I did not get to the country on which I based my entire trip. Partly because of my super controlling family. Partly because maybe it was a wise decision given what is going on in the Middle East w/ Syrians, Israelis, Dubai, and the Palestinians. Does it suck that I didn't get to go? For SURE. I really wanted to go, see the Fanji synagogue, and the timing was such that I maybe could have spent Pesach with one of the oldest and most hidden Jewish communities in the world. I guess these things happen. Definitely no ideal. It put a real wrench in my plans and I had to scramble to come up with alternatives because I still have to get to Istanbul by April 9 - which, ironically, has a new travel warning (Syria doesn't) for increased anti-American activities:
U.S. citizens in Turkey should be particularly vigilant in light of the ongoing "Get Out America, This is Our Country" campaign and upcoming significant anniversaries associated with the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), a designated terrorist organization. Actions against American and/or Turkish-American cultural and business establishments in Turkey are possible. We remind U.S. citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.So to make lemonade out of the lemons, I booked a last minute flight to Serbia. I'll be making may way from Serbia, through Bulgaria, to Istanbul all by April 9. I'm book-less, pretty much information-less with the exception of a series of wikitravel articles that I emailed to myself.
Should be interesting.
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