Damascus

I feel like a millionaire in this country... and actually, I'm pretty close. (I have nearly 600,000 Syrian pounds in my bank account right now!) And though I tried to spend some of it today (believe me, I tried hard to spend it!), I couldn't seem to do it.

Here are my totals:

$1.00: Ice cream
$1.00: Postcards
$1.00: Soap
$8.00: A whole bottle of perfume (which smells identical to RL Romance)
$1.40: Lunch
$1.00: Snacks
$2.00: Blackberry Syrup

Grand Total: $15.40... and I probably have enough snacks to last me another two days!

Some of my initial observations of this country:
- The people are incredible. As compared to the other countries I've visited thus far, they know very little English, but upon learning that I'm American, they all greet me with "You are welcome."
- It is much cleaner here than it is in either Egypt or Jordan
- Bargaining is very uncommon (a huge thrill for me, as I can finally stop worrying about being ripped off!)

Random facts about Syria and Damascus:
- Damascus houses the world's largest restaurant, which has capacity for over 6,000 people
- Damascus is the world's oldest continually-inhabited city
- Average government salaries are just $300/month, and university graduates rarely earn over $700/month
- Inflation has been a huge issue for this country over the last couple years
- Though Syrians are well-educated, with a literacy rate of over 80%, the country's unemployment rate is over 10%
- Syria has more Iraqi refugees than any other country