Country #110: Lounging in Lebanon

Me (dealing with some issues with my condo): "Hey, I am going on vacation for the next five days and I don't know what the phone situation is going to be so if you need to get a hold of me, just email me and I'll get back to you when I can."

My lawyer: "Sure, no problem. I think we've got everything under control. Where are you going?"

Me: "Beirut"

Lawyer: (silence)

Me: "In Lebanon"

Lawyer: (silence)

Me: "You see, I'm trying to get to all the countries and I am fascinated with Middle Eastern culture...

Lawyer: "You're insane. You are going to Lebanon! For vacation!! Isn't it super dangerous?"

Me: "Something, something...Paris of the East"
The truth is that Beirut is a perfectly safe travel destination and is actually one of the most liberal areas in all of the Middle East. But my lawyer's concern, and that of everyone else I shared my travel plans with is understandable. Lebanon was engaged in a bloody civil war that raged from 1975-1990 which got plenty of press. The relative peace and prosperity that has followed does not make for exciting reporting so it's not something that you ever really hear about.

Nor do you hear about the drastic transformation taking place in downtown Beirut. I arrived late at night and woke up early the next morning to explore. I had seen on a map that there was a souk nearby and figured that would be a good place to start. Since Lebanon is one of the few countries not on the T-Mobile plan, I was without my beloved Google Maps and had to rely on a paper map- like a caveperson! I sought directions from every other person I encountered but try as I might, I could not find the souk. I wanted the little winding lanes, spice merchants and welcoming offers of tea but instead all I kept finding were carefully manicured squares, high-end shops and more botox than you could shake a hypodermic needle at.

There was even a Zaha Hadid designed shopping mall going up in the center of it all. I was confused. The traditional idea of a souk is much more flea market aesthetic and less starchitect starpower yet this was it. This was the souk. As I learned later during one of the most honest free walking tours I've ever taken, this is all part of the controversial Solidere rebuilding project. Developed after the war, this is a plan to redo a large chunk of the downtown area.

Depending on who you ask, it is either a) a conscious attempt to rise, Phoenix-like from the rubbles of war and reclaim the city's status as the region's sexy epicenter  b) the manifestation of a people's desire for collective amnesia as they try to erase a painful history or c) former Prime Minister Hariri's brazen attempt to enrich himself at the expense of the city's history.

The answer probably lies in a combination of the three but there is strong passion on all sides of the debate. During the tour, our young guide lamented that his city's history is being erased in favor of building an "Investor Disney".  Standing in front of some overpriced high-end shop on the spot where a vibrant souk, with people from all walks of life, had once stood, it was easy to see his point. A participant on the tour, an older gentleman who had lived through the war, agreed but only to a point. What may appear sterile and soul less to one person can convey safety and stability to another. It was fascinating to witness the exchanges between the two of them.

The tour focused on the few remnants of the past that remain standing. Directly next to the Hadid project is a war-scarred building. Apparently the owner has had enough resources to keep the bulldozers at bay for now.

Another building to be spared is the Zawiyat Ibn Arraq mosque. It is the only building that dates back to the times of the Mamluks, an enslaved people originating from the Caucasus mountains, and as such benefited from a large public outcry to save it.

Nearby stands a building that holds a very different significance. The Holiday Inn was a major player in the Battle of the Hotels, It was important for both sides to hold the elevated position of these high-rises resulting in bloody fight where gunfire and bombing raged between combatants entrenched therein.  The defeated were often thrown off of the rooftops. This battle helped to demarcate the green line, which was a basically a no man's land dividing the Muslim and Christian areas. It was abandoned for so long that greenery flourished and created a literal green line dividing the city.

Romero Britto's monument to the Peace Runners

Saint Louis Des Capucins church

Learning the history of the downtown area was interesting but I was happy to leave it for the more scenic environs of the Corniche. This is the city's seaside promenade and location of the Pigeon Rocks formation.

There is concern that the Solidiere project is going to muscle over to the Corniche area thus the sign.

While walking around, I encountered a man selling Pigeon Rock boat trips, which sounded like a good idea. I asked when the next tour was leaving and was told "whenever". This should have been where I adjusted my expectations. This was not to be a big guided boat excursion. When I asked about food and drinks and the man took me to a mini-mart to purchase my own, this also should have set off a bell or two. Yet, when I found myself walking down a treacherous rocky path to the water's edge to a waiting dingy with no other passengers, somehow I was still kinda surprised. 

For the next fifteen minutes, we motored in and out of caves and circled Pigeon Rock while the guy that had led me to this adventure- oh yes, he had jumped in the boat too- grabbed my phone and took pics.

Glamorously glistening or sweating my ass off, you decide.

The Corniche was all well and good for enjoying the sunny weather but once the sun began to set, it was all about the Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael area. This is the nightlife hub with a truly mind-boggling array of pubs, bars and clubs. I mentioned earlier about Lebanon being more liberal than most other countries in the region and this is where it is most noticeable. Unlike most places in the world that frown upon you walking around with an open alcoholic container, Beirut encourages it. You go to close out your tab, they ask if you want to take one for the road. There are walk-up booze windows in case you don't want to go the couple of feet between bars empty-handed.

Mahmoud: my Lebanese partner-in-crime

It's like a cafecito walk-up window but with booze.

The nightlife is the topic that comes up over and over when you research things to do in Beirut and with good reason. It is pretty stinking great. Were it not for the fact that I had booked early morning tours on most of the days I was there, I would have been perfectly happy to bar hop and throw back some 961's into the wee hours.

I'll cover my Lebanese day trips on another post but suffice it to say that after just one day in Beirut, I had already called my lawyer to assure him that his concerns were unfounded.  I was safe, sound and only a slight bit tipsy.