finally, beirut.

Arrived in Beirut yesterday morning. The most expensive flight of the whole trip and only 35 minutes long. That just seems wrong. My professors had said there was a ferry from Cyprus to Beirut but I guess it was discontinued a few years ago because of issues with "security". Who knows. I am getting the feeling that is how Lebanon typically roles-- decisions made without much of a legitimate explanation.

We left Cyprus (and our ridiculous hotel never mentioned because it makes my blood boil just thinking about how stupid the experience was. Good lord, don't get me started...) around 7.15 am after getting up at 4.30 am (only to sit at the airport for 2 hours. Again, don't get me started on the stupid hotel managers!), and arrived in Beirut at 7.45 am.

We grabbed a cab to the city center, which was an adventure in itself. Apparently around here one must bargain for a cab. Drivers tell the unseasoned visitor there is a set fare. Little does she know that everyone will lower his after trying to rip off the stupid American women who look totally dazed and about to cry. Let's just say that in the first five minutes of our time in Beirut we were baffled by the ATM which only dispensed US dollars, swindled by a cabby who was going to charge $45 to take us to the hotel, watched a fight break out over who would take us-- a fight which included one cabby grabbing another's throat (still haven't figured out if that was a joking gesture or not), and another cabby walking away with our luggage and putting it in his car. Welcome to Lebanon.

The hotel is lovely and right in the center of the Hamra district, the neighborhood that contains American University of Beirut as well as all the old coffee shops and studios where the political debates fueling the civil war took place, inciting the students to take action and join the fight. It is still a young demographic and even though the country is celebrating Ramadan, the night life is bustling.

We had randomly (and fortunately!) found a walking tour online that would be offered later that night. We wandered the area and visited the University while waiting for the tour, getting associated with the neighborhood and enjoying the luxuries of the hotel (clean sheets, AC, constant electricity and fabulous shower!). The first thing we found, of course, was the most wonderful bakery that had counters full of honey soaked delicacies and nutty treats. What a great opportunity for research! Of course we have to taste the local cuisine!

downtown construction- cranes dominate the skyli

The walking tour is the only tour that Beirut has. It was started by a AUB student who couldn't look any more hippy or have a more peculiar temperament if he tried. But, boy, could he tell some stories! The four hour tour took us all over the city, explaining a plethora of conditions from why American dollars are used throughout Lebanon without an exchange rate changing in twenty years to land use zoning issues and the political history of the recent war. He was fantastic. Truly captivating. It was the fastest four hours of my life and I still didn't want it to end.

the holiday inn, center piece of the civil war

Beirut's downtown was center stage of the fighting, its Green Line running from its port all the way past the city's edge. The Line was established in 1975 and wasn't abolished until 1990. With the exception of the Israeli bombing of 2006 that destroyed the southern suburbs, the further destruction of the city has been on a lesser scale. However, as one can see in the news, Lebanese life is never completely peaceful and tumultuous situations can arise spontaneously, and most often do. Lebanon can't seem to find a way to maintain a status quo. There is always something worth fighting for, or so it would seem.

The downtown was completely demolished in the fifteen years of fighting and is now under such extreme renovation that one can barely recognize the old city, a fact that has many Beirutis up in arms, protesting against the major developers and arguing over what to do with the missing blocks in the city center. Over 1 billion dollars has been pumped into new projects so far and real estate values continue to skyrocket. It was surreal walking through the city and seeing ramshackle buildings, bullet-ridden and falling apart, next to brand new construction in front of which billboards boasted star-itects' names in bold letters, hoping to entice the richest and most cultured of clientele to buy.

 our Lebanese Mags

We finished the tour a little after 9 pm (thank goodness it was an evening tour! The heat has followed us throughout this trip) and we started back towards Hamra. There was a young reporter on the tour with us doing an article on our tour guide for a local paper. Bubbly, well-traveled, knowledgeable and fully of personality, she quickly became our "Lebanese Maggie Clay"and allowed us to kidnap her a bit longer so we could bounce off questions about Lebanese customs and exchange war stories of past travel. She taught us how to navigate any future taxi debacles, answered our questions on Lebanese dos and don'ts and though a complete disaster, gave suggestions of where to eat (love her, but she's no foodie...). I think we must attract awesome people from the inherent awesomeness that we ourselves posses. It is like a magnet!

We headed back to the hotel, still in awe of all that we had learned that evening, and hit the sack. A 4.30 am alarm clocks on top of four hour tours sure make a gal tired!


Tomorrow it's back downtown, documenting how this massive growth is affecting the city. We'll be visiting projects that my professors have designed and mapping the route the destruction took during the war. So far so good. I'm definitely loving it!