Nothing frustrates me more than when I read about Londoners discussing simple weekend trips to such places as southern Spain, Morocco, or as is the case here, Damascus. (Why isn’t my my house in New York a few thousand miles closer to the European continent?)

Though perhaps a little tougher to explore a few years ago, what with the secret police and all, but “since the more West-leaning Bashar al-Assad came to power, though, things are changing fast.”

For some tips on what to cram in on your enviable weekend, check out this guide, with suggestions including the Umayyad Mosque (one of the world’s largest and oldest), and shopping at the Al-Hamidiyeh souk before ” tucking into fabulous meze, grilled meats (kebab kharaz, lamb in a sour- cherry sauce, is a speciality) and Lebanese wine (restaurants in the Christian quarter all serve alcohol)” at Naranj.

Feel like the world’s getting smaller? A trip to the Middle East will help convince you otherwise. Here’s seven easy lessons to help make sure you’re prepared.

By Laura Bridgestock

Spending ten days traveling from Istanbul to Damascus promised to be the most exciting trip I’d ever taken — and it was. I’ve never been anywhere so completely different from my own country and culture. It was kind of a surprise, in a reassuring way, to realize that the relentless march of globalization hasn’t yet turned the world into one homogeneous mass. (Damascus must be one of the last places on Earth holding out against the big yellow “M” and the big green “S.” You know who you are.)

And while the locals were all very friendly and helpful, it was also pretty overwhelming at times. Looking back, there were plenty of things that would’ve been useful to know before getting there. So if you’re planning a trip to Syria, or anywhere in the Middle East for that matter, take a cue from my hard-learned lessons and save yourself some unneeded hassle.

Lesson 1: Use The Buses

A full day on a bus in a hot region sounds like a nightmare, but with all the trains canceled we had no other options for the 24-hour trip from Istanbul to Aleppo. A series of canceled trams and other minor disasters meant that we had missed our bus by mere minutes.

As a result, we found ourselves in the hands of a very large, denim-suited Syrian man who was laughing jovially in our faces as we desperately tried to explain our situation. After we finished our story, he happily accepted some additional money from us and loaded us onto another bus leaving a half-hour later. (Another lesson here: Syrians may have a slightly sadistic sense of humor, but they’ll look after you in the end.)

In fact, our panic was completely unfounded — it turns out there are buses leaving every half-hour to pretty much everywhere. Despite their frequency, they’re all full, and it’s easy to see why. With western sitcoms on the TV at the front, a steward bringing round refreshments, and (most importantly) air conditioning filling the cabin, Syrian buses are actually one of the most comfortable places to spend the hottest part of the day. And once you’re in the country, it doesn’t take more than a few hours to get between any of the main towns. (more…)