The Blue Mosque, Istanbul. from the Silk Road gallery. Photo Matthew Button
In the week that saw me finally get hold of a ferry ticket to Belgium we have a major problem at the very opposite end of the road.
As if to act as a counterbalance to Belgium's' stability and uniformity (something that gets mocked as the Milton Keynes of Europe) we have the anarchy that is Syria in 2011. I've never been to Syria and if my passage through Iran (see Silk Road Portfolio) has taught me anything about the world it is that we shouldn't judge people by the government that rules them.
In the original trip, my parent's hopes of reaching Aqaba were scuppered by the Six Day War. Only the year before it very nearly started the Third World War (that and the Mudurnu Valley earthquake in Turkey) therefore it seems rather fitting that the reason I presently cannot get to Aqaba either is Syria. So while I planned to repeat, copy and experience as much of the 60's feel of the trip as possible I haven't expected the same barriers to crop up quite so identically.
Today, as we turn on the news, the BBC is reporting that there are presently ten thousand refugees on the Turkish/Syrian border as things escalate. This isn't the right place to go into the why's and whats of the present situation (maybe a later blog), but on a very selfish level I'm a little stuck. The only other land route into Jordan would be through eastern Turkey into Kurdistan/Northern Iraq, then travel the length of Iraq before re-entering through eastern Jordan. Not a great, or even realistic, decision. It's not a Top Gear Christmas special after all.
Foreign Office -"We advise against all travel to the whole of Syria; British nationals in Syria should leave now by commercial means".
Lonely Planet went with -"governments are advising their citizens against all travel to the country".
and TripAdvisor- "We advise against all travel to the Syrian Arab Republic..."
So how the hell an I going to get to Jordan?
Answers on a postcard please.
Have a good week folks
Cheers Matt
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