I wake, glance around, get the feeling it's still early and go back to sleep...I wake, glance around, get the feeling it's still early and go back to sleep...
I wake, glance around, get the feeling it's still early and wonder why??? Checking the time I'm amazed it's after eleven! My room is almost completely light proof :)
The plan today is to do some writing, internetting, then head up to see the famous Lebanese Cedars. I spotted a cafe last night that had wireless so I head down there for breakfast. Breakfast is great but for some reason my computer doesn't work on their connection so finding another cafe I have a coffee and get to it.
Their wireless only works in spurts an after an hour I get fed up and try my luck elsewhere. I know there is an internet cafe near the hotel so heading back there it isn't until after four I'm finished with all my work. Oh well, Cedars another day maybe...
Finding a quiet little cafe in the central park I feel at ease sitting and drinking my tea. All the apprehension from yesterday has disappeared and I make the decision to continue my journey south. Tomorrow anyway...
"Hey mate. Where you from?"
"Australia"
"So am I!"
Turns out Abu Khulie is another Lebanese Australian here for the Summer, he spends six months of the year here and six months in Oz. We enjoy the next hour drinking tea and chatting...
"So, what do you think of this area?"
"It's nice. Very relaxed and peaceful"
"Have you seen the rest of the city?"
"Some...pretty wild"
Laughing "Yes, my house is a couple of kilometers to the east. Last week they were fighting in my street! I could see them from my apartment, very different from here. If you are free for dinner come out and have dinner up there"
"Sure, sounds good"
We arrange to meet at six and I head back to the hotel to relax. I was thinking of heading up north to try to get some photos and video as yesterday I hardly got any. I figured one run in with the military was enough for the day. But now Abu Khulie has invited me up to his place I will feel a lot more comfortable getting pictures with a local present...
Catching a taxi to the address given I'm a bit disappointed with what I find. It's definitely a big difference from the city center but still not looking like a war zone like up north. The pictures will have to wait...
All the locals are super friendly and super keen to come chat, ensuring before they leave they have bought me some kind of treat :) The street is filled with mechanic shops and it seems the local kids spend all their time tuning their cars and racing up and down the road, there is a constant squeal of tires in the background. Half of them don't even have license plates but nobody seems to care...
"Do they do this every day?"
Laughing "Every day?!? More like every hour of every day! Come back at two in the morning and they'll still be at it" :)
A couple of young guys take me for a walk to show me the view of the mountains. Passing a friend of theirs sitting in his car we stop for a chat. Another car pulls up next to us and the driver starts speaking harshly. The next thing I know my guide's friend has his pistol waving at the other guy out his window, but considering my guides are laughing I take it it's all in jest. The other driver reaches into his back seat and I'm expecting an AK-47, instead he comes up with a power drill and they proceed to have a mock gun battle. I then find out the guy with the pistol is the local policeman. Makes me feel much safer :)
Finishing the walk we eat dinner and saying a big "thank you" to Abu Khulie I head back to the hotel then back to last night's bar. A young woman is sitting next to me and we start to chat..."You will finish in Jerusalem! Be careful, isn't it a bit dangerous over there to be walking around?"
"Probably not much more dangerous than Lebanon..." Better not be anyway ;)
"What do you mean?!? Lebanon isn't dangerous! Over there they are at war"
"In some places it looks like you are at war here as well"
"No it doesn't"
"Have you ever been for a look between here and syria?"
"But all borders have a military presence"
Laughing "Not like this"
"Lebanon is safe! I've lived in Lebanon seventeen years and have never heard of anybody getting shot"
Very un-diplomatically I fall of my bar stool in a fit of laughter...
Probably not completely fair to want to shatter her illusion but I decide to give the the option anyway...
"What are you doing tomorrow morning? If you want I will give you a tour of the north side of your city..."
She looks at me like I'm a fool, politely refuses then decides she has to go... :)
Solo saw me laughing and comes to see what I found so funny...
Shrugging "Yes, some people prefer to pretend there is nothing wrong here..."
So know I feel I have met almost every type of person there is to meet in Lebanon...and it only took two days! I have met people in support of Israel, people against Israel, people who like Israelis but don't like the government, pro-Syrians, anti-Syrians, people pro-Hezbollah, people anti-Hezbollah, Christians, Muslims, Australians, an Arab who thinks all Arabs should burn in Hell, people who think all Israelis should burn in Hell and finally, tonight, a young woman who lives on a completely different planet... :)
And I wonder why this place has so many problems...
I promised the old guy at the hotel I would be home by one, so some time around midnight I make a move. Walking back to the main road along the beach I'm in my own little world when suddenly I'm snapped back to reality...
"Hey Ben! Ben!"
Glancing up I see Abu Khulie and his friends sitting at a table next to the street. I remember him saying he comes down to the water front every night for ice-cream but we are all very surprised with the coincidence. He tells me this place sells the best ice-cream in the world so I can't resist his offer to shout me one. And I have to say his claim would be close, the ice-cream is superb! :)
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