Wednesday, 27 August 2003, Jaramana, Syria
85 degrees, SUNNY

Typical leisurely morning, Naeif and I wake up late and eat breakfast. After that, we do a couple visits - notably, Naeif's aunt, who is a widow. His uncle died suddenly during my last visit, very tragic. It's about two years ago, and his wife is still wearing black. We have some kahwa (coffee) and I do a lot of smiling at everyone and bust out a few feeble words of Arabic. After that, to Naeif's other aunt, his mother's sister - grandmother of cute little girl with glasses, Noura. We have some ice cream there, and talk about the food chain and why it would NOT be good to kill all the mosquitoes in the world. Yeah, translated thru Naeif.

After that, back to Casa Rafeh to hang out in the courtyard. Keenan, Nizar's oldest boy, a really great little guy brings over a surprise - an "arranib"! ("rabbit"). He's got a basket with a plastic bag over it, and I don't realize what he's got until a consultation with Naeif. Suddenly, I think and say "This is a PET, right, not dinner?" Knowing I couldn't handle witnessing the rabbits demise - it's an adorable little white rabbit. I display the proper way to handle the rabbit - i.e., do NOT pick it up by it's ears, as Keenan did when he proudly presented it to me (!!). I pull the rabbit out, it's scared to death, and show him how to cradle it in my arm and cover it's eyes, and it calms down. It seems the bunny is in good hands, as Keenan describes, through Naeif, how he plans to keep it in a cage on one of the terraces in the back of their house, closed off with room to roam. Ah, good.

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Tonight, to Cassion - a restaurant on the top of Damascus Mountain. Me, Naeif, Marlin, Thurayia, Walid and Rebal and Rawad, Ghazwan's cute kids. As much as I adore these kids, Thuraiya and I are complaining about having to bring them along. Especially when all of us try to squish into one cab. Finally, we take two, and there is an inexplicable fiasco where one cab gets lost (!!) and we have to wait halfway up the mountain.

Cab riding is curious here - well, along with a lot of stuff that's curious. The drivers don't really know street names, to get around, you ask to be taken to a landmark or a neighborhood, then direct from there. Often the cab driver will ask directions en route from microbus drivers, other cabbies or pedestrians. Still, cabs are the way to go, only try the microbuses if you can read Arabic script well, as their schedules of pickups and drop offs are mystifying at best. There is a general route, but subject to detours depending on the destinations of the riders.

Back at Cassion, Marlin, Thuraiya and I are at a table and Naeif, Walid and the kids are nowhere to be seen. This is one of those "what the hell is going on" moments for me. Finally, I figure out that the cab carrying Walid and the kids, for some reason, couldn't stop, or find Naeif so they had to take another lap all the way around the mountain, since the road is one-way only. I'm slightly miffed at all these gyrations just to go to a restaurant, can't we just walk in serenely and all sit at a table like regular people? It seems not, this time. Finally, everyone is located, and I huff off, petulant to the table. I soon get over it, and we drink tea and have some really delicious falafel and shwarma and enjoy a spectacular view of all of Damascus at night.