spot on information about Syria !!!!
Hi Frederik and Dersu,
thank you for posting this spot on information about Syria here on the HUBB.
Sorry to read that thieves damaged your bike, mine got stolen in Damascus in January 2010 - pls read about it on another thread a bit further down. I spend a month in Damascus trying to get it back, but did not. Mainly because I could not get media attention. And also because of what you wrote, here again in red so everybody will read it:
What was really annoying about this whole experience was the Syrian attitude to it. Out of collective shame they will happily deny that something like this is at all possible in Syria. Both in Deir Ezzor and Palmyra I was refused parking the bike inside as it was 'unthinkable' that someone would steal it. Mentioning the attempted theft did not help, it was still unthinkable, Syrians do not steal.
However nice the average Syrian might be, make sure you park your bike inside, insist on it.
I was lucky that I did not have a carnet, leaving Syria was only possible because I had a police report.
My bike was stolen by foreigners, as far as I know. But only ten days before mine was stolen the thieves tried to steal an Africa Twin of a Swedish traveller, I found out, because other travelers (not Syrians) told me. Believe me, in this month I have heard so many lies and promises that this is enough for a life time. But it was also shocking to learn that people did not believe me, because these kind of bad things do not happen in Syria.
Greetings from Brazil
Mika
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