CROSSING INTO SYRIA AFTER ASSAD10 min read

FREE SYRIAN SERIES, DAY 1 – 2

IRELAND – LEBANON – DAMASCUS

Crossing Into Syria After Assad. When I heard about the regime falling and Assad fleeing to Moscow I know I had to visit

WELCOME BACK TO COUNTRY NUMBER 152

I made this trip pretty much exactly years ago to the day and was shocked that how amazing everyone was so I was keen to see the difference now that the dictator had gone and everyone could be themselves.

WHERE IS SYRIA?

Syria

ASSAD

For 50 years the Assad family had run the country into the ground whilst grinding their people into the ground. They had single handedly pillaged every penny from the economy and dug themselves into a hole of sanctions which effected everyone but themselves.

Crossing Into Syria After Assad

CROSSING THE BORDER

Because it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled, the country is still without a functioning border so crossing was always going to be fun. But after getting dropped off at the Lebanese side I was on my own. Lebanon and Syria have the biggest no man’s land I have ever seen so there are tuktuks and buses ready to take you across. I paid a horrendous $30 for a 7min drive but sure they had just come through one of the worst civil wars in history.

Crossing Into Syria After Assad

HTS (REBEL GROUP)

My first experience with HTS was at the border. There was no place to get your passport stamped just a jeep with a few soldiers checking you have some form of documentation and also to add me as a friend on Facebook! The commander wouldn’t let me any further and decided my contact had to come and take me from the border. Turns out he didn’t want me walking any further in the rain, who would have thought!

RAMI

Rami was my guide this time who I have heard a lot about and is great. This guy gets on like a local and has better English than mine, which wouldn’t be hard! lol Highly recommended for anyone – Syrian Guides

OLD SIGNS OF THE DICTATOR

Propaganda is a huge part of running a dictatorship and Assad had posters, murals and statues of himself all over the country. Almost every one of these are now gone which is crazy to see because even taking a selfie in front of these would see you disappear for a decade.

Crossing Into Syria After Assad

DAMASCUS

We headed straight to Damascus to the Umayyad Mosque, one of the most important and ancient religious monuments in Syria. Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the world so you can imagine how important it is.

Outside the mosque are images of a lot of people who went missing during the civil war and its only now people can start searching. The regime cracked down on anyone saying anything or in a lot of cases when people said nothing. Even places these places or asking these kind of questions would have got you in a lot of trouble.

Crossing Into Syria After Assad

MOOD

After chatting to a few of the locals you could immediately get an idea of the sense of relief here. Even Rami was outspoken in the car. He said everyone was against the regime but you couldn’t even think of it in fear of reprisal. The only issue now is the uncertainty of the new power.

ICE CREAM

One of the most important things to do in Syria is try the ice cream in the famous shop Bakdash. Regardless whether you are Assad or the rebels everyone needs ice cream to survive in Syria!

TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS

If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We have the most insane few days coming up, prisons, torture rooms, palaces and drug factories. Who would have known this was happening in Syria.

SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
172/229

NEXT UP

Assad’s palaces!!! Click to read.

This post is episode 1 of the Free Syrian Series, for the entire series click here.

To see a different side of my trip head to my social channels; YouTube, Instagram & TikTok. Links at top of the page.