Serious Road Trippin’

The  river valley under Jezzine village

This morning, we decided to try again. To visit Jezzine, that is. This time, we went at it from the usual route; first to Saida and then inwards. Well, that was a reasonable uneventful trip. We got there, and that was it. There’s isn’t much to Jezzine. The surroundings of Jezzine are quite stunning though. We saw the waterfall at the edge of town, for which Jezzine is famous.


Jezzine Waterfall (with the rock slide on the path)



My father (96) wanted to see the waterfall up close. That involved a little mud path that was halfway blocked by a rock slide. Well, we had to practically drag my mother (90) to the waterfall. At every boulder she said; “Here’s a nice rock I can sit on. Why don’t you go ahead, and I will wait for you at this boulder.” My dad would have none of it. “You’ve come this far to see the waterfall, and now you will see it from up close.” So here I am dragging two seriously senior citizens, both with cane, my mother walking at a 90 degree angle, to the waterfall of Jezzine. It’s good we did not encounter any other tourists. They might have called the police on this one.



Some seriously senior citizens



We decided to take a more scenic route home. Since my GPS came back from the repair shop yesterday, I thought it might be a good idea to test the thing. It has ‘an updated’ map, the repair man said. Updated? Well, it lost us pretty soon. 

An 'existing' road

Actually, for a while it clearly indicated we were driving on an existing road, all the way to Bater ech Chouf, which is a collection of some farms in the Chouf. By then the road had stopped existing as such. We were driving on a pebble road, than a pebble and mud road, followed by a mud road, and finally a mud path with lots of deep puddles. 


Some serious mud

 And then my GPS got lost. Bater ech Chouf  was the last point it indicated, and then we were in the green. Literally. Green on the screen, green all around us. Ekkidinia trees, pine trees, olive trees, orange groves, oak forest and lots of other trees. Then we hit a river, which is called the Nahr Besri (Besri River, thank god for paper road maps!!) at that point. It changes into Nahr el Awali later on (some call it the Chouf River), and reaches the sea just a bit above Saida.

Pine trees

Eroded riverbank

Where's the road? What if I get oncoming traffic?

And so we drove on the south bank of the river via little mud paths, bits of riverbeds and sometimes even side arms of the river, all the way to Besri. I tell you, serious sports bra material, this trail.

Riverlet

At one point we had to cross the river. It did not look very deep, but we had been out of civilization for a good hour now. What if I got stuck? In the middle of the river. Call the AAA? I wouldn’t even know how to explain where we were. I didn’t know where we were. Go by foot in search of a shack and ask them if they could pull me out?   

Bigger river

 I’m married to a Lebanese. Any women married to a Lebanese knows that these are not the moments you call hubbie for help. They completely freak out. I can just picture the scenario. “You’re where? Where?! What do you mean, you don’t know where? You’re stuck in what? What? I didn’t hear you! A river? You got stuck in a river! Where the fuck are you! What are you doing in the middle of nowhere in a river?!  Jesus Christ, I’m at work, I can’t deal with this shit right now!”

Shall we cross?

But heck, going all the way back on the same road, after reaching the bottom of the valley, that would be a defeat. There was no turning back. And so through the river we went. I could tell you how the water reached the doors and started seeping in, how we started floating, but alas, none of that excitement. It was as if we ran through a puddle. Easy as a piece of pie.

On the other bank, we ran into a runaway donkey, and some cows, and more fields and trees. The place is absolutely stunning! Empty and perfectly clean. For 2 hours we did not see one car or one soul! Not one bag of garbage. This is a Lebanon that even I hadn’t encountered yet. 

Runaway donkey

We finally ran into a little truck with two farmers. Where’s the real road, I asked, pointed ahead of me. The real road? The real road is there, he replied, as he motioned his hand in the direction we just came from. “Where are you heading?” he asked.

“Beirut,” we said.

“Ooooooohhhhh,” they called out in unison, and started laughing. Beirut, it was clear, was nowhere near. But another hour ahead, they said, and we’d hit Besri , and from there was the road to Saida.

Cows

And so we hobbled and hopped around for another hour, in a beautifully quiet valley, surrounded by farmland and forests. Igot so many beautiful shots, I could fill a bog (I think I did). You'll need to use your imagination or the rest.

And that was some serious road tripping! We owe it all to Jezzine. Or actually those soldiers that stopped us last time at the check point. If it weren’t for them, we’d never have discovered the Besri River Valley. Somewhere near Joun, the GPs suddenly founds us back again.

Besri River (some call it the Chouf River) or Nahr el Awali

Road Trip to Jezzine

It may surprise you that there are places in Lebanon I haven’t seen yet. It surprises me too. But there are. Jezzine is one of those places. Everybody I know has been to Jezzine. But not me.

Now that my parents are in town, and I had to day off, I figured a trip to Jezzine would be in order. My parents, after all, have been holidaying in this place as long as I’ve lived here, and they’ve seen pretty much everything there is to see. Except of course, Jezzine.

And so I planned this lovely road trip to Jezzine. I didn’t want to do the regular road, because I know that area like the back of my hand. I planned a very interesting route. Over the mountains, into the Bekaa Valley, than down south alongside the mountains and the Qaraoun Lake , back over the mountains, and voila, there would be Jezzine.

Lovely plan, no? I bet you think there’s something more to it. Ahhhh, patience. Off we went. We first drove to the Bekaa. The Bekaa Valley was – although overcast – lovely. It is spring, and Lebanon is at its greenest.



Wheat fields



‘Known as the “breadbasket” or “granary” of the Roman Empire, the region still continues to operate as the main agricultural province of Lebanon. The warm climate and fertile soil, make the Bekaa Valley the centre of wine production in Lebanon, housing some of the country’s best vineyards . Because of the importance of the Bekaa Valley as a place of provision, some of the largest Roman temples ever constructed were located here.’ (source)

It’s an understatement that it is the agricultural province of Lebanon. There’s agriculture all around you. 

 Tractors for plowing,

  tractors for moving irrigation pipes around,

 and then they’re used as pumps,  



to irrigate the fields. I think these were onions. You can see my superior agricultural knowledge.

Lebanon is the only country in the region that does not have a water shortage yet, but we’re not far from it.

 Research has shown ‘a clear regression in the amount of available water from different sources in Lebanon. These sources, which are under the impact of human like rivers and groundwater, showed a 23–29% decrease in the amounts of water since the last four decades. While sources, with less human interference, like snow cover and precipitation have been decreased by 12–16%. However, in both cases, the status is quite alarming and needs immediate water management plans to conserve water resources in Lebanon. ‘

 

And not only are we getting less water, we're using more of what we get. And since it is harder to come by, everone drills his own wells, deplating the available stock, and in the process, often contaminating that what is still there.

I tried to make a short-cut,

but we got totally lost in the fields.

We then passed by Chateau Kefraya,  which is one of the major wine producers in Lebanon.

The Bedouin ladies were out in full force, working the wine fields. Agriculture in Lebanon is a labor intensive industry. Most crops are harvested and lands tilled still by hand. It’s the Bedouins that do that. In fall you can see them, truckloads full of colorful ladies (somehow I see the women more often than the men), being transported from one field to another.

I’m an avid fan of their Blanc de Blanc (of Kefraya, stay tuned please), which in recent years has seen a steady rise in price. Now that I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d score myself some bottles at wholesale price. I mean, that’s what is the deal in general, when you go to the producer, instead of the producer coming to you, no? And if you buy 12 bottles instead of one, you get a better deal, no? I mean, outside in the real world, that’s what it is like. Not at Chateau Kefraya. Whether I buy it from the factory, or the supermarket, or whether I buy one bottle or a dozen, price is the same. That sort of defeats the purpose. I guess next time; I’ll buy at the neighborhood mini-market again. I’d rather have the local dikkaneh profit from it than the Kefraya owner. 

Qaraoun Lake in the Southern Bekaa Valley

We then drove alongside the Lake Qaraoun, which is fed by the Litani River. It surprises me that the region is as empty as it is. I’d think if people want to have a house in Feraya, where there is absolutely nothing at all to see, except for snow some 3 months a year, many more might want a summer house here. But it does not seem to be the case. That’s probably a good thing.

Most villages were absolutely deserted.

Time goes slowly here. The trees grow through the roofs of the sheds, and people accomodate to that. I like that. (Or maybe they built the shed around the tree, more likely)

Not many shops either, so these little cars drive around, selling everything you can possibly think of.

 

And so on and on we drove, on our way to lovely Jezzine (Or so I have been told by many), until we hit a military checkpoint near Ain el-Tine. We were now 100 kilometers away from Beirut, and almost in Jezzine. 15 more kilometers to go. I almost didn’t stop. I hardly ever stop, as the soldiers in general just wave you through. Not these guys.

“Hey! Hey!” they yelled, as I passed their check point.

I backed up, thinking they were going to be cute.

“Where you go?”

“Jezzine.”

“You have bassbort?”

Passports? No dude, they’re at home, in Beirut. I was the only one in the car carrying any ID, my Lebanese ID.

“They?” the soldier asked, pointed at my parents.

“No, no passports.”

“Then no Jezzine.”

Turns out we were about to enter the old ‘security zone’. It used to be under Israeli occupation forever, until Hezbollah came, saw and conquered, in 2000. The Lebanese army is now in place, but that is in name only. And ever since they are in place, they’ve blocked it to foreigners. Foreigners may only enter with permission from the Ministry of Defense. I don’t understand why this is the case, it’s not like the place is more dangerous than other parts of Lebanon. And if they do it to ensure no spying is going on; well, the last few spies they picked up were all Lebanese. One was even a military man.



“You don’t have wasta?” asked the soldier at the check point. “Someone you know in the army that you can call to get you through?”
"Well, that would be you," I replied. Other than that, I have no wasta, I assured him.
“Then the only way to Jezzine is back to Beirut.”





And that was the end of this very interesting road trip  I had planned to Jezzine. Needless to say, I still haven't visited Jezzine.

Things You Don’t Encounter Anywhere Else

While I was downloading some things for an iPad, I got this message.

I wonder who built this notification in? The Israelis, or the Lebanese? My guess it’s the Lebanese.

It’s not all together accurate that you do not encounter this anywhere else. I know from American friends over here that certain items cannot be bought from American sites, or cannot be paid for, if your address is in Lebanon. Fill in another home country, you may think, but apparently some of these sites know exactly where you are surfing from, and then certain menus will not be accessible.

Another friend wanted to buy online airline tickets while in Iran. That kite didn’t fly either (a Dutch expression, I believe)

I’d rather see notifications like this. Don’t know where that came from, got it in my inbox.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

A successful Easter Egg Hunt starts with a sniffer dog and the biggest basket you can possibly score.

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but family ties are a little different over here than in Holland. In Holland, I think I remember the names of all my cousins, but I don’t have a clear idea on what they do in life, and if/how many children they have, let alone the names of their children. Some months ago I ran into the daughter of one of my cousins; it’s a good thing we’ve got strong genes in my family, and she could spot me as one of the clan, otherwise we’d have passed each other in the street without saying so much as hello.



Baskets so big, you’d probably fit in them yourself



In Lebanon, it’s a little different. Sisters of cousins of nephews are known by name and occupation. If you are the twice removed nephew of someone’s mothers, then you are considered direct family. In Holland, this would be a case of ‘distantly-related’ (ver-verwant). A distantly related family member in Lebanon is someone from a family branch that split off in 1495. Heck, if you share the same last name, you’re family.

Speed is the key; you’ve got to snatch those eggs before your cousins see them

I don’t have any family here in Lebanon, other than my hubbie’s, but my sister in-law, who’s married to my husband’s brother, has a family, who sort of consider that, since I am family of her family, then I am also their family.  

“I got it first!” Have you ever tried to pry something out of the clutches of a one year old?

And each Easter, they organize the family’s Easter Egg Hunt. Actually, it’s the children that hunt the eggs, and the adults supervise from their garden chairs, while sitting in the sun and sipping those lovely wines they produce in this country.  In the old days, it must have been more children than adults, but now that the children are growing up, the ratio of egg hunter versus lounging adult is rather skewed.

Sometimes you find bugs, not eggs. Bugs are nice too

And so there’s this large gathering of a super-extended family, because the parents of the daughters that have married the brothers of my sister-in-law are also present. In Holland you would consider these strangers. In Lebanon, they’re family. Here they have names for family relationships like that. You’ve got ‘daughters from your mother’s brother’ and ‘daughters from your father’s brother’ and ‘daughters from your mother’s aunt’ and what not else. Very intricate family patterns are identified; some are even untranslatable.



Counting your stash



This year, there were only 3 actual hunters. When we run totally out of hunters, I’m sure one of the grandchildren will get married and have children of their own, and the cycle continues.

It’s been a good year for Easter eggs

Our children grow up without really understanding the meaning of Easter. My son probably doesn’t even know it is a christian feast, and as far as my daughter is concerned, Easter is about bunnies and chocolate eggs. It’s probably a good thing in this country, where there’s too much emphasis on religion anyway.

“It’s Easier to Sell Terrorism than Tourism”

“It’s easier to sell terrorism than tourism in the news,” Kamal Mouzawak, owner of Tawlet, a restaurant in Beirut, is quoted saying in an article of the Financial Times.

Another juicy quote comes from Michael Karam; “The image of Lebanon is still guys with guns and beards, but the wine producers are now starting to tell people that we’re a wine-producing country. And I think Lebanese wine could be the sexiest in the world.”

I wanted to share this article with you about Lebanese wineries but The Financial Times says ‘Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web’. Now that’s a pity. Well, one more quote then. 'The novelty of “vines on the frontline” will have to wear off. And yet the reality is that – for all the downtown designer shops – the situation is fragile, which for some travellers will continue to add a frisson that Napa could never offer. '

I’ll have to paraphrase the rest. I learned some things about Lebanese wine. For instance, that the country has more than 30 wineries. I assumed they included even the ones that produce for their own use only; after all, I can come up with only 5 or 6 names. But no, these all can be bought on the market. I also thought they were all placed in the Beqaa. Seems I was wrong again, they’ve got a number of them on the coast, above Byblos. Ever heard of Château Belle-Vue? Apparently it produces just 15,000 bottles a year but the wine ‘is available by the glass at the Ritz in London.’

Anyway, read the whole article for yourself here before I get sued for copyright infringement. I got it through a friend of mine (Thank you, Theo), who organizes wine trips from Holland to Lebanon. What do I get for plugging you, Theo?

Talking about plugging (A favorable public mention of a commercial product, business, or performance, especially when broadcast.), Le Gray must have some of the best PR Departments in the entire country. Every single travel article I have read about Lebanon and Beirut the past 2 years mentions the downtown hotel that opened its doors in 2009. See, I’m doing it as well.

Now if they get that guy/gal a job in the Ministry of Tourism, I am telling you, even tourism will sell.

While I Was Trying to Organize . . .

As I was off today, no tires were burning in Beirut, and the weather did not permit a beach visit or a picnic, I thought of organizing the pictures on my computer.

My computer frequently stops working. Some banging, pushing lots of buttons at the same time, and turning it on and off 16 times, usually revives it again. But I fear one of these days it will die and not wake up anymore. And thus I wanted to move everything to secondary drives.

Is somebody laughing out there? You do not call them drives? Okay, they may have another name.

But the point is, I was planning on organizing my picture files. I must have a million of them because I’ve been making pictures (in Holland you ‘make’ pictures, in the US you ‘take’ them, yes, I am aware of that distinction) since 2000 if I may believe my files.



A Sea Anemone, taken on the coast of Beirut/AUB Beach (underwater, that is)

 

And so I stumbled upon this picture. It’s one my hubbie took, as he’s the avid diver in the family. I get easily side-tracked, and so while I was supposed to organize the pictures, I started surfing the web for ‘anemones in Lebanon’. And I stumbled upon this link; 'Metal concentrations in certain coastal organisms from Beirut.'



A certain Mr. Shiber did some research on metal concentrations in sea creatures on the coast of Lebanon, way back in 1979, and found that “Trace metal concentrations were determined in six species of intertidal organisms common to the coast of Ras Beirut, Lebanon. Lead, cadmium, nickel, iron, and zinc were highest in the polychaete, Hermodice carunculata, but the eggs of the sea urchin, Arbacia lixula, had similar iron levels and the sea anemone, Actinia equina, had zinc concentrations which also approached levels in the polychaete. ( . . .) Sewage, garbage, industrial and agricultural waste materials all enter the Mediterranean from Lebanon without prior treatment, which along with increased land erosion, probably contribute substantially to the availability of metals to the biota studied. It is suggested that more work on trace elements in coastal organisms from the eastern Mediterranean basin be undertaken before any conclusive statements are made. Such work should also investigate the various physiological and biochemical factors involved in metal uptake and retention by each species.”

I wonder. Did anyone ever take this guy’s advice and do more research on this? I don't know  much about metal concentrations, but I have the feeling it is not a good thing.  I



 wondered who Mr. Shiber was, and so while I was supposed to organize the pictures, I started surfing this ‘Shiber’. It seems Mr Shiber researched a whole range of marine animals here in Lebanon some 30 years ago. All with equally disconcerting conclusions. And this was some 30 years ago!!! The environment didn’t get any better in the meantime, now did it? What else did they have on this site, I thought to myself.

 And so while I was supposed to organize the pictures, I started surfing this site for research on Lebanon.



And that’s when the real fun started. I love reading the research abstracts. Thank god for abstracts, I was never able to get any further than the abstracts, anyway. What about Assessment of Community Noise Problem in Greater Beirut Area, Lebanon? "The main objective of this paper is to assess the sources and possible impacts of the community noise problems in Lebanese urban areas, particularly the Greater Beirut Area". Or Genetic Disorders in Lebanon? Here is a good one; Dinosaurs in Lebanon;  a brachiosaurid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jezzine District.  Or this one; Social class and mental illness in urban Lebanon . “A statistically significant association is found between class position as determined by estimated family income and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders.” This is a research from 1969.

I particularly liked this one: Computer self-efficacy of university faculty in Lebanon.  “Research indicates that computer self-efficacy (CSE) may be one determinant of who uses technology and who does not. A survey of education faculty at the Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon, conducted in 2006, revealed varying degrees of CSE ...) Although other barriers may deter the implementation of technology in teaching, strategies and techniques for increasing CSE should be developed.” No, you don’t say? I bet they all get a job at that ministry.



There’s even an interesting botany book review; The great books of Hashish. Yes, it features Lebanon. How about some earth quake research? This one  is about the northern sector of the Dead Sea transform fault system (DSTFS), and some earthquakes that hit the region in the 12th century. The 1138–1139 and 1156–1159 destructive seismic crises in Syria, south-eastern Turkey and northern Lebanon



I didn’t even now there was a Dead Sea transform fault system (DSTFS). Maybe I should look that up. Oh no, I can’t. I was supposed to organize the pictures on my computer. And look at me now; I ended up blogging. I haven't organized one single darn picture! And all because I stumbled upon this one picture. And I’ve got thousands and thousands and thousand left to go . .

The Saga, Part II

And they responded!!! Ah, yes, the Dutch responded to the request of the Lebanese Ministry of Education within 5 hours on one working day. ONE WORKING DAY! It took the Lebanese some 325 working days, and the Dutch did it in 1!

I’m afraid that’s a 1-0 for the Dutch. And to express my happiness, I leave you, for a change, with something from my original hometown; Utrecht. Enjoy! Tomorrow we’ll go back to our regular programming; Beirut.



The Saga . . . .



Beirut, early morning



Aren’t you eager to know what happened today at The Ministry of Higher Education? I’m almost embarrassed to bring up the topic; my credibility is at stake here.

Well the e-mail man said they had sent an e-mail on April the 6th, and he showed me the proof. It wasn’t really much proof, as it was a request to have an e-mail sent, but not a copy of the actual mail.

I asked to have a copy of the actual mail, as my university insisted that they had not received anything; he insisted it was sent as it had the stamp and signature of Dr. J, someone really way high up in the department.

This went on for a while until I put my reading glasses on. I mean, I had to figure out what was going wrong, since both parties are claiming something, and I cannot verify either claim.

You know this game ‘spot the difference’? I figured it out. I had provided them with the e-mail address of examencommissie.svj@hu.nl. They had sent it to examencomissie.svj@hu.nl. I know, it’s just one silly little m. What is odd though is that when you send a mail to a non-existing address, it bounces back right away. Well, not with these guys.

I was pretty speechless. While driving to the Ministry I had thought that we had pretty much exhausted all possible fail scenarios. Apparently not.

Mr. AB, was pretty speechless as well. How incompetent can one get? Even he thought that this was too much. He decided to take matters in his own hands. He disappeared for half an hour, and came back with – as requested – a copy of an e-mail that he had - right then and there - sent to my university. From an oficial .gov.lb address. I checked it. 

I now have proof that they have, indeed, after some 18, almost 19 months, actually succeeded in sending an e-mail to my university.

Not let’s wait and see what the Dutch make of it. We’re pretty well known for our bureaucracy too. Lots of things that can still go wrong.

Beirut, early evening

First Beach Day of the Year

We're going to the beach, and we are taking . . . . . 
This thing was driving on the highway, 80 kmph, with the back door open. In case you cannot see it, there are 2 green garden chairs in the back, on which 2 guys sit, while a 3rd sits on their lap, trying to inflate a tube.

Sunday was the first beach day of the year. Most beaches haven’t opened their doors yet, and that is not just literally. We almost had to climb fences to get to the beach, because all private clubs are locking their doors, and that means also the access to the beach. April is too early for the Lebanese, but not for this sun-starved Dutchie.



The sandy beaches of Jiyeh (are my favorite). Somehow this reminds me of a typical postcard scene



I don’t know if this is exactly legal, but in Lebanon, beach clubs ‘claim’ stretches of the coast line, build a resort, and then you can only access the beach when you pay. I know for a fact that in Holland and France that is illegal, but whatever. I had to drive all the way to the end of Jiyeh before I could find a stretch of beach I could access.



Surfer babe & cousins



But it was well worth it. I can now pack my skis with a rested heart ( I think this is a direct translation from Dutch to English).

I think this particular scene ended in the beating of a younger cousin, if I remember correctly.

Talking about Dutch, here follows a message for the Dutch:
'Tineke en kornuiten gaan een heuse vrijmarkt organiseren in Libanon, compleet met poffertjes (mijn tentje, jaja, komt dat zien! Sietske die voor het fornuis staat!). Als je Nederlands(e) bent, en in Libanon zit, met of zonder kinderen, mail dan even naar mij (galama apestaartje cyberia punt net punt lb), dan krijg je de details. Hoe meer zielen hoe meer vreugde, zou ik zeggen.'

This is an art project. Somehow it gives me ogerlike proportions, now that I look at it carefully. Maybe I should seriously Photoshop this thing.

It was a lovely Sunday on the beach. It's promising to become a good season.