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High plateau between the mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges, linking the Syrian interior with the coastal cities of ancient Phoenicia.
Used to be very much agricultural, it isn't that much flousishing anymore, apart from the "cannabis" cropping.
Fortunately, it is now better known as the centre of Lebanon's burgeoning wine industry.
From Beyrouth, which is my starting point for every trip I make inside the country, I have been so far to Baalbek and Zahle.
Baalbek, mostly notorious back in the 80's for being the seat of Hezbollah (party of God) and helding hostages hidden in the valley ( such as William Buckley, head of the CIA at that time), it is still the "Sun" city of the Ancient world and the most important Roman site of the whole Middle East (dixit The Lonely Planet, and they are so right).
I was a little tired of all the stones I already saw so far, which for someone who is not a novice anymore would think this is nothing, but still I decided not to get into the site and pay some more 12000 lebanese lira. I wandered around the little "yellow-Hezbollah-colour-like" town, while my two fellow travellers,
Saint Secours "Mother Help" little church
Carved characters in wood holding the cross.Linda (new-Zealand) and Ian ( Brit from Nuttingham) were inside.
This got me to enter the Balbeek "Eglise St Secours" and meet the Father there, who I interviewed for quite a while. He was nice enough to promise to help me out to get to some south lebanon parts, close to the Golan Heights, where I am not supposed to wander around by myself, and maybe be escorted by a military member. If I can get to meet some people in the villages and interview them that will just make my day.
After the church, I got to get inside the ruins...for free. Instead of still waiting for my friends to come out, I have been allowed to get them in and get some moments to get an amazing view of the Bacchus temple inside.
Perfect transition to get the next day to Zahle, attractive resort little town, and get to one of the local famous winery and have a little taste of the treated-high-sugar-flavour grapes.
Ksara winery was actually quite late to be visited whenBella, my chinese roomate and I arrived, but thanks to some nice blokes in town, we had the great pleasure to visit one
of the other well known winery which isn't yet opened to visitors, the Khouri vineyard, held by a french-lebanese family and held in good shapes, even after several bombing and fighting along the Bekaa's vines.
Had a good taste of some of them, learned a little bit more about what a nice bouquet is, and the concept of tanning, and I didn't spit any of the fantastic wine that was offered to me by Jean-Paul Khouri. I made sure I was not too tipsy while interviewing him a little more on how things were last august, getting a little more of his insights and ideas on the whole Marroonite catholics and chiites muslims getting along...or not.
This interview though hasn't been taped for obvious reason.
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