Forget Vegas. Beirut, baby. Beirut. (Days 13, 14, 15)

Remnants of war

Last I wrote, I was in Delhi. Now I’m sitting in the Beirut airport preparing to leave for the island kingdom of Bahrain. Prepare for a somewhat lengthy filling-in (read it, it is interesting).


Spice

My final night in Delhi, I returned to the same club I’d been to the night before. Alas, lightening did not strike twice. The Bollywood starlet was not there. In fact, no one was. So, I went in search of superior entertainment with a couple of young French who just moved to Delhi for one or two year stints with electronics companies. The fellow looked a lot like Liam Neeson, his female friend not so much. Both were very nice and we ended up discussing politics all night, as we hopped from one venue to another. We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed one another’s company. I got their info so I can get in touch next time I visit. When you have friends, you don’t feel like such a stranger.


Smoke

On my flight from Delhi to Dubai I sat next to a very interesting young woman named Fiona. Fiona is English, aged 27, and until very recently a foreign correspondent for Reuters (she and a couple friends just quit) working out of Beirut, where she is returning to after attending her brother’s wedding in Delhi. Fiona has also worked from and lived in Baghdad. This goes to show, no matter how interesting you think your own experiences are, there is always someone on a higher plane. She didn’t even live in the Green Zone (she scoffed when I suggested this). I get her digits so we can have a drink in Beirut when I get some free time. Who better to show me the town, right?


Downtown, towards the bar district. Check out those mountains in the background. Good skiing, I hear.

The flights themselves were some of the most interesting, as far as observable features on the ground, that I have ever been on: the parched deserts of western India, the convoluted mountains of Pakistan, and the beautiful coasts of the Persian Gulf. Great stuff for a geology junkie, and a very good education as to why it is proving so difficult to find O.B.L. When I wasn’t looking out the window, I was playing electronic backgammon on my personal seat-screen. I love Emirates flights. Just after the take-off of the Dubai-Beirut flight, I was finally able to get a look at the famous Palm Island, an artificial creation just off the coast of the UAE. I also was also able to witness the ongoing construction of the newest sign of the apocalypse - The World, a residential island community that will look like a map of the world, naturally. I heard that Richard Branson already bought mini-England.

In Beirut, Fiona and I shared a cab into town and I checked into the Movenpick Hotel, right on the Mediterranean Sea. I met up with the other reps and our organizer (more on all these later) in the hotel bar. We went over the upcoming schedule, got to know each other (those who hadn’t met on previous tours here and there), then hit the sack.

The next morning we were informed that our school visit for the day was cancelled due to recent, ongoing events.


This is Rafiq Hariri, killed by the bomb

This is a good spot for a current events lesson. If you’ve been watching the news this week, you probably know a bomb went off in downtown Beirut, killing Rafiq Hariri, former prime minister, and over a dozen others. This guy was, and still is, very, very well-liked by many disparate factions of Lebanese society. After all, he helped to end Beirut’s endemic violence and return the city to its former glory. His picture is plastered all over town. Seriously, it is everywhere. I could draw him in my sleep. He has been christened a martyr and everyone is in mourning. This is not that dissimilar to the assassination of JFK, but unlike in the US, the Lebanese are pretty sure they know why the death of their hero occured and who is ultimately responsible. Hariri was pressing hard to end Syria’s troop presence in Lebanon and to also end its interference with the government. His assassination has brought to head a huge anti-Syrian sentiment. On this day in particular, a large march is planned for the downtown area, demanding for Syria to get the hell out. Some are kind of wondering how this will pan out. There is a good bit of tension in the air. So, the cancellation of the school visit.


Lebanese writing on a remembrance wall


Campers against Syria

Not wanting to waste time sitting in the hotel, but deciding that downtown might not be the best tourist destination at present, I, along with C________ and R__, rent a car for the historic town of Byblos. The three of us know one another from a previous tour of the Gulf states.


Crusdaer castle in Byblos


Roman pillars, through the crenellations of the castle


Fish'n in Byblos


Byblos is not just historic in the sense that it has some old buildings (though it does). It is most historic in that it is recognized as one of the oldest human settlements, ever. We are talking 8,000 years. Makes the founding of Southville in 17XX look silly. So, we spend some time looking around. When we are all full of history, we shop, eat pizza, and find refreshment in the neighboring commercial district. If you ever go there, eat at this place:


The pizza place up the hill from the ruins of Byblos

The fair that evening was not well-attended. Understandable, considering the whole thing about all the locals hitting the streets to tell the Syrians they aren’t wanted. I’m just glad I’ll be able to say I was here at this historic time. Afterwards I joined a few other reps for dinner at a local place across the street, then went downtown to meet up with Fiona. We had a few drinks along with some of her friends at a place called Dragonfly in the “Ju-maze-ey” district (phonetic spelling). It seemed crowded to me, but Fiona said it was a relatively mellow night compared to the usual, again because of recent events.


Downtown cafe area

In the morning I went downtown to a café with free internet service. I also did some walking around, seeing some Roman ruins, mosques, and the reconstructed, and very impressive central business district. In the afternoon we had a couple of nearby school visits. Back to the café with some other reps after that. On the cab ride back we got as close as you can to where the bomb went off. It knocked out windows and spread rubble for several blocks. The evening’s fair was much, much better. People actually showed up! The pace was steady and I was able to talk to some promising students. Afterwards I accompanied R__ to the local Hard Rock. He went back to the hotel and I went to the “Mono” district to check out a couple more bars I’d heard about – Ice Bar and Pacifico.


Cool downtown architecture

I was hoping to meet some interesting locals, but ended up just getting cornered by a drunk one wanting to talk politics. I was not in the mood, so I made my escape when he went to the bathroom.

Observations:
Beirut is home to a large proportion of badasses. The men all seem to have an Al Pacino vibe going for them while the women all carry themselves like Angelina Jolie. They make the Arab language sound very attractive (unlike many of their cousins), mixing in French and sometimes English here and there. The city itself is beautiful - great architecture, Mediterranean beaches, and snow-capped mountains. Lingering bullet-holes give it extra character. The climate is wonderful and so is the nightlife. It does not deserve the reputation that its past has given it, though it might not be a bad thing. It keeps the squares away. I want to spend more time here in the future. I could even live here. Maybe I’ll check out the graduate programs at the American University of Beirut.


Sunset on the corniche