Yep, definitely got a problem with my digestive system. Oh well, I was expecting it at some point. I delayed my getting up on account of it, but I bumped into the Portuguese bloke as he was moving out. He was off to stay at his friend’s place - it was much cheaper, after all. Eventually I did manage to get up and struggle off to the Meridian hotel in search of the Europcar desk, passing the National Museum en route. I decided not to visit the museum quite yet. On seeing the cars on offer and the prices, I opted for a 405, as it was bigger than a 205 or a beetle, and had air conditioning - a must in the desert. I decided to take it for 4 days, picking it up in Damascus at 8.30 the following day, and dropping it off in Deir ez Zawr.
I returned to the hotel for a lie-down (et al.), with the intention of strolling around the old town and the Omayyad Mosque and National Museum later on. I forewent food, though - beat the diarrhoea by starving the little buggers out. My intentions went out of the window, though, as I remained in bed for the remainder of the day, with a fever, sleeping a lot and drinking only bottled water. A long, tedious day and night, but well worth it, I thought, bearing in mind what I had to look forward to in the next few days.
Last Updated on 09 November, 1999