Some Scenes of the City

For the homesick among you (who seem to be located mostly in the California region), here are some Beirut city scenes (and surroundings).These guys always remind me of what christian missionaries must have dragged with them into the central regions of Africa when trying to convert all these poor people that already had a religion, but never mind that, and so they went, laden with beads and colored trinkets and mirrors (at least that was what I was taught in school). Their transport must have looked a little like this. These men sell pretty much everything, from super glue to soccerballs to hair removal cream.And this is how we sell our carpets. You’ve got to wonder why – when you tell people that you live in Beirut and their reaction invariably is "Ooh, is it safe there?”- we would be hanging our $500 carpets over a car outside on a busy city street for advertisement. I know many places in Holland where this thing would be gone faster than the speed of light. When I passed in the evening, the thing was still there. Talking about safety.
Ah, another one on safety. Riding your bike on a 3-lane highway (which sometimes is used as a 4 or 5 lane highway depending on the traffic, or as a highway with no lanes at all, we tend to ignore the lanes) is not safe! A good thing he’s wearing a helmet (har har). A banner hanging above the very appropriately named Bliss street (Bliss was one of the founders of the American University in town).

For those unfamiliar with tawassul and tubarrak (such as me), this is what the Internet tells me: Tawassul (Arabic: توسل ) is an Islamic religious practice in which a Muslim seeks nearness to Allah through prophets and saints and seeking blessings deriving blessing from relics and something once owned or touched by a holy person and Tabarruk The commutation for an offering incumbent upon a religious mendicant holding some endowment (waqf).

I’m not sure why it is in English, as I doubt you’ll find many non-Arabic speaking muslims in this town. But as I understand it, it is a practice that is frowned upon by a number of Islamic streams.
Lebanese grandfathers.

This one is a good example of how families work here. Although only one is an actual grandfather, the other two are considered part of the family as they are the grandfather of a cousin and the grandfather of a nephew of the cousin. Grandfathers in Lebanon seem to have an unlimited amount of 1,000 pound bills stacked in their wallets which they forever keep handing out to their grandchildren.

Another interesting detail is that the 3 grandfathers also represent 3 different religions. Although this is not very representative for most families, is is very representative for Lebanese society.

Doing the Rounds

Neolithic braces or a dental bridge? On display in the AUB Archaeological Museum

I have a visitor from out of town, and so I am doing the rounds. It is an odd phenomena that when you visit a strange country, you visit all the places that locals never see. You’re never that active in your own country.

In Holland, for instance, I have never ever been to the Keukenhof, never climbed the highest church spire (in English and in Dutch) in the country, even though it was a mere 6 kilometers from my house, and only saw the Nightwatch once because we went there on a field trip with school, if I remember correctly. That is because in Holland I am a local, and I wouldn’t get a lot of visitors from outside that you’d have to show around.

Here however, I get lots of visitors, and you’ve got to schlep them around town. On top of that, I’m (initially) a stranger myself, so have probably seen more of this place than most Lebanese.

And so I am doing the rounds this week. I try to avoid the usual places (Baalbeck and Jeita, for instance), because I’ve seen those so often now that I can walk trough them with my eyes closed. I think must have seen Baalbeck a hundred times.
Now I try to go for the not so well-known places. And so, the National Museum of Beirut is one to avoid. But the AUB Archaeological Museum instead is well worth a visit.

They have, for instance, world’s very first braces on display. Pretty neat, no?

When in Doubt, Take a Trip

So what happened today?
Wilders released his movie; nothing happened. The Dutch flag was flying again today at the embassy.

I went to the General Security, in wig and large sunglasses, clearly unrecognizable from that weird women that was in there yesterday cursing everything and everybody left and right. I mean, really. And I came out with the much coveted green paper which indicates the paper process has reached its last stage.

And a research was published that indicated that ‘more Christians (in Lebanon) than non-Christians have at least one male ancestor from Western Europe.’ Well, weren’t we all waiting for that news eagerly? Just what we needed. Not.

Well, when in doubt, take a trip. And so I did. Lebanon is teeming with remains from the Roman and Byzantine Empire. Quite a few are virtually unknown to the general public, stuck somewhere in the hills, and you are usually the only visitor.

The fruit trees are in blossom in Niha. Apple? Almond? Don't know.

One of these places is Niha, a small village on the western side of the Bekaa valley, where there are a total of 4 temples, although the 4th one is rather difficult to discern. There’s two on the lower part of Niha, and two (could find only one) on the upper part of Niha.The Niha lower temples: the large one (33°53'40.84"N & 35°57'45.78")
The larger temple is pretty complete, although seems to put together somewhat haphazardly. Some pieces do not quite seem to fit right. The Niha lower temples: the smaller one (33°53'43.15"N & 35°57'48.27"E). Both temples are dedicated to the Syro-Phoenician god Hadaranus and the goddess Atargatis.

Photo taken from 33°53'58.81"N & 35°57'41.30"E, going from the lower temples to the upper temples over the old Roman road.

The Niha upper temple, also called Hosn Niha, ‘fortress of Niha’ (33°54'26.31"N 35°56'55.07"E )

It is difficult to find a lot of background information about some of Lebanon’s minor monuments. One reader suggested the book Highways and Byways of Lebanon.’ It has some interesting stuff ; ‘Until recently, the pathway from these temples up to Hosn Niha (upper temples) was the original Roman road cut through the crest of the rock with traces of paving visible.’ The trick is ‘until recently’. In the meantime, they have widened and paved that road, and so nothing is left of the old path.

But if you’re interested, a lot more on these temples can be read here.
More pictures here (these are not mine though, found them on the web).

Blood Pressure

My blood pressure has dropped sufficiently to be able to type again.

I never made it into the police station today, as I was back at the General Security, still working on the papers of the housekeeper. As you may remember, I ran into some issues way back in January. These issues have as yet failed to resolve themselves. Rather, every trip into either the General Security or the Ministry of Work produces a new request for yet another paper, copy of a paper or signature.

Yesterday I spent time at both institutions, and today as well. Today I got so upset, I totally blew it, and insulted everyone, from top to bottom, of gross incompetence and overall imbecility.
“Imbecile? I not know what you mean,” one clever lad told me.
“Exactly, you’ve made my point, ‘cause you are imbecile, you wouldn’t understand anything,” I replied furiously, and I stomped out of the place.

I do realize very well I have dug my own grave. Tomorrow I have to go back in again, with a copy of yet another paper. I’ll go very early, maybe they still work with the night shift crew, and I won’t see the same guys again. But I doubt it; they do not give me the overall impression of getting a whole lot of work done anyway.
And as far as I am concerned; no way am I going to pay a 100,000 pounds for a parking ticket when they cannot get organized enough to know what they want in one shot.

Oops. Is my blood pressure going up again?

Sunset today

Efficiency?

I got some strange phone calls today.

It starts with a call from the police station in Ashrafiya. Can I come to the station tomorrow to pay 100,000 pound, asks the man on the line. This almost make me laugh.

“100,000 pounds? Why would I want to pay you a 100,000 pounds?” I ask him.
“It is regarding a parking ticket you got in Ain el-Mreisse (neighborhood in Beirut),” he replies.
“A parking ticket?”
“Yes. A parking ticket. In Ain el Mreisse. On November 4, 2003.”
“When?!”
“Four-eleven-two thousand and three,” he says.

Is this serious? You bet I am going to that police station tomorrow. Can't wait.

Another weird call is from my bank. They want to sell me some kind of master card. I tell him that I am a bit busy, as I am standing in line at the Ministry of Work, but that I’ll come to the bank in person if I want one.

“Yes, and don’t forget to bring your husband,” the gentleman says.
“My what?”
“Your husband.”
“What do you need my husband for?”
“He has to stand guarantee for you.”
“You’re trying to sell me something and my husband has to stand guarantee for me? This is 2008, and you are asking me this!?”
He apologizes but grins at the same time; “This is Lebanon.”

This is so not going to happen. Sorry dude, but I don’t want your bank card anymore.

Beirut Bus Depot

The Lebanese are not really into maintaining things. They rather seem to use something until it breaks down, and then replace it. No maintenance necessary. And so somewhere in town there is this huge lot with what most be over a 150 dilapidated buses, some trains, and a lot of railroad. I don’t know whether the place serves as a spare part depot, or whether they don’t have any other way of disposing of them permanently. The neighborhood street dogs really seem to enjoy the place though; there must have been tens of them. They came out of all the buses as I walked by. They just barked, didn’t do anything.

No Complaining Now

It’s almost Easter. It is one of the coldest Easters in Holland in a long time. 1ºC. Now that is cold! A friend of mine who I used to work with just flew in from Korea for the holiday. She said it was snowing there only last week.

And here we sit, in Beirut, on the balcony at 9:15 P.M., still in T-shirts, with Joao Gilberto in the background. It is 22 ºC here. We had a typical Lebanese dinner, with something like 20 little different dishes. We watched the moon rise above the mountains. The city is quiet (we have electricity tonight; no generators). Lights shimmer in the mountains. You can hear water running; someone’s water tank is overflowing.
I smell the apple tobacco of someone’s argileh, outside. We’re laughing at what a socially dysfunctional family we must appear to be to others, as we all sit at the dinner table and surf the web in the open air. You don’t hear me complain now.

Complaining

We’ve been without president for some 7 months now. And the 15th attempt (is it the 15th attempt? I’m losing count) to vote for one is going to fail as well, I am told.
But I don’t think we’ve got anything to complain about. I just read that the Belgians were stuck without an administration for 9 months! We're just complaining too much.

City Scenes

H. walking the dog in a neighborhood that is on the list for demolition.

I don't think I ever had so little to blog about. Absolutely nothing is happening, both on the polticial scene and at home. You'd think this is pretty relaxing, but this waiting for Godot is pretty tiresome . Well, just some pictures then.Going Global: This one is for the Dutchies; a Phillipini housekeeper is being taught by a Dutch girl in Beirut how to bake poffertjes.

Spring's in Town

Nothing noteworthy has happened this week, as this post will prove. Nothing on the political front. No explosions. No Israeli bombardments. This blogger said it felt like 'Lebanon is on hold'. 'The Iranians have decided to maintain Lebanon’s status quo until the next US administration. If you’re hanging around Lebanese blogs waiting for that next breakthrough in Lebanese affairs, I’m afraid I have bad news for you.'

It has been quiet enough to notice the arrival of spring. Spring has arrived rather early this year. Or actually, it is almost summer. The story goes that this is a country with four real seasons, but spring and fall are mighty short. Last week I was skiing, but now the snow has pretty much gone (at least the one that you can ski on) and I’ve been in T-shirt most of the week. Time for a picnic on the beach on Saturday with friends, and a lunch in the mountains with family on Sunday.

A & T on the beach of Byblos, P. in the background

Yes, it that time of the year again.

Sometimes Beirut is Just Like Any Other Town

Sometimes Beirut is just like any town. Kids walk to school in the morning, and back again in the afternoon. And when they come home they drink tea.

It would be nice if it were always like that. No worries about things to come, things that might happen. A place where you can plan for the future.On the other hand, this is probably the charm of the town; to live in a place where history is happening, to live in a town that is on CNN on a monthly basis. Never a boring day.

In the end it is a trade-off.