Sunday, December 21, 2008
Our Introduction to Syria
Excluding the chaotic transportation, our introduction to Syria was a pleasant surprise. The people, for the most part, have been very welcoming. Since there wasn’t an ATM at the border we didn’t have any local currency. The first act of kindness we received was a police man buying our bus tickets without letting us repay him. People wave at us or stop us and say welcome and go out of their way to help us get where we are going and make sure we are ok. I certainly didn’t expect this sort of kindness in an Arab country. The people have gone out of their way to convey to us that they like Americans and do not hold us responsible on an individual basis for the actions of our government. They think the world is full of brothers and sisters and life is too short to not get along.
Beirut – Ksara – Baalbek - Syria
The next morning we happily checked out of our crappy hotel and went to the bus station (which turned out to be an intersection) where we caught a mini-bus headed over the mountains to Zhale. From there we took a taxi to the Ksara Winery. The winery is unique because the wine is stored and matured in a series of underground caves. We dropped off our packs then enjoyed a tour and tastings! The winery was a fun, picturesque stop.
From there we continued onto Baalbek in Eastern Lebanon. My Lonely Planet Book sums Baalbek up very nicely: “Baalbek, the ‘Sun City’ of the ancient world, is home to the most impressive ancient site in Lebanon and arguably the most important Roman site in the Middle East. The ancient city has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the wonders of the world and mystics still attribute special powers to the courtyard complex. Its temples were built on an extravagant scale that outshone anything in Rome…” After reading this you would assume this site to be a “must see” tourist attraction, right? Well apparently TJ and I and one other tourist thought so! It was really amazing and a bit eerie to have the entire complex to ourselves! Or maybe I only felt a little sketchy when I heard the gunshots going off somewhere in the distance… Anyway, the site was really impressive and we enjoyed wandering around for a couple of hours.
Our accommodation in Baalbek was really cool. When we checked in we were the only guests at the hotel so the cute little manager gave us a wing that had a cozy room with an attached kitchen, bathroom, 2nd bedroom and a roof top terrace with stunning views of the ruins. It was a cool spot to watch the sun set over the city while glowing on the ruins. The only bummer was that I was starting to feel the onset of sickness here with the symptoms of a sore throat, stuffy nose and being freezing all the time. Fortunately our room had a black pot-bellied boiler to keep me nice and toasty.
From Baalbek we took a taxi to the Syrian border, walked across, took a mini-bus to Homs, a city bus, then another mini-bus to Hama and a taxi to our hotel. I will sum up our crossing the border experience by saying I highly doubt they get many tourists there.
From there we continued onto Baalbek in Eastern Lebanon. My Lonely Planet Book sums Baalbek up very nicely: “Baalbek, the ‘Sun City’ of the ancient world, is home to the most impressive ancient site in Lebanon and arguably the most important Roman site in the Middle East. The ancient city has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the wonders of the world and mystics still attribute special powers to the courtyard complex. Its temples were built on an extravagant scale that outshone anything in Rome…” After reading this you would assume this site to be a “must see” tourist attraction, right? Well apparently TJ and I and one other tourist thought so! It was really amazing and a bit eerie to have the entire complex to ourselves! Or maybe I only felt a little sketchy when I heard the gunshots going off somewhere in the distance… Anyway, the site was really impressive and we enjoyed wandering around for a couple of hours.
Our accommodation in Baalbek was really cool. When we checked in we were the only guests at the hotel so the cute little manager gave us a wing that had a cozy room with an attached kitchen, bathroom, 2nd bedroom and a roof top terrace with stunning views of the ruins. It was a cool spot to watch the sun set over the city while glowing on the ruins. The only bummer was that I was starting to feel the onset of sickness here with the symptoms of a sore throat, stuffy nose and being freezing all the time. Fortunately our room had a black pot-bellied boiler to keep me nice and toasty.
From Baalbek we took a taxi to the Syrian border, walked across, took a mini-bus to Homs, a city bus, then another mini-bus to Hama and a taxi to our hotel. I will sum up our crossing the border experience by saying I highly doubt they get many tourists there.
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.
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.
Byblos – Jeita Grotto
The next day we headed north to a town called Byblos to check out its ruins, Crusader Castle, souq (market) and charming harbor. Byblos was a pretty cute little town nicely situated on the Mediterranean. In the 1960’s Byblos’ harbor was filled with yachts and its bars were hoppin.’ Today the harbor is home to rickety little fishing boats and the restaurants serve a trickle of tourists, rather than international celebrities.
On our way back to Beirut we visited one of Lebanon’s biggest attractions, Jeita Grotto. The Grotto is an expansive series of caverns that contain massive agglomerations of stalactites and stalagmites. The caverns are how I imagine other planets to look like and were very impressive. There were signs all over requesting visitors to vote the Grotto as one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. In my opinion, they might be impressive enough to qualify.
On our way back to Beirut we visited one of Lebanon’s biggest attractions, Jeita Grotto. The Grotto is an expansive series of caverns that contain massive agglomerations of stalactites and stalagmites. The caverns are how I imagine other planets to look like and were very impressive. There were signs all over requesting visitors to vote the Grotto as one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. In my opinion, they might be impressive enough to qualify.
Beirut
Our second day in Beirut was much better than our first. We first checked out the Hamra area. I’d say the best way to explain this district is it is a Lebanese version of our U-District as it borders the American University of Beirut and has two other universities nearby.
Our next stop was downtown. We wandered through Place d’Etoile, which is a quaint little city center with shops and restaurants. Since it is a pedestrian only area it was a welcomed break from playing frogger with cars and relentless honking. Here is how our Lonely Planet guidebook describes downtown: “Think Paris, post-apocalypse, and you’ll have a good idea of how Downtown looked in the early 1990’s after a decade and a half of civil war. Now, in better years, you could almost say it’s touristy.” We saw the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque, where the former Prime Minister Rafiq Harifi is buried, we walked through a Rafiq Harifi memorial, we ooohed and aaahed at the recently erected Christmas tree and visited Santa’s Village.
Next we cruised the Gemmayez area, which I’d say is Beirut’s comparable to our Belltown. We had a beer at a little pub then at dinner at a quaint little restaurant, Le Chef, where host of “No Reservations,” Anthony Bourdain, dined a couple of years ago. The food is traditional and is catered towards Lebanon’s working class. While it wasn’t our best meal, it was a nice experience.
Our next stop was downtown. We wandered through Place d’Etoile, which is a quaint little city center with shops and restaurants. Since it is a pedestrian only area it was a welcomed break from playing frogger with cars and relentless honking. Here is how our Lonely Planet guidebook describes downtown: “Think Paris, post-apocalypse, and you’ll have a good idea of how Downtown looked in the early 1990’s after a decade and a half of civil war. Now, in better years, you could almost say it’s touristy.” We saw the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque, where the former Prime Minister Rafiq Harifi is buried, we walked through a Rafiq Harifi memorial, we ooohed and aaahed at the recently erected Christmas tree and visited Santa’s Village.
Next we cruised the Gemmayez area, which I’d say is Beirut’s comparable to our Belltown. We had a beer at a little pub then at dinner at a quaint little restaurant, Le Chef, where host of “No Reservations,” Anthony Bourdain, dined a couple of years ago. The food is traditional and is catered towards Lebanon’s working class. While it wasn’t our best meal, it was a nice experience.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The unexpected pros and cons of travelling
Surprisingly, our flights from Seattle to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris and Pairs to Beirut all went really well. Only the last flight was delayed and the 24 hours went by fairly quickly. We even ran into AKON as he shared our Atl – Paris & Paris – Beirut legs. We all agreed that that the media we are exposed to at home portray a lot of places, including Beirut, to be much worse than they really are while a few places such as Lagos, Nigeria are worse than anyone could ever imagine. He will be putting on a concert here in Beirut and seems to prefer performing in “places that most people don’t go.”
Our first frustration occurred in Paris when we were going through a security check point and the screeners called the police after scanning my carry-on back pack. They showed me the screen and asked what was in my bag. I pointed out what each thing was – camera, Nintendo DS, iPod, etc and the police responded with, “we do not believe you.” Uhhhhh, ok, whatever… They proceeded to use their bomb detection equipment on my belongings and took my boarding pass. They eventually asked me to take my Nintendo out of its cute little pink case. Even after I showed them what it was one fellow responded, “Don’t tell me what it is.” Eventually they decided to let me through. Have they never seriously seen a Nintendo before???
Our next frustration began when we showed up at our hotel where we made a reservation last week. Unfortunately, the manager did not have a room for us! He called his friend to take us to his hotel for a night and then we would return to our original hotel the following morning. We walked over the hotel and took a look. We entered a building that was dark, run down, dirty and not the kind of place we’d like to stay. Then we saw the room… BLEH!!! The room was nasty with dirty sheets and blankets, dirty floors, hard beds, doors with frosted glass rather than a solid door and it was inconveniently located at the entrance where it was very noisy. Good thing we brought our sleep sheets! They are something you hope you don’t have to use but are glad you have them if you do! There is a shared bathroom down the hall that it is BYOTP and apparently a toilet seat is on order? I know January and Carrie can understand this sort of establishment, but I’m pretty sure it is beyond most people’s comprehension.
We said we did not want the room and went back to our first hotel so we could call around and find another room somewhere else. Little did we know it is Lebanon’s version of Easter here and EVERY HOTEL in every price range is completed booked.
After frantically getting ready for a trip for days and even weeks, getting picked up to go to the airport at 3am, being en route for 24 hours and ending up completely exhausted just wanting to shower and sleep it is very discouraging to have to stay in a place where you don’t want to make physical contact with anything. But, these are the unexpected cons of traveling and there is nothing to do other than try to make the best of it.
We checked in, went for a walk, had dinner and a few beers to expedite our crashing at our hotel (sound familiar January?).
We’ve slept enough and now TJ and I are both awake (it’s almost 4am) and are waiting for morning so we can get out of here and start exploring Beirut.
Today should be a better day!!
Our first frustration occurred in Paris when we were going through a security check point and the screeners called the police after scanning my carry-on back pack. They showed me the screen and asked what was in my bag. I pointed out what each thing was – camera, Nintendo DS, iPod, etc and the police responded with, “we do not believe you.” Uhhhhh, ok, whatever… They proceeded to use their bomb detection equipment on my belongings and took my boarding pass. They eventually asked me to take my Nintendo out of its cute little pink case. Even after I showed them what it was one fellow responded, “Don’t tell me what it is.” Eventually they decided to let me through. Have they never seriously seen a Nintendo before???
Our next frustration began when we showed up at our hotel where we made a reservation last week. Unfortunately, the manager did not have a room for us! He called his friend to take us to his hotel for a night and then we would return to our original hotel the following morning. We walked over the hotel and took a look. We entered a building that was dark, run down, dirty and not the kind of place we’d like to stay. Then we saw the room… BLEH!!! The room was nasty with dirty sheets and blankets, dirty floors, hard beds, doors with frosted glass rather than a solid door and it was inconveniently located at the entrance where it was very noisy. Good thing we brought our sleep sheets! They are something you hope you don’t have to use but are glad you have them if you do! There is a shared bathroom down the hall that it is BYOTP and apparently a toilet seat is on order? I know January and Carrie can understand this sort of establishment, but I’m pretty sure it is beyond most people’s comprehension.
We said we did not want the room and went back to our first hotel so we could call around and find another room somewhere else. Little did we know it is Lebanon’s version of Easter here and EVERY HOTEL in every price range is completed booked.
After frantically getting ready for a trip for days and even weeks, getting picked up to go to the airport at 3am, being en route for 24 hours and ending up completely exhausted just wanting to shower and sleep it is very discouraging to have to stay in a place where you don’t want to make physical contact with anything. But, these are the unexpected cons of traveling and there is nothing to do other than try to make the best of it.
We checked in, went for a walk, had dinner and a few beers to expedite our crashing at our hotel (sound familiar January?).
We’ve slept enough and now TJ and I are both awake (it’s almost 4am) and are waiting for morning so we can get out of here and start exploring Beirut.
Today should be a better day!!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is another cool place to spend a few days. This must be one of the most liberal cities in the world where marijuana, prostitution and homosexual marriage are all legal. You can walk into a “coffee shop” to buy and smoke a joint and pick a prostitute out of a display window in the red light district. The city is pretty with numerous canals and charming canal homes and the people here are very friendly.We’ve enjoyed our time in Amsterdam. Our itinerary has not been very ambitious, which has been nice. TJ and I checked out a few museums and the Anne Frank House where Anne Frank and her family hid before they were tipped off and sent to concentration camps. It was interesting to see the space where they lived for a couple of years and from where Anne wrote in her journal that was later published by her father. Other than that we’ve just spent our time wandering around the city and dining at the restaurants and bars that seem to be on every corner.
Tonight is our last night of vacation and we head home early tomorrow morning via Paris. We’ve had a great time on our trip but we are excited to get back to see the progress that has been made on our house while we’ve been away. It should be done in a few weeks!
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