After reading this board several times, my wife and I have decided to ride thru Syria rather than to ferry from Turkey to Cypress to Israel so we can get to Jordan, Petra and Egypt. FYI, we are in our mid 60s and will be riding a BMW modified Chinese Chang Jiang sidecar rig.
It seems to me that with all the positive things mentioned about the Syrian people and the fact that we will tend to avoid big cities, that our chances for an enjoyable ride far out weighs the possibility of a serious confrontation with crazy fundamentalists or angry mobs.
This decision was supported by a French scholar who lived and worked in Syria for several years. Essentially she told me that the border crossings are terrible and crazy but the people more than make up for it.
After all, this is adventure riding and its about the people we will meet and interact with, more than the cities we will visit and drive thru.
Both my wife and I are comfortable with our decision. Should be there in mid November.
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Soon to be on the road,
Jack & Janet
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On the road,
Jack & Janet
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