Lack of Respect

I’m driving in the evening in Sour (Tyre) with a friend, and we end up somewhere in the old port. The streets are quite narrow, there’s no government electricity so I have to drive without street light, and on top of that, there’s some serious construction work going on in the port. There’s heavy machinery, big blocks of concrete everywhere, and no discernable road to speak of.

So here I drive, and there’s this car behind me.

‘Beep beep’, it goes. I cannot go any faster because I do not know the road and cannot see it either.

‘Beep beep,’ it goes again. Really, there’s no space anywhere to let him pass either.

‘Beep beep beep,’ I hear now. I am getting annoyed. Where does he think I should be going? I cannot go aside, I cannot go faster.

‘Beep beep beep,’ it continues. WTF!? I am very annoyed now. This guy is going to get shot. The beeping continues.

Some pictures of houses that have nothing to do with this post. This one is somewhere in the upper Basta area, somewhere on the Independence Avenue

I get to a fork in the road. To the right is with traffic, to the left is against. I decided to go to the left, in order to let this @#$*&%$ take the right side and pass me, since he is obviously in such an incredible hurry.

But he follows me, and now the beeping is more urgent. He's obviously trying to tell me that I am on the wrong road. Well, yes, I know that, but that's because he's on my tail all the time; I wouldn't be on this road if it weren't for his incessant beeping and honking! 
That’s it! I stop my car, roll up my sleeves (figuratively speaking), get out of the car and smack my door really hard. What infinite idiot is honking all the time?

The infinite idiot turns out to be a . . . Lebanese patrol car, with 2 policemen inside.

Now I know what his issue is going to be; He’s going to tell me I am driving against traffic.

‘Ya madam, hon akse-ser’ (Lady, you’re driving against the traffic)

But my issue is; what was all this stupid honking about before, while I was driving in the correct lane? This annoying ‘beep beep, beep beep’?

And with my hands on my hip, I walk to the window of the by-rider, and say: “Shoe ya’ani? Shoe fie? Maoule? Koul al watt btamel ‘beep beep, beep beep’! Mishmaoul!!!!!”

(What do you want? What is this? Are you serious? The whole time this honking, beep beep, beep beep? You are incredible!)

Some pictures of houses that have nothing to do with this post. This one is near the Hard Rock cahe in Ain em-Mreisseh.

They look at me in surprise. Then the by-rider says: “Ya ma twekhezne, madam” (I am sorry, Miss), and I stomp back to my car.

Hahahaha. In Holland, they’d be escorting me to the station, and they’d present me with a big fat fine for insulting the law.

I love the Lebanese police! I show total lack of respect, and they apologize!! I never did find out why they were beeping so annoyingly though. I did drive on the right road (at the beginning).

I have another good police story like this one – with a slightly less intimidated police man - but that’s for another day. Maybe tomorrow.

Some pictures of houses that have nothing to do with this post. This one is on the Sodeco crossing