Syrian Embassy Take 4

So 4 trips later I finally have a Syrian Visa in my hot little passport. This was no easy feat. This last month has been jam packed with Muslim holidays, and as a result embassy hours have been pretty much non -existent. The Syrian embassy in Riyadh has a website that is only in Arabic. I had a guy I work with translate the page, but the website has no information about visa requirements for tourists, however it does offer information on how to get your maid a visa. Not especially helpful since I wasn't planning on bringing her :) Anyways today I showed up at the embassy- and this is probably near the top of the most uncomfortable experiences in my recent time. Picture this- me and my blond hair are the only westerner and woman in this place. Nothing like 100 sets of gawking eyes to make a girl feel slightly out of place. Luckily the visa line-up was super short, but when I got to the front of the line the nice little man asked where my letter was?? Apparently, I needed a permission form from the hospital, and they also needed to know my salary. Pain in the ass- back to the hospital to get requested letter, back to embassy. More staring. It sorta felt like I was wearing a tube top and mini skirt, and not the head to toe black abaya that I actually had on! This time though after much persistence my visa was processed. Syria here I come!!! The count down to my next holiday is on- on Sunday I fly to Amman to meet my old mate Jen for a Jordanian tour, then we'll cross into Syria, then end the holiday in Beirut!! Party, party, party!!!