Life changing travel experiences: Memories of traveling to Syria, 25 years on (with Ari Shaffir)

Deviate with Rolf Potts

“Syria is a mix of everything. There are multiple Christian cultures, multiple Muslim cultures, and multiple languages. It’s the crossroads of the world. It made for some of my best travel memories from that time of my life.” —Rolf Potts

In this episode of Deviate (which was remixed from an episode of Ari Shaffir’s You Be Trippin’ podcast), Rolf and Ari talk about when and why Rolf traveled to Syria back in the day, and what it was like when he got there (3:30); his experience in staying in a Christian monastery in the mountains outside of Damascus (18:30); Rolf’s journey to the Tigris River, his experience with the Kurds he met in a Syria-Turkey border town, and the types of food on offer in Syria (28:30); Rolf’s enjoyable experience of watching the movie Con Air on a long-distance bus in Syria, and his experience of going to a Sudanese refugee church in Damascus (37:00); Rolf’s experience of accepting hospitality from Syrian Kurds, the experience of eavesdropping on American music at an Aleppo hotel, and what it’s like to watch American movies in other countries (47:00); old travel clothing and gear that Rolf still uses 25 years on, and Rolf’s travel tips and next destinations (1:07:00).

Ari Shaffir (@AriShaffir) is a comedian, writer, podcaster, and actor. He is the host of theYou Be Trippin’ podcast,. His latest comedy special, JEW, is available on YouTube.

Notable Links:

• Ari Shaffir on Deviate (archive of podcast episodes)
• Paris Writing Workshops (Rolf’s travel memoir classes)
• 2011 Syrian revolution (protests and uprisings in Syria)
• Five Pillars of Islam (fundamental religious practices)
• Alawites (Arab ethnoreligious group)
• Ba’athism (Arab nationalist ideology)
• Qamishli (city on the Syria-Turkey border)
• Greater Kurdistan (geo-cultural region)
• Deir Mar Musa (Syriac Catholic monastery)
• Traveler ideals and hospitality in Syria (Deviate episode)
• Suicide door (style of automobile door)
• KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party)
• No-fly zone (area protected from specific aircraft)
• Fuul (Egyptian stew of cooked fava beans)
• Con Air (1997 movie)
• Hannibal Lecter (fictional character)
• Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005 conflict)
• Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, by Rolf Potts (book)
• Ibn Battuta (14th century Arab traveler)
• Benjamin of Tudela (12th century Jewish traveler)
• Anthem Soul (Rolf’s 2001 radio essay about Syria)
• James Brown (American singer)
• Djellaba (unisex robe worn in North Africa)
• Souvenir, by Rolf Potts (book)
• Tortuga (travel backpack brand)
• Vanuatu (South Pacific island nation)
• Animism (belief system)
• Cargo Cult (Melanesian spiritual movement)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

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