An unusual trip, this one.
We had been invited several times to perform here but could never have sufficient men interested. Too much concern even then as to how safe it would be.
Then in 2009, it was suggested that Dave and I should come as observers with a Dutch group who were scheduled to go.
Little did we realise that within 18 months their world would turn upside down. However, that was all in the future.
Before I could travel I had to get a new passport as I had some Israeli stamps and visas in the old one.
We travelled to Schiphol Airport and met up with the Dutch Group and immediately got on well with them.
Our first engagement was at Bosra on the Southern border with Jordan. We stayed in the Bosra Cham Palace hotel, very luxurious. We were given a lot of freedom here and were able to wander around the town and visit the splendid Roman ruins.
All pics from my files
Bosra is a very ancient city with many well preserved Roman ruins. Sometime in the past, they were about to be invaded so they covered all their Roman remains with the desert sand to preserve them from destruction by the invaders.
Since then the sand has been removed.
The whole area is well worth visiting once the current troubles settle down.
We performed in the genuine Roman amphitheatre to a vast audience, I hasten to add that the main attraction was a local pop star. Once our Dutch friends realised we were dancers they found roles for us within their dance routines. They were a well travelled mixed group. One big difference between our men only team. we noticed. was that they changed their costume halfway through their performances. So we quickly lost our modesty.
After Bosra we travelled to Sweida, on route to there, we stopped at an* International sculpture workshop*. On reaching the concert hall, Dave and I skipped rehearsals and wandered off to a local cafe/bar, where to our surprise they stocked cans of local beer.
We got chatting to some of the locals but they were a little shy to start with. They suspected we may have been government informers. Once they realised we were English and drinking beer they opened up. It was soon clear that they were unhappy with their situation but were wary of discussing it. So we talked about football, women and families.
From there we went to Damascus and stayed at the Sahara Hotel on the hills above the town ( I do wonder what state it is in now). Whilst we were there it was very luxurious.
Damascus was a very busy place and we were escorted most of the time but given a degree of freedom. We visited their famous Umayyad Mosque and Bazaar (Souq). The bullet holes from WW2 in the roof of the Souk were pointed out to us.
Both places quite breathtaking.
We performed in the Azem Palace to an invited audience and disappointingly were not able to meet up with any other of the dance groups.
We were beginning to feel that we were being used, but in a way that was good and part of what we could pass back to the rest of our team.
On the way to Damascus, we supposed to visit Maalula and Saidnaya but both of these places were considered unsafe so were bypassed. Similarly, after leaving Damascus we did not go to Homs but instead went to Crack de Chevalier a very impressive Crusader Castle.
From there we went down to Tartous, a very pleasant but incredibly ancient seaside resort. We danced for what seemed to be a very rich wedding party.
For our last day, we took a ferry out to the Island of Arwad. A sleepy island away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Syria has such an incredible history but throughout all of their history they seem hell-bent on wars, history seems not to have taught them anything.
Such a shame.