Eco Village

The moment your road is starting to look like this, you know you're on the right track to some nice place.

And it gets narrower and narrower (a small irrigation channel runs on the right).

For all those Lebanese that have been living here (in Lebanon) all their lives, and are wondering how come they don’t know about all these beautiful places in Lebanon; don’t worry. While on my way to this place today, I was talking to a Dutch friend and it turns out I never ever have been to any of the – incredibly beautiful and very popular with tourists – islands in the north of Holland. Even though I am from the north of Holland.

So you don’t have to feel guilty. You in general visit foreign places much more intensively than your own. The watering hole; a part of the Damour River in the Chouf Mountains.

This particular place I didn’t find myself, but a fellow Dutchie, Allison, was the one who spotted it. And this place is actually meant to be visited by people.

A. on the left, J (you can see her feet only) on the right.

It is an eco-village, right on the river. Since they maintain the place really well, and are very conscious about the environment (it’s all about the environment here), the place lacks all of the standard issued garbage you usually get here in Lebanon when you go out in the field. No plastic plates in the bushes, no chips bags flying around and no car tires in the river.
There is something about rocks in a river; boys just have to jump off them.

And then complain how cold the water is.

Three half Dutch boys, our sons; A, L and W. (Phone numbers will not be made available ladies, they are all still under-aged. Although L. will have his 18th birthday this month. He had his very last day of school today, very last day ever!)

They have an organic farm, sell their own produce, and for a small fee, you can even spend the night there in tents, of huts. The village is run by a group of young hipsters; the place has the potential of becoming a nice hippie colony. I mean, check this out.

Change has to start somewhere, and this is as good a place as any. If any people in Holland are interested; it seems you can even stay here for free if you are willing to help in the daily running of the farm. I won’t go into detail about the place, but they have a web site, with all the information.

Lady with an attitude on a river rock.

There’s a very cool and relaxed feel to it. When we got there, they were trying out their open-air sound system (nice techno drum in the middle of the jungle), as preparation for a party that night to celebrate the homecoming of one of their people. He’d spend some time in Sweden, he said. “Very cold. I ran away, back to Lebanon.”

15 year old Boeffie, a bearded-collie, swimming around in circles, because he's so blind he cannot see the river bank.

And so we spent our Saturday, floating on the Damour river, in the Chouf mountains of Lebanon. Tomorrow, I might try the cherry festival in Hamana. Who says there’s nothing to do in this place?