Sunday, April 24, 2011

Unrest spreads to Jisr Al Shoghur?


Looks like the protest has spread even to the small town of Jisr Al Shoghour.

I've seen a few YouTube videos of protests and processions in Jisr but couldn't really tell if it's really Jisr. But in this video, I recognize the city gate with the big key above it. Used to travel daily through this gate to the bridge over the Orontes River out of Jisr on the way to work. Used to be so peaceful then, with a few traffic police 'manning' the traffic. Such scenes were unthinkable then.

Jisr Al Shoghour

Found this picture on the internet showing where I stayed while I was in Syria, the small town of Jisr Al Shogour. The apartment where I stayed is shown clearly in this picture. The picture is taken from the road coming from the coastal city of Latakiya. My apartment was the one directly to the right of the roundabout.

Turning left at the roundabout would lead to the town center while turning right would lead to the old trunk road going towards Damascus.

And I found yet another picture of Jisr Al Shoghour. One that is much, much older... B&W.

Suddenly, just thought of this small town which I spent couple of months in. A place totally cut off from the outside world. Imagine just dial-up internet at 28.8k!!! But it was quite an interesting stay. Right now, there's so much unrest in Syria with death numbers piling up. Hope all would turn out well for Syrians in the end.