Join a group for a day tour to Lebanon by coach. Left Damascus at 6.30 am and reached the border town at around 8.00 am. After the going through the normal visa clearance procedures, we left the border town for Beirut which is about another 2 hours drive. There was only light traffic and thus not busy. It makes the journey through the mountains a pleasant and memorable one. We also passed the ruins of the uncompleted Hariri Bridge that was bombed by the Israeli forces in the 2006 war. The traffic volume started to increase as we entered the city center. The first stop was the most popular and “touristy” of caves include the Jeita Grotto, with its huge caverns and underground lake. It was however unfortunate that we could not enter the underground caves due to raising water level. [Information on Jeita Grotta to follow later].
We left Jeita Grotto and head towards our second stop – the cable car ride to the top of the hill. It was an exhilarating experience on the ride with a clear and picturesque view of the sea as the cable car glide effortlessly to the hilltop. We then proceed to the city mall for lunch. Though it would be nothing to brag about for others but for us that just arrived from Damascus, it was a venue to cherish especially for the availability of fast food counters such as Nando’s, Mc Donald, Starbuck and many more. It is just like KL though in a smaller scale compared to what is available in KL such as Mid Valley, Pavillion, and many more. The children in the group kept reminding of a lunch stopover at Mc Donald and I guess they must have enjoy the luncheon and which they will savor until they taste the next Mc Donald again. Other places that we visited included the corniche and the Hariri Mosque.
We left Beirut city center at about 5.50 pm. There was heavy traffic along the way towards the border town of ........ Fell asleep the moment the bus left the city. However, the expected smooth journey home was not to be. There was heavy snowfall in the mountains, the route that we had earlier passed through on the way into Beirut. The traffic was not moving because all the owners were busy putting chains onto their tires for safety reasons due to heavy snow along the route. Failing to anticipate the snowfall, our coach did not bring the much needed chain. With no other alternatives and not wanting to stay in the cold up in the mountain any time longer, our group had to voluntarily fork out some money to buy the chains at exorbitant rates from sellers that just happened to be around in such circumstances. While the chains are being fixed onto the tires, the group step out of the bus to enjoy the snow and for photo sessions. When all’s done, we proceeded with our journey. The presence of snow on the road begins to disappear from the roads as we neared the border town.
We reached the border town at 10.20 pm. While the tour organizer handled the immigration procedure, some of us took the opportunity to visit the border duty free shop to get stuff such as chocolates, cigarettes, toys for the kids, etc. Snow started to fell heavily again as we were about to leave the border town and we hope that snow will also fell in Damascus. Fat chance though ... it was only raining in Damascus. I finally reached the warmth of home at 12.00 midnite. Overall it had an enjoyable day outing for me. And I hope to be able to join similar outings in the near future.
In retrospect, Beirut is a bustling city and enviably inching herself towards becoming the “Paris of the Middle East”. Buildings are being tastefully refurbished especially around the city center and near the corniche areas. Despite the continuous political hiccups faced by Lebanon, the country has been able to project a different image to visitors. Notwithstanding these successes, the government should continue to exert efforts and rebuilding not only Beirut but the whole country. This would ensure equal distribution of growth, development and prosperity of the country as a whole. Simultaneously, the government need to ensure that they retain the Arab culture and architecture in their pursuit of development. It is the soul of the nation which all could be proud of!
pics please.. ehehe...