Beirut

January 2019

Fuelled by caffeine and nicotine, the city of Beirut is abuzz. 

In the street, women in fur trimmed burkas pass ladies in mini skirts with out even a glance at each other. It is here that east meets west like the constant musical clack of tiny metal cups that the espresso sellers roaming the streets clap together to attract customers. Their moka pots always full and ready to caffeinate the next customer among clouds of sickly sweet hookah pipe smoke emanating from every cafe. 

The people are generous to a fault. Even if they are not from Lebanon they still treat you like guests in their figurative home. At the supermarket I am plied so full of samples I need to skip lunch. A Syrian employee tells me about all the food in the deli section. She offers to vacuum pack anything I want and tells me about her life at the same time. It is like shopping with a chatty personal assistant. At the hotel I enquire where I can get a ceramic water jug like I have in my room. The manager claps his hands and when I return a brand new one is sitting next to the bed compliments of the management. I even get an offer to accompany a fellow to Syria; an unfortunate impossibility given no tourist visas are currently being given.

Beirut too has a no go zone as seen by Western governments. The southern areas are Shia communities and considered too dangerous to visit. Personally I think these travel advisories are based very loosely on reality and more on politics.  I would much rather wander through most “avoid all travel” area then many parts of the United States all of which are deemed low risk. 

These Shia areas in Beirut, can only be entered through armed government checkpoints. It is here some locals from couchsurfing took us on a drive. The area seemed very modern with a surprising amount of English signage. The main high street was a traffic jam with no shortage of neon or modern shops. To celebrate a muslim festival, free tea was on offer. Served in paper cups by young boys who delivered them to our car on trays the beverage was remarkably tasty. The kids shock was priceless when the window rolled down to reveal so many blonde westerners in the back wanting tea to celebrate Mohammed. 

I had been with these couchsurfers all day in search of abandoned buildings in the mountains above Beirut. The first was an old luxury hotel partially turned into a school and then abandoned again. Although the rather large group was mainly Lebanese, the local government heard about us and a local emissary was sent out. He arrived in a brand new bright yellow camero with California plates to help us get in. Wearing long flowing white robs and a lace skull cap he proceeded to give us a tour also ensuring that the caretaker didn’t ask for money.

From there we had to follow him to his boutique hotel that while quite luxurious was too short to allow me to stand up straight in the lobby. After he dropped us at a lunch spot we were once again free to go our merry way. 

In town the Holiday Inn stands abandoned next to opulent glass towers. The scene of major battles in the civil war, the hulk is still pockmarked with bullet holes and mortar shells.  When I look over the fence at the considerable number of military vehicles underneath a soldier signals to me that photos aren’t allowed.  

Beirut and Lebanon is an adventure no matter what you are into. It is a safe and friendly place where the threat of cancer from tobacco is far higher than any act of violence.