Beirut

When we got back into Beirut we set off to see the Pigeon Rocks, which are claimed to be “the most famous, and indeed one of the only, natural features of Beirut” – the Pigeon Rocks. I guess if you have come from a place that is devoid of natural features the rocks would be impressive. For us they were “nice rocks.”
On our way back to our “hotel” (it never should have been classified as a hotel) we caught a glimpse of a Friday night in Beirut. The ladies started hopping out of cars in their 4” stilettos looking like they were ready for a night at the Oscar’s or some other red carpet event. Even McDonald’s turns ultra-chic with valet parking. All of the young people appear to be wealthy and sport designer brand names and BMW’s or Mercedes. It seems to be extremely important for people here to look good. Even the hawkers dress neatly with button up shirts and slacks.
The people of Beirut all seem to have a fearless, carpe-diem attitude. And, it makes sense to me. The majority of people living in Lebanon have endured war. It isn’t something they’ve read about in history books – they have seen it and survived it. According to my Lonely Planet book, “The civil war saw Beirut transformed into a bloody, terrifying epicenter of anarchy. The city was ruled, area by area, by militias loyal to one of various factions; the infamous Green Line tore the city into Christian and Muslim halves, while massacres, hostage-takings and suicide bombings soon became commonplace. Continual intercommunal fighting between militias, combined with shelling from Israeli fighter planes, soon devastated the city, leaving tens of thousands of human casualties and a shattered economy…” That war ended in the early 1990’s. Then there were the recent Israeli retaliatory attacks in 2006 after Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed 5 others.
While the people seem to have an optimistic attitude about future and prefer to forget the past, forgetting must be impossible considering the massive remnants of the war that cannot be avoided on a day to day basis. There are massive buildings that are bullet and missile riddled skeletons. It seems like the whole city is under construction. There are functioning vehicles with windshields and windows that have been shot out. There is a convoy of heavily armed military men driving around Beirut at all times ready to respond to Hezbollah activity. Once you get to the perimeter of the city you’ll see heavier artillery and tanks and more soldiers. The erection of a Hezbollah “tent city” in Beirut, the numerous Hezbollah flags mounted on cars and buildings and the Hezbollah caravans that parade through towns in the evenings make it seem unlikely that Lebanon’s future will be one of constant peace.
After considering their history, it makes sense that Lebanese people seem to live a more dangerous lifestyle with a “seize the day” mentality. Everyone seems to party hard, smoke massive quantities of cigarettes and drive like it’s stolen. People dress well, eat well, spend as much time as possible with friends and family and indulge with every opportunity. Perhaps we would too if we had such an in-your-face reminder that tomorrow is not guaranteed.