Stop the Backpacking Bus – we want to get of
Trip Start
Jun 13, 2009
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Trip End
Jul 08, 2009
Baalbeck, Lebanon
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Arriving in Beirut with our 1 bag (half full) we started off with a massive walk through downtown Beirut. Wow, what a difference. Kinda like Paris with a Middle Eastern feel. As most of it was destroyed over the years from bombs, the buildings were very new and modern. A beautiful mosque, very trendy downtown (a lot of money around here) with all the big name shops and a lovely boardwalk – plus a lot of people spoke English. T was still dressed for Syria, but totally overdressed for Beirut. Yes, it was time to put the backpacks down and increase the budget a little (but no more than Turkey); we were ready to indulge in a little Western life.
We parked up in the cheapest place we could find and explored the city. Spent a lot of time walking (like for miles) and during the hot hours of the day we escaped to the American styled malls for some window shopping and a couple of movies. We also spent a day in one of the Hotel Resorts to lounge by the pool.
Beirut is pretty dead during the day and you could be lead to believe no one visits downtown... but come back at 11pm any night and the place is heaving with activity.
But we didn’t lose sight of why we came to Lebanon and did a couple of day trips (using the easy local transport) to Byblos (6000 B.C. uninhabited city) and Jeita Grotto (caves with awesome stalactites and stalagmites). Both were pretty impressive.
We had to tear ourselves away from Beirut and headed to Baalbek, a small town closer to the Syrian border and home to the best Roman ruins either of us has ever seen. It was a definite O for Awesome.
With our quick stop in Lebanon over, it was time to head back to Damascus to meet Steve. Our entry into Syria was a little easier than the first time, but once again the Immigration dudes weren’t the friendliest. It’s a pity as this is the first impression you get of a country and a little tourism PR... or even a smile is all it takes.
Highs: Beirut – what a cool city considering what it’s been through over the years.
Lows: We didn’t have more time to explore Lebanon a little more.
