Beirut is beautiful. The views from the corniche to the sea and the snow covered mountains were stunning. Walking around the Hamra area even brought to mind memories of Vancouver. Beirut felt like I had arrived in the West.
But with each day it became too much. Hardees, KFC, Dunkin' Donuts, valet parking at Starbucks, La Senza, Dior, Zara, Espirit, Filipino nannies, Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, billboard after billboard on the glamour of weddings, plastic surgery, rampant consumerism.
And the traffic, the noise, the honking, the craziness. Cars park where ever they please... double parking, parking on corners, on sidewalks. Wrong way on one ways. There are few traffic lights and fewer stop signs and these have no meaning anyway. There are no rules. As a pedestrian it was exhausting.
But the people are friendly and very welcoming. And the food is some of the best in the world. It has been a long time since I last looked forward to eating (in Uganda I decided that I would boycott all countries whose people had no enthusiasm for food preparation).
And during this whole time I watched the news intensely, to see what was happening in Syria. I talked to people who were just there, to those who were thinking of going, and to those who were already there. My plan changed almost daily.
I have finally made a decision. I will go, with three others from the hostel. We will share a taxi and go on Friday.
But with each day it became too much. Hardees, KFC, Dunkin' Donuts, valet parking at Starbucks, La Senza, Dior, Zara, Espirit, Filipino nannies, Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, billboard after billboard on the glamour of weddings, plastic surgery, rampant consumerism.
And the traffic, the noise, the honking, the craziness. Cars park where ever they please... double parking, parking on corners, on sidewalks. Wrong way on one ways. There are few traffic lights and fewer stop signs and these have no meaning anyway. There are no rules. As a pedestrian it was exhausting.
But the people are friendly and very welcoming. And the food is some of the best in the world. It has been a long time since I last looked forward to eating (in Uganda I decided that I would boycott all countries whose people had no enthusiasm for food preparation).
And during this whole time I watched the news intensely, to see what was happening in Syria. I talked to people who were just there, to those who were thinking of going, and to those who were already there. My plan changed almost daily.
I have finally made a decision. I will go, with three others from the hostel. We will share a taxi and go on Friday.
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