Lebanon

Aleppo - Damascus - Beirut - Sidon - Byblos - Baalbek

Salaam Aluykum!

I tell you, I’m falling in love with the middle east. I was supposed to be in Turkey a month ago and yet I am still stuck here enjoying the sights, the hospitable friendly people, the good food (though am getting sick of schwarma and felafel so have started eating out more in style)...

So, when I last left you* I had arrived in Aleppo, Syria, with Richard, my US travelling companion I met in Jordan... Speaking of which, people in the middle east find it amusing that a Vietnamese is travelling with an American, but they do also realise that travellers/people in America do not represent their government. They all believe that we are all the same, but our governments are all pretty much screwed up.


ALEPPO
Aleppo is Syria's second last city. Travellers tell you that Aleppo has a way of keeping you there longer than planned. And indeed they were right, for I did stay a few days longer, just chilling out, sitting in the cafes in the romantic Christian quarter with it's narrow crooked cobbled grey streets and old houses, exploring the covered stone arched souks and the ruined citadel with beautiful views over the city. Aleppo is over 5000 years old, and competes with Damascus as the oldest inhabited city in the whole world! Aleppo also has a wonderful selection of beautiful elegant restaurants in courtyard settings complete with lemon trees and fountains and waiters dressed to the nines. I had the best steak I’ve ever eaten in one of these places. I also did an impromptu palm reading session for some curious waiters, the maitre-de, and other customers the maitre-de introduced me to after he saw me doing it to some friends for amusement.


THE HAMMAN
Tried a Hamman (Turkish bath) in Aleppo, in style in one of the most famous and oldest (800 years old) hammans in the world. I was a bit nervous before I started, but turned out to be one of the most relaxing things I’ve ever done.

First I was given a locker to lock my valuables, then asked to strip and come out wearing only a towel into the luxuriously decorated main hall. I was then handed a bar of famed Aleppo Olive Oil soap and sponge and lead into one of the many steam room chambers. Sweated it out in the steam room where steam was forced out of an old rusty worryingly fragile looking pipe. Then I was directed to another room, where an attendant was waiting for me.
Motioning me to sit on the floor beside him next to a water fountain, he then proceeded to pour hot water all over me, then using a rough loofah, started scrubbing hard all over my body. It's amazing what stuff gets scrubbed out of you! Then, using the soap and sponge, he washed and massaged my whole body, finishing off with more hot water.
I then glided dreamily back to the steam room where I could finish washing myself, then back to the main hall where another attendant draped hot towels all around me and then served me tea as I lay on one of the many couches
relaxing, positively glowing, and feeling cleaner than I’ve ever felt in my life! It is definitely an experience everyone should try!


THE DECISION TO GO TO LEBANON
We decided on the spur of the moment to go to Lebanon. Not just because of the famous Beirut nightlife mind you, or the food, or beautiful girls. No, for a reason more lamer than that. It was to see Star Wars III! (Which was pretty well done I thought, though some scenes were too computerized and dialogue a bit dodgy).

When you think about it, it's quite amusing having decided to go to another country to see a movie...

Well, I suppose we were also curious to witness history in the making, as Lebanon were about to have their first election without Syrian influence...


A SHORT HISTORY ON LEBANON AND SOME POLITICAL STUFF
Basically, there were some civil war and unrest, which the Syrians were called to by the UN to enter Lebanon and act as peacekeepers. After the civil war, Syria remained as a dominant influence in the political and economical spheres. Lebanon however wanted to stand on their own without Syrian influence. A leader called Harira was well loved by the people and was vying for Lebanon independence without Syria. However, a massive
car bomb killed him and devastated a huge area around it (I saw the crime scene, pretty shocking how big that bomb must have been), and it was of course blamed on the Syrians. This put the spotlight on the situation and the
UN and George Bush have pressured Syria to leave. Which they have. And now the new elections have taken place, peacefully, and with great joy but also uncertainty in the country.

The Syrian's I’ve talked to tell me that they don't know why the Lebanese were so anti-Syrian, since they helped preserve peace in the country.

The Lebanese I’ve talked to tell me that the Syrian's influenced the economical and political situation to their favor, gave Syrians jobs in Lebanon, and took advantage of many things, including a commodity Syria is
lacking - water. Of course, if only Israel would give the Syrians back their beloved Golan Heights, then all would be well, but of course that's not going to happen.

Personally, I think the Lebanese should be grateful for Syria for protecting them, but their stay had certainly been long overdue.

The elections were quite interesting to see. The days before, little rallies and protests consisting of cars with stickers, lots of booming (almost Russian/communist style) music coming out of boom boxes, people waving flags and pictures of their chosen political leader or (usually Christian) militant leader, all driving around the city, chanting,
honking horns, etc. Very peaceful too, with no altercations between opposing rallies, just respect. Many military soldiers with machine guns hanging back watching the scene unfold. And on the night of election day, a huge fireworks display in the city was put up to celebrate!

I was very touched seeing the shrine of Hariri in the main square, with posters of him graffitied over with peoples comments such as "we will never forget you" and "you are our hero" and other notes expressing great loss and respect for their much loved leader.


BEIRUT
Paris of the Middle East? With the great food (expensive but well worth it), great arabic music, the crazy nightlife and the *gasp* unbelievably hot hot women (no exaggeration here - even the Lebanese agree), and I think it should be more called the Spain of the Middle East instead!

Quite a large city, a massively sprawled out, where new French pristine style areas of cafes, bars and restaurants mingle with decaying old buildings clearly showing signs of the last civil war with it's bullet holes, bomb blasts, missing walls and collapsed rooftops.. lots of reconstruction work, and a beautiful waterfront where people swim, fish, rollerblade, and in the late afternoon when the sun sets, people walk down it all dressed to the nines (a great
place to check out gorgeous girls - a welcome respite after traversing through countries for so long where all the women are generally covered up (ok, so I’m a typical hot blooded male, alright? )


NIGHTLIFE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
There is limited nightlife in the middle east, and where it exists, it is usually in the Christian quarter (because Muslims don't drink or go clubbing).

I've been to the nightlife in Damascus, which was alright, but if there was a center of nightlife in the Middle East, it would be Beirut. Here, expensive cars would cruise with guys and girls in them checking the crowds at the pubs and nightclubs, girls would flaunt their bodies with high heels and the bare minimum of clothing - all of this to get people to notice them, and notice them people do. (Melbournites this may sound quite familiar with Chapel St, Lygon St etc).

It is quite hard to get into a nightclub unless you make a reservation, and are accompanied with girls. When you do go in though they are often small, hip and expensive. One must also be aware of the prostitutes (usually Russian) prowling the club. But the rich and famous come and the music, ranging usually from trance to Arabic music, is pretty good.

We were lucky to have a club open up near our hostel, as they had free entrance and free drinks for the first couple of nights. So guess where I ended up every night?


SIDON
Sidon is a lovely small port town south of Beirut, with a disappointingly small sea crusader castle accessible only via a bridge, but a wonderful small yellow stoned covered souk where I bought some new clothes (Lebanon is quite a European city, and the clothes are very cool indeed - if I weren't travelling I’d buy a whole new wardrobe!)


BYBLOS
Another beautiful sea port town, with old ruins from all periods, from the bronze age to Hellenistic, Roman, Ottoman and Malmuk ages. The most picturesque ruins I’ve ever seen, set on a peninsula, with pink blossoms and green vines and vegetation growing over the sand coloured ruins and crusader castle, the blue Mediterranean and green mountains speckled with white holiday apartments into the clouds providing a pretty backdrop to the whole scene.


BAALBEK - THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ROMAN RUIN IN THE MIDDLE EAST
It was quite a scenic drive to Baalbek, via the huge mountain ranges, their tops hidden in the clouds which we actually drove through. Every guard post and road barrier you pass is covered with the Lebanese flag of a green cedar tree on white with a red strip on top and below it. It was a little unnerving though driving through the
Hezbollah (Army of God militant group) areas with their yellow flags with some green machine gun on tree design to get to what is considered the most impressive roman ruin in the middle east. And it did not fail to disappoint. Even though it consists of a few grand temples, the state of preservation and the size of the temples leaves one at awe. You can spend hours trying to picture it in it's glory days, when the now sand coloured ruins used to be white marble facades with gold and bronze columns, colourful painted friezes, statues, people worshiping and sacrificing animals on the huge altars.


WHAT'S NEXT?
The plan is to go to Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city, then I will go back into Syria to live in solitude in a remote monastery called Mar Musa for a few days. As you do. If I can find it that is...

Afterwards, I’ll head to Israel and the Palestinian territories...