I just left Syria yesterday to Turkey and want to give you an update on what's going on in Syria.

If you stay in touristic sites such as Aleppo's souk or Souk Hamadiye in Damascus, you won't see much what's going on really in Syria. But if you just go a little outside of Damascus, it is heavily armed with soldiers and tanks. I saw a burnt car and some destroyed infrastructure near Daraa and several tanks. Travelling by bus at the moment is very painful as there are too numerous check points. I advise you to travel by train instead.

I heard some news in damascus that some soldiers are siding with protestors almost similar to Libya.

Do not take any pictures in Syria. I got into a lot of trouble with secret police and I met one traveller detained at police station for taking pictures of the street.

No one really talks on the street or on the bus in damascus. People are very guarded and afraid.

The ATM machines are working as normal.

To conclude, avoid Syria at the moment