Beirut...The Vegas of the Middle East
After being in the drab grey of Aleppo for a mere two weeks Chris and I decided to take a weekend trip to Lebannon. Timely enough we arrived at the borders in time for an Eid celebration. While waiting around at the border for a half-hour or so I started wondering why I kept hearing explosions. In fact, as we were approaching the coast I thought I was watching lighting but it was to small and bright. It reminded me of shelling from artillery batteries. Finally I looked around the building to find locals launching fireworks from the field. Damn! I was hoping to catch some juicy revolution.
Eventually we made it to Tripoli by ten or so and within an hour we found our way to the center of town and got a decent deal on a hostel. Actually the guy in the hostel was so nice he gave us a discount, and it ended up being cheaper than the hostel we intended to stay. With a decent nights sleep (no thanks to that horrible creaking noise that I think was a pump for the water). In the morning we had a nice breakfast with fresh croissants, cheeses, fruit, and an assortment of other goodies we happily gobbled down.
That morning we walked to the citadel, that was a mere kilometer or so away. Without prior concern we happened upon the slaughtering arena that WAS downtown Tripoli the day of Eid. Everywhere there was blood running through the streets and sheep in various stages of death and disembowelment. From the citadel we had a wonderful view of the city, the mountains and the mediterranian nearby. Oh, and the dead goat smell was gone.
After an hour or so of looking around and taking pictures, we walked back to catch a small bus to the Christian stronglhold of Bcharre'. Actually I thought I was going to a quaint little mouintain town until Chris gave me the history lesson on the bus. It seems our nice little town was an outpost of Christian insurgency during the civil war. Within an hour of arrival it was physically, verbally and psychologically obvious that we were in a "Christian" town. Are you LOCAL????? This is a LOCAL town for LOCAL people!!! Creepy.
The cedars and the mountain range above the town were beautiful. We spent our "ski day" sitting in the lodge for three hours sipping coffee, breathing second-hand smoke, and waiting for the "wind" to stop blowing. Anyone from home has skied on much steeper in much windier conditions. It was lame - blowing a bit - but I have had days where I was dangling at a 45degree angle up at the top lifts of Loveland wishing for God to stop blowing on me. This was nothing. Nonetheless we sat and waited in our cheap-ass 1970's rent-a-gear and paid-out Syria & our school. After three hours we gave up, gave the shitty gear back, and proceeded to walk down the mountain. Actually we caught a lift from a "christian-militia-nazi-guy" that chris suspected was a part of the conspiracy that would be our downfall during our stay in Bcharre'. He dropped us at The Cedars and we walked around the remaining parts of what used to be a mountainous range of cedar trees. They were big trees. I just enjoyed the hike really. I miss the mountains you know!
After a snack we then proceeded to walk eight kilometers or so back to town. A beautiful walk and a beautiful day. From Bcharre' we went to Beirut with the intent on spending one day there and another day at Balbek taking in the ruins and hitting a few vineyards on the way back. After the first beautiful day the next two were utter shit. A two day rainstorm kept us inside cafe's and the Virgin Megastore for the first day. The second day we walked the corniche in pouring rain, dodging crashing waves and puddles. Wet, we settled into a cafe and read our books. No matter where I go - I always enjoy hanging out the most!
Enjoying our trip to modernity, we took a night out for some western dinner and bar hopping. Beirut is definitely the Vegas of the Middle East - I saw more neon and flashing lights in those two days than I have since I was last in Vegas. Maybe I am just so far removed from modernity that it looked bright and happy. Even the bullet holes looked happy. I actually saw couples on dates...and KISSING! My good lord Jehosafat on a rubber crutch...KISSING! Well after I got done praying for thier souls I got drunk! Beirut is now my favorite town in the Middle East. It has everything one could want of the western world with an eastern flavour. I have been told Dubai is better but I want to check out Amman next. I guess outside of historical sights, I would rather see the big cities than the villages. I live in a big dirty village. I told my friend Kaila in an email earlier today that my next job will be in a bigger city, or a place with something to offer like the great outdoors. I need more than psuedo-psychotic conversations with villagers about how Attaturk is a Jew. I can only take so much - I want to talk politics and current events! I want to see fasion and culture. It seems the large cities everywhere are the posters for the collective culture and beliefs of the greater nations. Going village at a time would be like reading every hack writer that comes along in order to read the up-and-comer first. I would rather wait for the Booker Awards to come and read something recommended. Big cities are the recommendations for variations in culture. God I love the city. If animals aren't walking by my door every morning(not stray cats), I wan't to live in the metropolis!
That rant aside, our trip back was long and uneventful. We took a seven hour bus back to Aleppo with a nice hour at the border. The Lebanese side wished us a good journey, stamped our passports - bing-bang-boom we were out the door. And then there was the Syrian side...the poster of Cold War efficiency. It took forty-five minutes to have some guy type a few things in the computer and get us stamped and on the way. The best part was when we rolled up into town and the guy behind us on the bus welcomed us so proudly to Aleppo. Chris and I grimly replied "we know...we live here."
Eventually we made it to Tripoli by ten or so and within an hour we found our way to the center of town and got a decent deal on a hostel. Actually the guy in the hostel was so nice he gave us a discount, and it ended up being cheaper than the hostel we intended to stay. With a decent nights sleep (no thanks to that horrible creaking noise that I think was a pump for the water). In the morning we had a nice breakfast with fresh croissants, cheeses, fruit, and an assortment of other goodies we happily gobbled down.
That morning we walked to the citadel, that was a mere kilometer or so away. Without prior concern we happened upon the slaughtering arena that WAS downtown Tripoli the day of Eid. Everywhere there was blood running through the streets and sheep in various stages of death and disembowelment. From the citadel we had a wonderful view of the city, the mountains and the mediterranian nearby. Oh, and the dead goat smell was gone.
After an hour or so of looking around and taking pictures, we walked back to catch a small bus to the Christian stronglhold of Bcharre'. Actually I thought I was going to a quaint little mouintain town until Chris gave me the history lesson on the bus. It seems our nice little town was an outpost of Christian insurgency during the civil war. Within an hour of arrival it was physically, verbally and psychologically obvious that we were in a "Christian" town. Are you LOCAL????? This is a LOCAL town for LOCAL people!!! Creepy.
The cedars and the mountain range above the town were beautiful. We spent our "ski day" sitting in the lodge for three hours sipping coffee, breathing second-hand smoke, and waiting for the "wind" to stop blowing. Anyone from home has skied on much steeper in much windier conditions. It was lame - blowing a bit - but I have had days where I was dangling at a 45degree angle up at the top lifts of Loveland wishing for God to stop blowing on me. This was nothing. Nonetheless we sat and waited in our cheap-ass 1970's rent-a-gear and paid-out Syria & our school. After three hours we gave up, gave the shitty gear back, and proceeded to walk down the mountain. Actually we caught a lift from a "christian-militia-nazi-guy" that chris suspected was a part of the conspiracy that would be our downfall during our stay in Bcharre'. He dropped us at The Cedars and we walked around the remaining parts of what used to be a mountainous range of cedar trees. They were big trees. I just enjoyed the hike really. I miss the mountains you know!
After a snack we then proceeded to walk eight kilometers or so back to town. A beautiful walk and a beautiful day. From Bcharre' we went to Beirut with the intent on spending one day there and another day at Balbek taking in the ruins and hitting a few vineyards on the way back. After the first beautiful day the next two were utter shit. A two day rainstorm kept us inside cafe's and the Virgin Megastore for the first day. The second day we walked the corniche in pouring rain, dodging crashing waves and puddles. Wet, we settled into a cafe and read our books. No matter where I go - I always enjoy hanging out the most!
Enjoying our trip to modernity, we took a night out for some western dinner and bar hopping. Beirut is definitely the Vegas of the Middle East - I saw more neon and flashing lights in those two days than I have since I was last in Vegas. Maybe I am just so far removed from modernity that it looked bright and happy. Even the bullet holes looked happy. I actually saw couples on dates...and KISSING! My good lord Jehosafat on a rubber crutch...KISSING! Well after I got done praying for thier souls I got drunk! Beirut is now my favorite town in the Middle East. It has everything one could want of the western world with an eastern flavour. I have been told Dubai is better but I want to check out Amman next. I guess outside of historical sights, I would rather see the big cities than the villages. I live in a big dirty village. I told my friend Kaila in an email earlier today that my next job will be in a bigger city, or a place with something to offer like the great outdoors. I need more than psuedo-psychotic conversations with villagers about how Attaturk is a Jew. I can only take so much - I want to talk politics and current events! I want to see fasion and culture. It seems the large cities everywhere are the posters for the collective culture and beliefs of the greater nations. Going village at a time would be like reading every hack writer that comes along in order to read the up-and-comer first. I would rather wait for the Booker Awards to come and read something recommended. Big cities are the recommendations for variations in culture. God I love the city. If animals aren't walking by my door every morning(not stray cats), I wan't to live in the metropolis!
That rant aside, our trip back was long and uneventful. We took a seven hour bus back to Aleppo with a nice hour at the border. The Lebanese side wished us a good journey, stamped our passports - bing-bang-boom we were out the door. And then there was the Syrian side...the poster of Cold War efficiency. It took forty-five minutes to have some guy type a few things in the computer and get us stamped and on the way. The best part was when we rolled up into town and the guy behind us on the bus welcomed us so proudly to Aleppo. Chris and I grimly replied "we know...we live here."
posted by chris @ Monday, January 31, 2005
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