that the view from the restaurant upstairs would be more nicer.
After checking in & told Ibrahim about the guy with the truck & FOUADS, I went out to explore right away !
I passed by The Museum where I had to get the tickets forTemple of Bel
Valley Of The TombsI asked about the transportations to The Tombs (as they were further out !) & I was told that I had to arrange by myself !
Behind me, I saw a French couple...Maybe I could try my luck with them !
CONTINUE...

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INFORMATION...

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Palmyra is also known as Tadmor to the locals. The ruins in Palmyra could be dated from 2nd century AD. It covers some 50 hectares.
The early rulers in Tadmor were The Assyrians & The Persians.
Tadmor was the major stop for travelling caravans between The Mediterranean & the land of Mesopotamia (now part of Iraq).
It's also linking The Silk Route from China & India.
The Roman called Palmyra as 'The City of Palms' !
The new town lies in Palmyra is slowly growing thanks to tourists coming here !
Population is about 40,000 inhabitants.
Almost every few years, there would be new found relics or tombs around Palmyra !
It's a place not to be missed if you are in Syria !
Palmyra lies about 155 km east of Homs & 210 km northeast of Damascus.
Its location in the Syrian desert merits a name such as 'The Bride Of The Desert' !
The ancient ruins of Palmyra area is about 6 square kms so it needs a whole day to see almost everything.
Some of the amazing attractions in Palmyra are :
The Pamyra Museum (which also sell tickets to the sites below)
Temple Of Bel/Baal
The Arch of Triumph
The Amphitheatre
The Baths
The ‘Straight Street’
The Congress Council
The Cemeteries or he Tombs
In addition to that, wandering the new town of Palmyra is a good way to meet/talk with the locals & many tourists from the world over who come here to see the ruins.
Worth mention is The Citadel of Fakhredin Al Maany from the 17th century which lies on a nearby hill where people (locals & tourists) love to go to enjoy the sunset over Palmyra ruins !
The night sights in Palmyra is totally amazing !
The ruins are serene at night & no fence will stop you from being near the ruins which are lit up under the moon light !

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PALMYRA AT NIGHT :

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THE RUINS
THE NEW TOWN

• Pros:The Ruins Of Palmyra Are So Beautiful !
• Cons:The Heat Will Get You Eventually & Some Sites Are Further Away;
• In a nutshell:The Number ONE Tourist Attraction In Syria !