On Thursday afternoon, Alden, with house mates Nate and Geoff, headed out of Damascus with the mission of going to Lebanon. A taxi was found, and quickly they were at the Syria-Lebanon Border. Getting out of Syria into no-man's land was easy enough, but the Lebanon customs was nothing short of a circus. Alden has done a few crazy passages through customs, but this one took the cake. The three "lines" for non-Arab foreigners was a rugby scrum which turned into chaos as one of the lines closed with no warning. Then another line closed. So it was one very grumpy customs official, who would yell at the line and storm off to cool down every once in a while. The "line" was filled with tourists attempting to make happy hour in Beirut, and dozens of taxi drivers attempting to get their fares to the front of the line. Over two hours of sweating and pushing in the fly infested customs house later, Alden et al finally had their necessary stamps to make it through the border. Infuriated, having been "cut" in line oh so many times, Alden was ready to throw down. Luckily, he didn't punch/bite/kick/head-butt anyone, and the crew stopped at the first gas station to buy some victory beers.
Alden's charm wasn't getting any affordable hotel prices in Beirut, but they did run into Jeremy and Alena, a delightful couple who are students at the American University in Beirut. They generously offered the crew (who they had never met before!) their hospitality: a couch and room on the floor! Amazing luck! Jeremy is a kind former Marine finishing up undergrad at AUB while his wife, Alena gets her MA in public health. Alden doesn't feel short very often, but Jeremy, at 6 foot 7, is a pretty large human. Kind mid-westerners both, their hospitality was well appreciated: Their top floor apartment overlooks the bay and Beirut- stunning views. They also have two cats: One, white with a few black spots named "Adolpha" (by its previous owner) since one of the black spots was a perfect replica of the Fuhrer's soup-strainer.
Friday: Nate and Alden walked down to the Pigeon Rocks where Nate got soaked by an errant wave. In the afternoon, Geoff woke up and the three went to a nearby super market to buy sandwich fixin's. This may not sound like a big deal, but it was. Ham, real cheese, and hot sauce was obtained- all three not possible in Damascus. They walked around Beirut's downtown; saw amazingly gorgeous new buildings only a few blocks away from building that haven't been rebuilt since the war. Quite a contrast; shot up buildings and structures that rival Chicago or New York's most recent buildings.
Side note: The Lebanon police force just obtained a fleet of Dodge Chargers. Sort of stick out like Amman's police driving Crown Victorias. Also, Alden had never seen so many Porsche Cayenne's in one place. Beirut probably has the widest variety in cars Alden has ever seen, from high-end European, Japanese, and American cars, to the cheapest Korean and Chinese models, to the old Mercedes beaters that roam around as taxis.
Side note within a side note: Alden wears seat belts. And in the old Mercedes taxis, he might have been the first person to use the seat belt since the late 60s or early 70s. This resulted in a hilarious stain on his shirt from years of exhaust, trapped in the seat belt mechanism, wiped onto his belly.
Afternoon: Down town, Alden went to the Haagen Dazs. They were offering a special: The "Reconciliation Cone." Alden wondered what the hell post-civil-war faux-let's-be-friends corporate advertising BS this was, but he was very wrong. This adventure in raspberry-cheesecake icecream with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce was named the "Reconciliation Cone" to raise awareness of the recent struggles in the Doha round of WTO negotiations. Wow, it was delicious, and a cause Alden supports!
Dinner was obtained at Bardo- amazing dinner (with many drinks!) for 7 came to $150. So it is possible to eat like champions without breaking the bank!
Side note: Friday, Alden zipped his pants into shorts, since shorts are social acceptable in this part of the Middle East! His legs got really burned. What an idiot.
Saturday, Alden headed up to Byblos (solo mission; Nate and Geoff went back to Damascus). In the traffic jam leaving the city there were lots of young entrepreneurs selling water, toys, and best of all: pet goldfish in little aquariums! These brave fish dealers had to dodge the little motorbikes that wind their way through traffic with amazing/reckless agility.
Side note: Alden noticed that the cedar tree on the Lebanese flag isn't standardized between flags. Sometimes there is a central trunk, sometimes not. The tree varies quite a bit. Odd.
Byblos is a quiet little town north of Beirut. It has a wee little port from the days of yore, not bigger than three football fields or so with about 50 or 60 little boats. There is a castle, right on the shore, and the town is very pretty. Alden got a burger, beers, and read a new Economist magazine overlooking the port. Rough day.
Back in Beirut, dinner was obtained in the form of a sandwich from a hole in the wall place near AUB. Alden got a taxi downtown, and attempted to find a suitable desert. He first tried Haagen Dazs again (that Doha reconciliation special was GOOD), but on weekend nights you need a reservation. At Haagen Dazs? Really people? A reservation? So nearby Alden found a table, and a desert crepe was obtained, and consumed. Alden loves crepes.
Side note: There were several restaurants with large TVs and projection screens showing, (live?) Oprah. Oprah was righteously dispensing marriage advice (she has never been married); Alden sought a restaurant sans Oprah.
Alden got up nice and early on Sunday to head back to Damascus. In a large (new) Mercedes, Alden ceded the front seat to a very small Iraqi grandmother. Near the border, the driver picked up a soldier. This was a very clever move: The soldier works at the customs! And he took the taxi's passports, and in under five minutes, the exit stamps were obtained, and the taxi en route again. Alden poked his head into the customs/immigration house. It was the familiar madhouse from entering Lebanon. For the brilliance in picking up the soldier, (saving hours of waiting) Alden tipped the driver about $4 (he requested $2 for his actions).
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