I’m a United States expat -- now a permanent resident of Thailand. No plans to return to the States. But I dearly want to visit Syria. I'm in love with the place and I haven't even been there. But some Syrian web sites require that I can only get visa from Syria’s Embassy in Washington DC. Others say I must show a copy of my medical insurance. Still others claim I must show a copy of my bank statement. I can not wait at the border until some nice guard pities me and lets me pass. I need to fly in and fly out of Damascus. What is real? What is the truth? My wife is Japanese. Japanese travel community gets a transit visa then an extension. Not just theoretically, how to get such forms and what might be the down-side to this tactic? Thank you ever so much -- Khun John