Hama 2 (at the old mill)

So we parted ways with the repairman...oops I meant to mention, he must have other workers because these wheels are 4-10m in diameter (different sizes) and not exactly manageable for one dude.

Parted ways and walked across a stone causeway thing. Part of the structures they have set up to control water flows. For you see it is not just the waterwheels there are also a few flour mills around. Out of commission mid you. How do I know this?

Well, aross the causeway a fellow, well tanned and with a swimmer's body and no shirt was hanging out outside one of the mills. And he invited us in. SUre! Again through the wonders opf communication, his home was an old mill, complete with grinding stones from Denmark, France etc, and built into a building initially built by the Romans. Through a tiny hole in the floor we went beneath to inspect the metal waterwheels down there. These ones were just for power, no need to move water and in earlier times, before rust and decay had set in they were connected to vertical driveshafts and in turn to the grinding wheels above. For some reason he really wanted to show us the wheels turned and he and a friend tried to turn a couple of the metal hulks (only about 1.5-2m in diameter) but they only succeeded in breaking off a bunch of chunks.

We then returned upstairs and chatted for a few hours over some delicious lemon tea...I think just lemon tree leaves, but who knows. What did we talk about? I don't really know. His friend was saying something about haviong one kid who he hoped, starting at the age of 5 would begin learning English. Then some other guy showed up who had been beaten up a few days before by 10 cokeheads (the sniffing gesture is what I based that supposition on). Good times all around.

All I could say was majnoon (crazy), which I did, to great hilarity. But then we begged our goodbyes and were off. But we weren't quite. The 'dude' as I've taken to calling him showed us where he slept...a square cement room with pillows, and his 'garage' filled with...junk. Both places he insisted we take pictures of because that's what tourist do I guess. I think he just really enjoyed having us over and didn't want us to leave. He'd offered food for the next day but we had to turn him down.

These visits can be draining but they're always fun and they're a great way to kill some time.

Also, they have madew me realize that without trying too hard I've picked up some Arabic and can communicate on a very basic level. If I did that without trying imagine if I put my mind to it! Hopefully such things will be quickly realized in France.