Camping Salaam

We’re in business.

Our first customers are French who like to explore the Mediterranean region in a tailor made camper van. This time, their objective is Syria. A journey they have been dreaming about for years already.

They stopped at the sign, had a look at the facilities and were overjoyed to have discovered our camping. They stayed 3 days during which we helped them explore Aleppo and the Saint Simeon region. Although well prepared, they still had a few questions about the rest of their journey which we answered during a typical Syrian dinner on the veranda. Starry eyed they left on Monday with a firm promise to send a letter of recommendation to the “Guide de Routards” to have us mentioned in the next edition. We won’t see them again on their way back to the North, as they are going out of the country at another border post.

The next day, an Opel minivan stopped at the gate. It contained a family with 2 teenagers. Dad had a look at the toilets and was immediately convinced to stay at least 3 days. They are also French and during their 6 weeks journey visiting Aleppo was the main objective. They stayed 4 days and were sad to leave. The children begging to come back on their way back to France telling their parents it was the first time they felt like being at home.

All in all, a good start. We need good references on the internet and in the camper community.

In the coming week, we’re setting up a tent (not a real Bedouin one, a modern version) to provide more shadow. Our trees have to grow a few more years before they can serve as a shelter from the hot burning sun.

It is 41° C in the shadow these days. I’m not measuring in the sun, as the thermometer reaches only 50.

The stone tablets arrived to start finalizing the kitchen. After they will have been installed, cupboards will have to be made. I suppose it will take at least a month before everything is ready. But, I’m not complaining. The heat makes me too lazy.

Freezing dried food

Now, during the hottest period of the year, the trees and the plants need water every day. It is very time consuming. One of the things to do is to build an irrigation system by laying plastic tubes all over the place. It is then just a matter of opening the tap and closing it in time.

Mohamed has been flooding the garden several times, as he puts the water hose in 1 place and then leaves the water running while he does something else. He regularly forgets to close the tap. This caused at least 3 young trees to die. Too much water is not good neither !!!

The first melon presented itself as being ready to be eaten. Melons (and watermelons) come lose from the plant when they are ripe.

2 small watermelons just burst. It is probably due to them absorbing a lot of water and wanting to grow too quickly. The flesh was pink reddish and they were tasty, but not as sweet as the fully grown ones are. I have got new plants coming out. Decided to have watermelons late in the season.

A scarecrow as an addition to the plastic bags on the sunflowers seems to keep the birds away from the sunflowers. Although yesterday I saw 2 birds approaching the scarecrow (staying at a safe distance) while observing its reaction. I assume it won’t be long before they know it is not a real person. It looks quite realistic dressed in a black dress and white scarf.

This is a busy season kitchen wise. I’m using a traditional way to prepare food for the winter by drying courgettes and eggplants. Have to do this as the freezer compartment of my refrigerator is quite big, but doesn’t by far have the capacity of a stand alone freezer. Was disappointed when inquiring how to store the dried food. The answer was : put it in a plastic bag in the freezer. This was not done in the old days, of course, but they used to have problems with little bugs spoiling the dried food. The cold keeps them away.

I am also cooking meals and freezing them in. Plan to have 30 to 40 prepared meals in the freezer by the time winter comes around. It will be nice to eat homegrown tasty vegetables out of season.

These are the successes. There are some things to learn, however. I cannot manage to have flowers out of the seeds that I brought from Belgium. Are they getting too much water or not enough ? I don’t know.

Have managed to grow 3 salads, 3 zucchini plants (they still have to grow a lot) and green beans. Will put some more seeds in next month, after the worst heath.

I am now in the process of cleaning the showers and toilets in the garden thoroughly. We’ve got a beautiful sign outside in the street that I asked to cover up, because I don’t agree that the camping facilities are presentable yet. It is hard to get something done by Syrians these days. They are complaining it is too hot. Any excuse is good enough, I suppose. I’m working every day, but don’t need an excuse to work ;-)

Star Citadel

The heat brings a warm wind with it. Yesterday the sky was full of sand. Today clear.

Last week, it has been about 5° C less. It was so much more comfortable than before. At night, it was even cold. No sleeping on the veranda. The temperature is going up again since yesterday.

A visit to Qalaat Nejem (Star Citadel) revealed that Dzjazem’s grandmother still has a real goat hair tent. Never used. We are negotiating on the price. It is difficult to find the real ones, as they are not made anymore. The wool is woven by hand. There doesn’t seem to exist a machine that can copy the handcraft.

The dog living with the family has a litter of six. They are tiny still and too small to be separated from their mother. We have asked Dzjazem’s little brother to take care of 1 until our next visit. It will earn him 100 SYP (less than 1,5 Euro). He was very keen to accept the deal.

It seems that Dzjazem is having a black period in his life. With his 15 year old brother in prison for murder, he lost his 2-year old daughter last month. She fell of the veranda. His 2 smallest children have to be taken to hospital each week to have their blood renewed. If I understood well, they are suffering from hepatitis.

But… the big smile is still there.

He and his other brothers have a lot of work and earn good money, as restoration is going on in the Citadel.

The Euphrates river is blue/greenish and just the right temperature for swimming :-)