Public Transport

The microbuses here in Syria are great. There is no timetable to worry about — the bus leaves when it is full — just choose your destination, find a bus going that way, and pay next to nothing to get there.

Finding the right bus involves a little more effort if you don’t read Arabic, but people are always friendly & willing to help, if you can get the pronunciation right. And walking down the street, they’ll slow down as they pass you beeping their horn, letting you know they’re there. The English or French drama of running for the bus as it motors off into the distance is unimaginable here.

They’re not speedy, stopping pretty much anywhere & everywhere en route on request, sometimes seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but people don’t seem to be in a hurry, and we happily join their ranks.