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All come here, hot from travels and sweat. They lounge in sauna, half-clad and towelled, exchanging tales. We sweat together. I listen and befriend the weary. They all know me as friend. “Ali,” they say, “we know your face, come let us sweat and swap tales.” When I am not busy changing money or helping in barbershop on ground floor, street entrance, I sit in sauna and listen to travellers’ tales.
Many Westerners
come through here. Archaeologists and TV newsmen, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera,
they all know me. I am friend of weary traveller. I change their
money at very cheap rate, Ali’s Barbershop & Sauna, off
Cedars Road, Damascus, ground floor entrance barbershop. Enter here
and we will sweat together.
