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Published: November 20th 2007
Yousef, Omar, Aarti (an American girl we met in Damascus) and I managed to get a share taxi in Beirut for probably the best deal we could ever get --400 Syrian Lira per person, which is roughly about $8. A Lebanese man also joined our taxi, and he turned out to be one of those friendly grandfatherly types. He didn't speak English, so Omar and Yousef pretty much did all the talking with him, but at one point, he turned to Omar and said, "That Korean girl talks a lot!"
We were a little nervous that our visa processing at the Lebanese border would be another Syria repeat... but noooooo. It was like a McVisa... five minutes in and out for our stamp! Yay! Strangely, there were a lot of cars heading out of Lebanon, and that made me feel a bit uneasy. I had not seen a border crossing that congested for as long as I could remember... so we wondered if we were headed in the wrong direction! Eeeeep! The first thing we saw on the Lebanon side was a big McD's billboard and I got a little cozy feeling inside (although I've eaten McDs six times in
"Everybody deserves your RESPECT"
Tripoli... I had Yousef pull the car over and had to run back to this old man, who was pleased to have his photo takenEgypt, I don't think I've yet tamed my craving of chicken McNuggets).
The fact that Lebanon has a reputation of being a conflict-ridden country hit me 5 minutes in to our drive to Beirut. We passed by numerous bombed buildings and bridges, security check points, military personnel’s and a major bridge that had been bombed during the recent attack from Israel. None of these infrastructures had been reconstructed and it was a stark reminder of a reality that exists to the world as a desensitized blurb through the media. I was so shocked and in disbelief of what I was seeing, feeling so out of touch with world affairs.
We got dropped off in the center of town, and the first thing we saw was a shirtless man. Doesn't sound so unusual if we were back home, but considering the fact that we were in an Arab country, it's a bit special. Omar was super excited to see that... he assumed that the shirtless man was a foreshadowing of the fun that was yet to come. Another reason why he and Yousef were absolutely thrilled to be in Lebanon was to taste the delicious cuisines of the region--
check out Omar's huge... arms?
shadow puppets: Aarti, Yousef, me, Omar and Chi in Tripoli considered to have the best in the Middle East. You can imagine how elated I am to be here, especially after eating all that good stuff in Damascus.
We checked into Talal's New Hotel (I would highly recommend this place to travelers), which is a cozy little joint with dorm rooms in the center of Beirut. The only problem was that the rooms were all taken, so the only thing available was the dirty, dirty rooftop, which looked more like an industrial zone in comparison to the refugee camp-esque rooftops we had seen in Damascus. Omar and I LOLed when we saw what they were trying to offer us. I asked the owner if we could just sleep in the lounge area (with full-blast A/C) and he agreed to let us crash in there at $4 a pop -- with the agreement that we need to clear out of there by 8 a.m. which is when they opened.
As I took my stinky, sweaty self to take a much needed shower, I got a whiff of a delicious steak smell simmering out from the kitchen area. The smell led me to a Korean girl named Heather, who had
looking out to Tripoli
... if only you knew how high up I was been traveling through the Mediterranean after having lived in London for three years. Later that night, Heather told me a sad story about an Australian guy in her dorm room who had gone out drinking the previous night to the local bars and had his drink drugged and his money stolen, thus he doesn't remember what happened from 3 a.m. to the time when he awoke in the jail cell. He returned the following afternoon after waking up in jail, getting interrogated, being threatened and having to sign a "confession" that was written in Arabic. Upon returning to the guesthouse, he booked a flight to return back home the next day. Another reminder of how we should always be careful when in a foreign country.
The first night, as we walked to the Corniche (seaside promenade), we saw more buildings riddled with bullet holes and bomb attacks. Mix that with the massive construction efforts going on and it looked like the aftermath of a war zone trying to rebuild itself. Any time you walk through the city, you can see the blatant evidence of its history of civil wars and conflict. Beirut is very modern and was once considered
Remnants of war
Used to be a hotel the "Paris of the Orient," meaning that they were considered to be more liberal, modern and developed than other parts of the Middle East. Of course they no longer enjoy this idyllic title due to the U.S.-condemned Hezbollah (Muslim fundamentalists supported by Iran), a quasi-terrorist organization. It's a bit tricky because on one hand, they are a resistant movement who, in the past, wanted to bring about liberation for Lebanon (back in the days from Syria, France, and Israel) and who are now trying to convert the Christian/Muslim country into a full-force Muslim nation. They have done plenty of things that terrorist organizations do, but they are not all extremists... just brainwashed to behave in certain ways and desperate to fight for what they believe is the right thing. Desperation can lead people to do unthinkable things, but it still doesn’t justify the actions.
I've talked with many Israelis during my travels about the events that lead to the Lebanon-Israeli War in 2006, where bordering Israeli villages were attacked by the Hezbollah and two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped (whereabouts still unknown and an incident that many Israelis still hold close to their hearts). It's a sad case of he-said-she-said,
Bombed bridge
result of the 2006 war, where Israel tried to deter all major roads in and out of Lebanon where each side holds biased grudges against each other due to their personal involvement with the situation. I sympathize with both sides because it's a history of trying to protect ones own country, and how can you blame anyone when they are fighting for their own freedom and safety? The devastating reality is that children and civilians are an inevitable part of these conflicts, and the soldiers fighting in these wars are practically kids themselves fighting other people’s battles. Elad, the awesome Israeli guy I traveled with in India and Nepal, was 22 when he fought in this war, and nearly became a casualty. One of his commanders, on the other hand, died when a missile hit his tank, while another guy I met suffered serious injuries when a chemical bomb hit his tank, leaving him with permanent scars, mutilations and PTSD. From what I gather, the majority of Israelis didn't support the way the prime minister handled the war and wanted him to resign as a result, but some felt that it was necessary to protect themselves, because at the end of the day, they were attacked by Hezbollah who, according to one Israeli girl I met, literally want
local market in Tripoli
...with the fattest, freshest tomatos and egg plants!!! to drive them into the Mediterranean.
Another interesting thing I noticed during our evening walk was how liberal the Beirutis appear to be... in their flashy Mercedes and fashionable (flashy and tacky?) clothing. Of course this was only the small, wealthy population, but they seemed to be clustered around the city center, whereas southern Beirut is said to be poorer with a large Hezbollah presence. I think the majority of those in central Beirut are very liberal Muslims or Christians, because even in the forex bureau or the travel agency, you will see a woman with a low-cut tank top and a mini-skirt. It’s so strange to see this here because I thought Arab countries were totally conservative, but since there are many Christians here, they are the exception.
On our first night, we went to Restaurant Mounir, a fancy terrace restaurant overlooking all of Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. It was a vast outdoor area jamming traditional music, with ripe watermelons lining the walkways, smartly-dressed waiters, shisha pipes smoking away, and hoards of loud, large parties enjoying a full-on Lebanese feast. Positive energy and atmosphere was absolutely vibrating throughout the whole restaurant, and we enjoyed our own
feast complete with traditional mezze dips, cheeses, breads, salads, meats, fried rolls, and a fatass watermelon to complete our gluttonous dinner.
The next day, Omar, Yousef, Aarti and I made plans to rent a car to drive to the north, because financially, it made more logical sense to do that with so many of us. Also on this day, I reunited with Chi, the German I met in Kenya, and he joined us for our coastal drive to Byblos and Tripoli. We first went to the beautiful seaside town of
Byblos (meaning "papyrus"), 42 km north of Beirut, which got its name because it was the port that exported Egyptian papyrus to Greece. It has the boasting title of being the oldest (if not the second) continuously-inhabited city in the world. We walked through the souq (market) in the historic quarters and Yousef and I continued on to the city ruins and the Crusaders castle, while the others stayed behind. The view from the ruins were absolutely mesmerizing, as we had a 180 view of the Mediterranean Sea and saw homes along the coastal hills. The ruins itself were massive, and you could see the strategically built layout of
columns
Crusaders castle, Byblos what used to be homes and walkways.
After a few hours, we were back in the car, heading 40 km north to
Tripoli to visit a Crusader fortress named the Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, where we had a full-on photo shoot. Afterwards, we drove around looking for Palais Abdul Rahman Hallab & Sons, which is considered to serve the best sweets and pastries in Lebanon. Yeowsa! Omar and I had a full-on ice cream feast, and the two rounds of 5-scoop ice creams unfortunately made me sick enough to refrain from moving on to the cakes and other delights. Dammit, I should've I paced myself!
During our drive back to Beirut, we watched the sun gloriously set along the Mediterranean Sea (it never gets old), and by the time we reached the capital, the streets looked as if Lebanon had won the World Cup. There were cars cruising through traffic, honking and waving the Lebanese flag, with some Beirutis sticking their bodies out the windows, hollering and waving. Turned out that it was the day before the elections and the whole city was cheering on their picks. Supposedly, this was considered a potential security risk, as unfavorable
Tickle me Omar
stretching while overlooking Tripoli election results could instigate demonstrations or attacks.
That night, we went out to a delicious local restaurant down the street of our guest house, called Gemmayzeh Cafe that played live Arabic music and had some patrons joining in with belly dancing-esque moves. We ordered a table full of mezze (appetizer-sized entrees) and after stuffing ourselves, we had a few drinks at a bar on the trendy Rue Gouraund street before heading back home.
The next day, as we dropped Omar off at the airport, we got into a little fender bender with a local man. He tried to rip us off and asked us to pay him an exorbitant amount of money. I must have taught Yousef a thing or two because he stood his ground the entire time, even getting police officers involved and explaining our case to them... and at one point even raising his voice. The man left grumbling at us, but in the end, we paid him a 10er and he was a thing of the past. . That afternoon, Yousef and Aarti left as well, so I just took it easy… Then
nighttime rolled around.
They say that the nightlife in Beirut is off the hook, so I had to sample it for myself. I forced Heather out of bed at midnight, and Chi and David (an Australian) joined us to go clubbing. In this particular club, the Long Island Ice Tea was $10, and when I said "Holy Cow!" to the bartender, he replied, "You know, in Dubai or Europe, it costs more." I thought, "No shit Sherlock, but this is Lebanon, where local street food costs $1 and accommodation costs $7!!!" Two Long Islands later, we ended up dancing until the place cleared out.
The things I have seen so far in Lebanon are so contrasting… on one hand, I see traditionally Muslim elements in the north, scattered with Palestinian refugee camps and check points all along the highway; but in the capital’s center, I see a liberal, cleavage blaring, PDA (public display of affection) tolerant, alcohol guzzling, BMW driving population, existing almost obliviously to the conflict around them. Or maybe they are just trying their best to lead a normal life. There are so many things in central Beirut that reminds me of the Israelis
I've met... enjoying life, loving their hummus, having crazy parties, young and not really understanding all the political issues hounding their country... if only they knew how similar they were in certain aspects... bet they would be such great buddies!
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Chris and Nikki
Chris
This is a very cool pic!