My Diary Travelogues | The Levant | 1996 | May 19 - May 22 | Part 4 – Lebanon

Hi Friends, this is the fourth part of an account of some of my travels from 1996. I kept diaries for many years and they are now enabling me to revisit the past and bring it back to life on the pages of Steemit. It is a most enjoyable undertaking for me.

If you are just joining in, you may first wish to read:

• Travelogues | The Levant | 1996 | May 05 to May 08 | Part 1 – Egypt
• Travelogues | The Levant | 1996 | May 09 to May 15 | Part 2 – Jordan
• Travelogues | The Levant | 1996 | May 15 - May 18 | Part 3 – Lebanon

If you are following along from earlier parts, I appreciate your company and I thank you for your attention.

Namaste.

Sunday, 19th May 1996 | 18:20 | Amchit les Colombes, Byblos (Lebanon)

Today makes it six months in the Arab world! Ho hum and what have I learnt? Not nothing at least, and what it is, I know not! I'm in the same spot as I was yesterday, awaiting the sunset. Been overcast all day long, but should be able to catch the sun as it plonks its head under the waves. Pleasant day today. Up 9am, wrote a bit of my essay (and some more this evening as well) – total of 3 sides, approx 600 words, so I'm still miles away.

Went into Byblos and the ruins today. Spent 2-3 hours walking around the Crusader castle and the 4000-6000 year old, overgrown Phoenician ruins¹. Very pleasant and I walked amongst them, listening to the BBC and atmosphere-soaking. Have just felt a few drops of rain...

Met Ivan at the campsite last night and had an interesting talk with him. He's motorbiking (from London) through Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, researching for a guide book. He left this morning. I'll head tomorrow I think!
_{1. Byblos has been continuously inhabited since 5000 BC.}

Monday, 20th May 1996 | 13:25 | Tripoli (Lebanon)

Daddy's birthday! I arrived in 'Tarabulis' a couple of hours ago. It's certainly got more of a Middle-Eastern feel about it and I felt a lot more comfortable with the souks¹ and the bustle. Got a shared room for 6000 Lira and talked to an old Sheikh² and his grandson in his rosary shop. I've just seen a young lad of 10-12, with one side of his face and head burnt and permanently disfigured, ambling gaily down the street. Not too many obvious effects of the civil-war here though. I'm smoking a Shisha, or 'Nargila' as they call it here - stronger than in Egypt, with a lot more tobacco and a harsher taste.

Woke up last night in my bed under the stars with a painful left index finger. Couldn't figure it out and thought I might perhaps have been bitten by something. Realised what it was in the clear-headed morning light. Yesterday in the ruins I had slipped, but caught myself in time, scratching that finger and no more – so I thought! But I must have sprained it – not broken for I can bend it, just odd that the stiffness took so long to register.

No longer know whether I'll get into Syria or be forced to fly back. I love flying, but it'll be such an anticlimax to return to Europe the 'easy' way! And to miss out on Syria would be a pity.

...later | 15.10

Just had a letter and postcard writing session and also re-read the letters I have received over the past few months. I realise that there are times when I miss people and places, and I snap out of my indifferent fatalism.

...later | 16.10 | at the top of the citadel

What a wonderful Crusader castle Tripoli has! The most fascinating and intriguing one I've seen. Nobody but me, absolutely nobody else - just me and the crumbling yet proudly standing walls, empty chambers and steps leading in and out, up and down, and around dark passage-ways. My lighter gave out so I had to give up my uneasy descent into the depths of the castle, but it's wonderful - indescribable. Great view from the top too!
<sub>1. Arab market-place, bazaar.
2. A community leader or elder.</sub>

Tuesday, 21st May 1996 | 12:00 | Tripoli (Lebanon)

I'm back in the Sheikh's shop, full of rosaries and, at the moment, customers. I was surprised to see how much business he gets. Also the prices - $50 - $75USD is normal for a rosary! I was talking to him for a while as his grandson had gone out on an errand. The old man must be 70ish, tall with a neck support. He started asking me questions about sex; whether I had slept with women and – what he seemed more interested in – whether I had slept with men! Odd conversation, but interesting in that it came from an entirely unexpected direction. I'm not so sure the old man didn't fancy me himself, even though he did repeat Alhamdullilah¹ over and over again once he had satisfied himself that I hadn't had any homosexual experiences!

...later | 18.45

Funny how the atmosphere changes. I'm by the sea promenade awaiting the sunset, in Mina – basically a suburb of Tripoli. It's fashionable to a far less extent than Beirut, and you have little fishing boats and kiosks, giving it a more 'common' and spontaneous feel. I came here for two reasons – the sunset and Burj Al-Saba'a - the Lion's Tower, a 15th century Mamluk piece of architecture. Walked a fair bit, found it closed but wasn't in the least bothered, there are always compensations and I found one!

I had always wondered about the railway line in Lebanon, for it is marked on the map (1984). However, what I've seen of it has been no more than stretches of rusty rail, more often than not half tarred over or overgrown with grass and reeds - the odd out-of-service bridge still standing, but never any life. On the way to the Lion's Tower, I passed alongside around 1km of what was once the station, now full of rusty track and wagons and engines left standing so long, that some had trees growing right through their skeletons. There was a café though, still functioning by the roadside called 'Station Café'. I decided to walk along this stretch of intriguing abandonment, through the weeds with half glimpses of time-eaten rail and sad old wagons, and enjoying that indescribable atmosphere of what once was, coupled with my never-really-indulged fascination with railways². Came across the old shed with its crumbling walls and shrubbery, and 5 or 6 steam engines huddled together in death! I climbed into the cab of one of them and peered through the driver's window imagining........ can't help being clichéd about it all – if I were stoned, I'd probably refuse to write anything!

Another thing I wanted to mention is my impression of women in Lebanon. I noticed of course in Beirut that they were a lot less conservative in their dress – and Lebanese women have a reputation in the Arab world of being good looking. Smoking seems widely acceptable and last nght I even saw a headscarf-wearing girl (early 20s) puffing away at a cig!
<sub>1. Praise be to God!
2. The map above shows the extent of the Lebanese rail network. It stopped functioning entirely during the 1970s.</sub>

Wednesday, 22nd May 1996 | 17:50 | Baalbeck (Lebanon)

Made it to Baalbeck, 91km across the mountains from Tripoli! Set off early, getting a shared service taxi to Bcharré, 41km into the hills and a popular winter ski resort. This is as far as public transport goes and I was all prepared to walk for 2-3 hours at least before getting a lift. Got one within 5 minutes though, with a well-to-do Lebanese driving a battered Toyota jeep. Hung around Bcharré for an hour, visiting his orchards – where he had to pick someone up, smoking his cigars (which I didn't particularly like) and drinking coffee in his house.

Then the three of us set off up the beautiful, almost deserted country road. We curved up and around, passing through patches of snow with snow-tunnels 5 metres high on either side of the road at broken intervals, some 100 metres long. We rounded the top. There the Beqaa valley stretched out ahead, 1500-2000 metres below.

Stopped off at the bottom, at a place called Deir El-Ahmar² – 'Red Monastery', 15km from Baalbeck, and the end of the road for them. Amazing lift – I might have had to wait or walk for hours if I hadn't been on the road just then! Or again, perhaps not. At Deir El-Ahmar, I was invited into the house of a relative for a drink, which turned out to be lunch and 3 hours of gracious hospitality before I left.

Lift to Baalbeck no problem – a couple of Lebanese Christians who invited me to go back with them to Deir El-Ahmar after they had finished what they needed to do, and smoke hash and crack at their place. Was slightly wary (not of being raped or robbed though) and also wanted to get a move on and see if Syria will accept me.

I'm at the pension now, watiting for the man to come and tell me how expensive it'll be. Been waiting 45 minutes already! Huge ruins sprawled out ahead of me, shall climb the hill to watch the sunset, walk around town, get up early, spend a couple of hours in the ruins and then try and get to the border by 1pm. Thing is if I leave it till Friday, either the border, or the visa issuing authority in Damascus may be shut². As it is, 1pm may be too late and there's no guarantee of meeting that deadline – so let's see!

Am smoking a lot of cigs. No pot for two weeks now – no craving either, though I'd love a joint right now!
<sub>1. Friday is the weekend in the Arab-world, and a holiday.
2. It's actually Deir El-Qamar, I got it wrong! Nevertheless, it remains Deir El-Ahmar on the map. Sorry residents! :O.</sub>

• Travelogues | The Levant | 1996 | May 23 - May 26 | Part 5 – The Return to Europe