Thursday, April 09, 2009

Day, Night, and the Clouds




The sun and moon play such an important role in seeing how beautiful Syria is. Light reflects in world class ways here. The first picture is in Kassab, a small town on a mountainside facing towards the east. Beeaauuutiful!
You really won't find a more chill area than the towns around the Northern coastal region. From Slunfeh, to Latakia, to Samra, it's all good.
The picture in the middle is in front of a restaurant called The View, in Latakia. There are lots of tide pools just in front, and when the sun sets, numerous reflections sparkle in the waning sunlight. The last picture is a sunset just outside of the valley surrounding Samra. The beach is getting popular every year.




Hiking for half an hour can get you to a few unnamed beaches. Giant caves, plenty of rock climbing and cliff jumping, and some marvelous snorkeling. Bring a tent and you can stay a week, spear fishing and foraging. From the cliffs you can look out across the bay and see Turkey's coastal mountain range on clear days. At night, after captivating sunsets, Turkey's lights twinkle beneath a sky full of stars.

Samra


Samra Beach and sunshine. There aren't many beaches where women can swim in bikinis and not worry about offending someone. The beaches around Samra allow coed groups time to relax without having to worry about ruffling local mores.