What Happens When…..you put a Turk, Two Syrian’s, a Canadian and an American in a Taxi?
What Happens When…..you put a Turk, Three Syrians, a Canadian and an American in a Taxi?
…….well it makes for an amusing and interesting taxi ride from the Syrian border to Aleppo, Syria.
After finally receiving my visa and long after my transport left me at the Syrian border, I had to locate an alternative form of transportation to Aleppo, Syria. Which was in the form of a taxi with a Turkish driver, three Syrian passengers and a Canadian. No one spoke English (except the Canadian), but that did not stop them from talking to us in Arabic during the entire hour drive to Aleppo. From the beginning of the trip the four characters proceeded to talk, talk and TALK to the Canadian and I, as if we understood Arabic fluently. While the one sided conversation was going on the “rolley-polley” blue eyed Syrian man sitting next to me continuously sprayed EVERYONE in the taxi with one of his hundred bottles a potpourri spray.
During the 6th round of the potpourri spray and twenty minutes into the taxi ride…..we were pulled over by four unmarked ‘police officers”……At least I think they were police officers, it was hard to tell, because the truck did not have any markings, nor were they wearing uniforms. Once we pulled over the ‘police officers’ started searching the taxi, starting in the trunk of the vehicle, moving to the glove compartment, until finally searching under the car. After the vehicle search the Turkish driver got out of the taxi and the police officers proceeded to body search him…..eventually pulling cigarettes out of each pocket, starting with his shirt pocket, his back pant pocket and front pant pocket. And adding the found cigarettes to the cartons and cartons of cigarettes they had previously found in the vehicle search.
From the point the taxi was pulled over the ‘rolley-polley” blue-eyed Syrian man sitting next to me was praying to Allah….I’m not entirely sure what he was saying, but I knew he was ‘talking’ with Allah, because I heard his name mentioned over and over. I’m sure it went something like this, “please forgive me for illegally buying over 50 cartons of cigarettes from the duty free shop and then trying to sell them on the streets of Aleppo at a profit” (just a guess).
Once the officers had the cigarettes in hand they loaded them onto the truck and drove away. About ten minutes later the truck returned with the officers and the cartons of cigarettes and upon returning the officers returned the cigarettes, minus a few cartons, which they kept for themselves.
Ninety minutes later, many laughs and lack of comprehension of exactly what had preciously occurred or what was being said in Arabic during the drive, due to language barriers (apparently EVERYTHING was funny….as they kept laughing and laughing during the entire trip). I was eventually dropped off in the bus garage where I bid my new friends farewell and then proceeded to my hostel to begin to explore Aleppo, Syria!
Tags: Syria
