What An Unbelievable Trip To Syria 🇸🇾 : Wow

Intro

First off, sorry for not being active on here. Due to numerous reasons, such as no stable internet connection in places like Syria and Lebanon (more on that in a bit), as well as taking 10 flights in 5 days, it was tough to keep up. In addition, while not a valid excuse, I am going into finals week next week and have all of my presentations this week; Most are about travel. 

Anyways, I just got back last night on UA 802, and finished up with an unbelievable trip. What was supposed to be strictly a trip to Syria, somehow ended up with me visiting the United States, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Thailand, and Hong Kong. Talk about a busy week. 

I’ll plan to break down some of these individually over the coming weeks, while still keeping up with the series I am on (5 nights on a plane (sounds similar, doesn’t it), but for now I’ll just add a quick reflection of the overall trip

Even The Outbound Was Tiring 

Due to having a mandatory class on a Monday night, the earliest I could get out was that evening after 11 pm. Considering the Europe bank tends to leave earlier, and I wanted to stop by the new Polaris Lounge in Chicago, I managed to secure saver space in economy from Los Angeles-Chicago (CPU cleared)-Newark (in economy). Yes, Newark. The flights were pleasant, and we landed early on both occasions. All around, it was a lovely way to begin the trip. 

United A321Neo Domestic First

United Polaris Lounge Chicago (new)

Running on 2 hours of sleep, I hopped off to the Polaris Lounge in Newark to visit the Peruvian bartender, Raul. Always such a pleasure to see him, and I even met a new friend from Germany whom I chatted to for a few hours. From there, it was off to Brussels in Polaris on the 787-10. I was so tired that I fell asleep in an upright position. Waste of a lie-flat seat, I know. 

United Polaris Lounge Newark

Tired of even reading this yet? I am 😅. From there, I hopped over on a brand new A321neo on Aegean to Athens in economy, and then Pegasus off to Istanbul. I felt horrible at this point, so I stopped off to grab some food and watch the Champions League semi-finals before heading off on a 2-hour redeye over to Beirut. My gosh, I was actually a little bit nervous in terms of Lebanon, due to the recent influx of activities there. However, I stayed the night at the Q hotel (didn’t sleep) and explored the city in the morning. Stopping off at Starbucks, I met a lovely man who told me that both of his houses had been bombed recently in the south, and he is living in a hotel now. Gosh, stories like these melt your heart. 

Pegasus was quite pleasant

Q Hotel, not bad for 70$ per night

Syria 

I am going to post a full reflection on Syria tomorrow, but this is just a quick something I wrote for now. 

With the change of regime coming in December, Syria has now gotten rid of visas for everyone (minus a few countries). However, this only applies to land crossings, which seem to be the most frequent. If you are looking to fly, the main options are currently either Qatar Airways 1-2x daily, or a few flights to Turkey. Visa costs range when landing (I think a US passport is 200$). 

Taxi from Beirut was about 120$ one way and takes about 3 hours door to door. 

Anyways, in terms of Damascus, this city is gorgeous! Honestly, one of the coolest cities I have been to. I stayed in the newer side of Damascus, featuring most of the upscale hotels. Whether you are looking to stop by a coffee shop in the morning or enjoy some of the delicious local food (really good), the newer side to Damascus is cool. Just walking along the streets at 7 am, hearing the birds chirping, and the flowers blooming was probably the highlight of my time there. 

Damascus, Syria

My new friend in Syria!

However, old Damascus really takes the cake. This place is really swanky and has a good feel to it. I went out one night and watched United play the European league semis, and nightclubs were flourishing, rooftop bars were busy, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. There were small hole-in-the-wall spots to grab a beer, and it kind of gave off a slightly European vibe. In the morning, it was a lot quieter, but perhaps more beautiful. If you are looking for a cool place to stay in Damascus, check out the old town.

Look, Syria has been through a lot over the years, but everyone was very nice to me. I was even speaking to a man at a restaurant who told me that he just came back 2 months ago (after 10 years away), since he is hoping there will be changes going forward. Whether it be the small interactions at the coffee shops, or someone recommending me the local beer: Afamia, it was a really relaxing time. Never thought I’d say this in the same sentence, but found it quite peaceful. 

It was truly a beautiful time in Damascus, but it was soon time to head back to Lebanon to get on board to Kuwait 

Exploring Asia+Back To The USA

Arriving 3 hours before my flight with no data, I parked up on the floor of the Beirut airport and stole the lounge's Wi-Fi. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. I headed out on MEA over to Kuwait, explored the city with my mate (had some amazing food), and headed back off to the airport to board another redeye on Etihad Business Class. 

This will be a fun review!

A night out in Kuwait!

Okay, I will break these down separately, but I really dislike Eithad after these two flights. Not great at all, sadly, but it is what it is. Heck, I found Cathay Pacific economy to be better in economy the next day, as the crew were lovely and the food was good. 

Etihad A321 Business Class

Eithad 777 Business Class

Bangkok was fantastic, I went there for personal reasons, aka, kind of talking to a girl haha… While it was only a short time, it was an amazing time filled with a couple's massage 

Dinner in Bangkok

Heading back, I flew United Polaris and checked out the Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong. Honestly, what a fabulous flight that I managed to redeem pluspoints on. Can’t complain about a 13-hour flight in Polaris for 713$… 

Cathay A330 Economy

Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong

Actually the same plane that flew me to Jo'burg

Me and my new mate met up in the Polaris Lounge and laughed for hours. What a lovely time it was in the lounge that evening, but I have to say I felt bad for the other guests as we were laughing so hard 😅

Initial Thoughts Post: What To Expect 

I’ll be posting some initial thoughts over the next 2 weeks before I head to Yemen. While not all will be posted, I’ll do the following for now: 

• United A321Neo Domestic First Los Angeles-Chicago

• United Polaris Lounge Chicago (already posted)

• Pegasus A321neo economy Athens-Istanbul-Beirut

• Exploring Beirut 

• Driving from Beirut to Damascus and back

• Around Damascus, Syria 

• Dinner in Kuwait

• Etihad A321 Business Class Kuwait-Abu Dhabi

• Etihad 777-300 Business Class Abu Dhabi-Bangkok

• United Polaris 787-9 Hong Kong to Los Angeles 

All in all, I can’t wait to share these initial thoughts, and eventually this will be turned into a whole series down the line (quite far behind at the moment). 

Final Thoughts

I recently returned from a lovely trip across many countries, but the main one being Syria. Honestly, this was one of the coolest trips I have taken in a while, filled with the most lovely but random moments that put a smile on my face. Sorry for being inactive, but I’ll be back on the grind starting tonight! Hope you enjoy!