One star hotels and shared bathrooms

Our hotel in Damascus is a classic backpackers hotel. It is an old building which is now in the process of falling down. Nothing is quite level in the building, and the stairs have a 20 degree list to port which is a little disconcerting. The rooms have old iron beds and are mostly dorm rooms where backpackers pay for a bed, and then take pot luck on whom they will be sharing with (we fortunately have two triple rooms to ourselves). The bathrooms are shared, and don't think I am talking luxurious porcelain and heated tiles on the floors. The showers are in the basement and double as a laundry. Nevertheless we all enjoyed our stay. The staff were wonderfully friendly, and the other guests provided hours of interesting conversation. Some were students on gap years, other included a draughtsman from Bath, a French sculptor, two Spanish families and a biker about to cross Africa.