The guidebook and the Internet say that visas for Syria must be obtained *prior* to arrival and in one's home country. Visas will not be given at the borders. Anecdotally, however, there doesn't seem to be a huge problem...unless you are American.
I met some American students in Egypt who had tried at the border. They had success, but reported having to wait hours for a "full background check" to be completed. For some "hours" was five, for others it was eight, for one unfortunate one with curly hair, a pronounced nose and a Jewish last name it was 32 hours...but he got in, and so would I. I held my breath, brought plenty of water, a book and some nuts and hoped that my Anglo features, German surname and charming smile would cut my time to a minimum.
End Result: 3 hours 13 minutes
What was my secret?
- A generous helping of smiles and bubbly charisma
- The endearing yet strategic use of broken Arabic
- Having Canadian and Hong Kong citizens waiting for me
- Waiting seemingly patiently
- Displaying my newest gold pendant (Allah's name as written in the Koran)
- Passport stamps indicating my conscious avoidance of Israel when crossing to Egypt
- Subtle flirtation with the middle-aged administrator who after the visa was issued asked for my phone number...not for government purposes (men are men all over the world)
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