Quick update

Hey folks, just a quick update as we haven't been online for a while. Anyone that has been diligently checking our Flickr page will know that we have not been in Turkey for a while. About 6 weeks ago, we decided that we would extend our travels in the Middle East so that we could meet up with Anth's wonderful friends Kate and Andy (who have just embarked on a similar length jaunt) in Turkey and with Anth's parents (who will be hitting Europe in August). All of this has meant that we have been able to "upsize" our itinerary to include Syria and Jordan (both places that Anth has been before but was very happy to re-visit).

I won't bore everyone with an Iran size treatise on having one's expectations completely countered in an "Axis of Evil" country. Suffice to say the week we spent there was great - we ambled a lot in the very charming Old Town in Aleppo, we woke up at 5am to see the stunning Roman ruins at Palmyra, we ate a lot of cheap and fantastic street food, and we met some very interesting young Syrians.

We are currently in Jordan enjoying the wonderful hospitality of a former co-worker of mine from Pact - Dianne - and her son Gabriel. We've been a few great trips out of Amman - including the ruins in Petra and Jerash - but most of all we have LOVED been able to be in a house for the first time in months. The side benefits have included cereal (god I've missed it), access to a washing machine, and television (we watched half of the final season of the West Wing - which has been with us since Islamabad - in one sitting).

Our novel period of relative inertia will be ending in a few days when we head back to Syria and then Turkey. It certainly feels like the next phase of our journey through Europe and North America is much more imminent - as is the need to find gainful employment when we finish up in South America!