After joining the Koryo Tours Marketing Team almost two years ago, it was finally time for me to join my first Koryo Tours experience.

And, it came by so unexpectedly.

I just briefly mentioned it to Zoe, our Marketing and International Tour Manager, about perhaps joining an upcoming tour sometime this year, to start getting a feel for the tour-guiding side of things.

Out of nowhere, Zoe asked, "Would you be interested in joining the Syrian tour next week?"

I laughed. "Next week?" I said.

Is it too crazy that I hadn't prepared for that at all, nor had I even slightly imagined that Koryo Tours' Syria inaugural trip would be something I'd actually end up joining?

IN LESS THAN A WEEK TIME?

But, I told Zoe, I'd think about it.

The chances of me making it were very small. But never zero.

The next thing I knew, I was making my way to Denver International Airport for my first international trip of the year, flying to Beirut, Lebanon via Frankfurt.

"Your final destination is Beirut, Lebanon?" the lady at the United Airlines check-in counter said to me, visibly surprised.

I smiled broadly. Yes, that Beirut (and I spared her by not correcting that my final destination was actually Syria).

She told me that after all her years working the front desk, I was her first passenger flying to Beirut.

I was smithen, and mostly honoured.

The Tour began in Beirut, Lebanon

The next morning in Beirut, I met *the real* Zoe at our hotel's breakfast bar.

It may sound very cliché, but after all these years working and communicating with the legendary Koryo Tours team, it was finally my chance to meet one of them in person.

And Zoe, my marketing manager, was the first one who could confirm that I am, in fact, a real person (and not an AI-engineered staffer from North Korea).

That night, I met the rest of the Syrian tour members from all over the world at the informational dinner.

Our excited group came from the UK, Canada, the US, Norway, Poland/Costa Rica, and Brazil.

We chatted and got to know each other before heading to bed, ready for the next day's journey to Damascus, Syria.

I was officially excited to start the journey.

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Road to Damascus (and Beyond)

It's roughly a two-hour drive from Beirut, Lebanon to Damascus, Syria.

Without stopping, that is.

But of course there were border formalities to sort through: arranging Syrian visas and going through immigration and customs on both sides.

That could take God knows how long, but we anticipated arriving in Damascus by late morning.

Honestly, other than having to pay the highest Visa-On-Arrival rate for my nationality, the crossing went smoothly.

Everybody was in high spirits, and we had the chance to pose in front of the 'Welcome to Syria' sign, which absolutely made everyone's day.

We arrived in Damascus to officially kick off our journey in Syria.

Yay! In the most genuine way to express it.

For the next 11 days, we traveled all around the country, visiting historical sites, ancient cities, important shrines and mosques, churches and monasteries, Roman ruins, war zones, incredible castles and citadels, beautiful coastlines and islands, refugee camps, and local homes. And a lot more.

Our local partner Tambee and our driver took tremendous care of us, and as a result, we enjoyed every single day to the fullest.

There was always something different and exciting each day. Most importantly, each day did a little more to bust our pre-existing reservations about the whole "how safe is it to travel in Syria?" question.

I was so wrong to think of Syria as a dangerous place. I blame the media hype and travel warnings from foreign governments.

I am so happy to have been in the Middle East, surrounded by some of the most hospitable people on earth.

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A Visit to Syria During Ramadan

Something else worth noting that we were traveling in Syria during the holy month of Ramadan.

It is probably the most unique time to travel around a Muslim-majority country, and Syria is no exception.

The most significant difference is, of course, the fasting.

During this month, Muslims across Syria (and around the world), observe the fast from sunrise to sunset.

Fortunately for the non-Muslims in our group, our tour managed to find places that could cater to us during fasting hours.

We tasted so many great and legendary Syrian dishes and drinks along the way, including Aleppo's famous Cherry Kebab and Kibbeh.

But the real highlight of our Ramadan experience was dinnertime: the breaking of the fast, or Iftar.

We joined locals at several restaurants for special meals and drinks found only during Ramadan: dates, lentil soup, kibbeh, countless french fries (chips) and drinks like Jallab and Tamer Hindi. Delicious and refreshing.

There were sometimes performances after Iftar, and people were in genuinely good spirits. Enjoying life with friends and family in a way that felt generous and warm.

It's worth noting that during Ramadan, Syrians also decorate their public squares, streets, and homes with Ramadan ornaments and lights: crescent moons, lanterns, sweets and colourful decorations.

It reminded me of the way Christians decorate for Christmas with trees, stars, and Santa Claus in December.

Different tradition, same human joy.

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The Middle East Crisis

One afternoon near the end of the trip, while we were visiting the Roman ruins of Palmyra, we watched a few missiles arc across the blue sky above us.

We later found out that conflict had broken out between the US/Israel and Iran, and we were sitting right in the middle of it, in Syria.

From that point on, we kept a close eye on developments through our hotel TVs and phones, and we watched as drones, missiles, and bombs appeared across the region. In Dubai, Isfahan, Kuwait, Doha, Tel Aviv, Tehran, Cyprus, and eventually, Beirut.

But not Syria.

Many airports across the region, including some of the world's busiest such as Dubai and Doha International, had ceased operations.

This current event was causing hundreds, if not thousands, of flights to be cancelled. Travellers were stranded. Embassies recalled their personnel, and evacuation arrangements were being organized by various governments.

And we were sitting right in the middle of all of these chaos in Syria.

But, strangely enough, Syria turned out to be the safest country in the Middle East at that moment. With no US bases or Iranian-affiliated organizations on Syrian soil, there were no targets.

Our little travel family was, for now, safe.

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Now What?

Since we decided to see out our remaining two days in Syria, we carried on with the tour. Everyone's safety, of course, was our main priority.

For our safety, Koryo Tours registered everyone's presence in Syria through the Czech Republic Embassy in Damascus, so that we, as foreign visitors, were properly accounted for.

We spent another day exploring Damascus, then headed south to Bosra to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Roman ruins, which was a genuinely fantastic day.

Our last day was a strange one. On the day we were due to return to Lebanon to wrap up the tour and fly home, we found out that Beirut had become a direct bombing target.

That morning, the tour was rerouted to Amman, Jordan. Although Jordan wasn't completely removed from the regional tensions, but it was a far safer place to exit from.

We packed our bags, said goodbye to Syria, and crossed into Jordan.

From there, it was a matter of arranging transport home: contacting travel insurance, rebooking flights, and sorting out accommodation for the remaining days before we could all get out.

Thankfully, Royal Jordanian Airlines was still operating, and eventually flights went out from Amman toward Cairo, Istanbul, Mumbai, Madrid, and London.

I chose Cairo, Egypt. While waiting for my connection back to Denver, I unexpectedly got the chance to visit the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.

When life gives you lemons, folks.

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Final Thoughts

Back to my personal Koryo Tours takeaway.

I am so grateful to have experienced my first Koryo Tours adventure with such a great group and tour leaders, and I wouldn't change a single thing about it.

I'm genuinely excited to keep joining future trips, and hopefully someday, to lead a group or two to some of the unusual destinations Koryo Tours is known for.

In the meantime, I'll be back at my desk in Marketing and Content, so I'm sure I'll be popping up now and again to check in with all of you!

Until next time,

Halef Gunawan :)
Koryo Tours Marketing Team

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Koryo Tours
Syria Tours