Beirut – well worth the effort. And yes, it’s safe!
Posted in Asia, Lebanon on July 30th, 2009 by Andy Jarosz – Be the first to comment
When we told friends and family we were going to Beirut, we got a mix of concern, raised eyebrows and that look of “why? are you actually paying to go there?” Some probably eyed up our modest belongings and wondered if any would come their way when we were officially declared gone for good.
Beirut is easily reached by air from the UK, but is also a short land trip from Damascus. In fact we arranged this as a day trip and hired a driver from Damascus. There are buses available, and you can also hail a yellow taxi who will happily drive out for the day and make a nice day’s earnings from you. As we were visiting Beirut for such a short time, we wanted to make the most of the day and not spend it waiting for others to complete border formalities. We paid a little more than we could have done, but the comfort and convenience was well worth the extra cost. Any previous trips to Israel need to be kept quiet, but of course if you are already in Syria then you will be observed that rule already. Visas can be issued at the border.
It took us 2.5 hours to travel between Damascus and Beirut each way – 90 minutes of hair-raising driving and one hour at the two border posts. The scenery is pleasant enough, and as the sights from the main road were all we would see of Lebanon on this trip, we stayed alert and made sure we soaked up what we could.
Beirut is a city of sharp contrasts. OK, there are many buildings bearing the scars of many years of war. Tanks, barbed wire and military checkpoints are located around the city. But once you look beyond that, you see a beautiful city, rich with a unique multi-cultural heritage, and with a very modern downtown. The new buildings are stylish, smart and show a confidence in the future which is inspiring, given the city’s bloody past.
Walking along the Corniche (the waterfront promenade), we could have easily been in Nice or even Santa Monica. The Lebanese people meanwhile were so warm and welcoming that it was hard to imagine the turmoil the city and its people had recently suffered. We enjoyed a delicious seafood meal in an upmarket restaurant on the Corniche – not cheap but certainly less than we would have paid from a comparative meal in Europe.
Throughout our day, the people we met were charming, friendly and extremely welcoming. Whether it was the staff in the cafes and shops, the waiters or even the numerous soldiers we struck up a conversation with, all were intent on telling us what a great city this was and making us feel at ease.
We agreed with Tariq, our excellent if speed-hungry driver, that we would have around 5 hours to explore the city and while another hour would have been useful, we certainly got a flavour (and a positive opinion) in the time we had there. The obligatory ice-cream on our way back to Pigeon Rocks rounded off the day before we met up with Tariq and he took us back to Syria.
(Apr 2009)
