Solid as a rock!

Alden apologizes for the lack of any updates the past few days, but he hasn't been up to much.

Fii hawqeeqa ("actually") Alden's been getting over a case of the "Euphrates," which wasn't too enjoyable. Sticking to a P.O.W.-inspired diet of rice gruel and water, Alden learned that "western" style toilets are known as "faranj" toilets- the Arabic term for crusader. Hilarious, right? Quite a legacy.

Alden is usually a staunch supporter of international intellectual property law enforcement, but he didn't seem to mind so much that a large supply of Imodium and stomach antibiotics cost less than $2.

Not wanting to be more than a quick dash away from his faranj toilet, Alden spent the better part of the past week in his lovely house in Damascus reading a book on the Crusades. This was quite a bit of fun for Alden, who is a student of strategery, since he has now been to the majority of the cities and castles that played significant roles in the Crusades. He is a dork, whatever.

Alden and his brother, Walter, would often sing a little anthem from "Arrested Development" to celebrate a success in the Euphrates department while they were hiking in Tibet: "...solid as a ROCK!" Indeed, Alden sang this little ditty this morning, Alhamdulillah! Alden is nearly back to full health- he picked up a little sinus infection, but that is quite minor compared to the previous ailment.

Side note: Syrians love Dolce & Gabbana. Correction: Syrians love knock-off imitation Dolce & Gabbana apparel. The young and hip teen-agers (and many 20-somethings) will wear tight t-shirts and hats with huge "D&G" logos, and there are "D&G" items for sale everywhere, sometimes with hilarious misspellings. Alden nearly succumbed to temptation and purchased a $3 "Dolec & Cabanna" shirt, but his respect for intellectual property law kicked in.

Alden will spend two more days in Damascus, then head up to Tartus and Hama before heading down to Amman, Jordan. There are a few more castles to see before Alden heads back to the U.S. of A.