-Lebanon-

11-26-07

I said farewell to my wonderful hosts in Damascus, and made it onto an 8:30am bus to Beirut, Lebanon. Surprisingly, the border was a piece of cake….$15 for a 15 day visa and we were on our way. I really had no idea what to expect before I entered Lebanon.

All that I really knew was that the most of the travel websites I had visited strongly proclaim that Beirut should be avoided due to its volatility. Beirut could at anytime become a hazardous war zone. Obviously these cautionary travel advisories are in response to the fact that as of last Friday the government of Lebanon has officially been handed over to the Lebanese military. The military will run the show until they can agree on the country’s future leaders. Immediate danger exists because of the forseen problems that Hezbollah will create if pro-western leaders are chosen to run the country.

{-Hezbollah is a gorilla type, Iran and Syria-backed, Lebanese militant group that has desperately wanted to control the Lebanese government since it was founded a few decades ago. Their immediate goal is to legitimize their cause by gaining a small portion of government control. They stand for a pro-Syrian Lebanon, for freeing “occupied Palestine” (basically eliminating Israel), and turning Lebanon into an Islamic country. They are also anti-imperialist, which means they are anti-America.}

-Current Situation: Basically Hezbollah wants representative amount of government power (baby steps for them). Fortunately for Lebanon, as of present, it is against Hezbollah’s principles to create violent conflict with the Lebanese government or fellow Lebanese citizens. They do however utilize a great deal of their resources by desperately showing the Lebanese government just how powerful they are. They intimidate through militarized presence in hopes that the people and the government will eventually cave in and allow them to radically influence the future government. About a year ago, following Beirut’s brutal attack by the Israelis, A fired up Hezbollah decided to set up camp in the downtown area of Beirut. Isreael’s absurd methods of deterrence enraged a nation and added fuel to the once controllable fires of Hezbollah. The radical Islamic group has been occupying downtown Beirut ever since. Though monitored closely by the Lebanese military, Hezbollah has tent cities set up all over the downtown waterfront area of Beirut. The camps are surrounded by razorwire and usually guarded by plain clothed militants with radios. By occupying the downtown area, they are making a statement that Hezbollah is there to stay……. ultimately to protect the country against Israel.

The Lebanese military seems to tolerate the Hezbollah militants and patrol around the occupied areas like they are not even there. It is easy to understand that because Lebanon has seen so much conflict throughout the last 30 years, it will do just about anything to maintain peace, and avoid more bloodshed and destruction.

Local Opinions: So far, the opinions I have heard from the Lebanese people is that they are not threatened by Hezbollah,…..and that they do not consider Hezbollah to have significant power. The Lebanese people that I have spoken to thus far have been unanimously against all of the fundamental principals of Hezbollah; mostly because they enjoy living in a secular nation and are happy to be free from the control of the Syrian Government (est.2005). Even though it is racing through my mind, I will defer from writing about the Israel-Palestine issue;………. mainly because the situation is far too fragile and controversial in Lebanon (and everywhere else). Not surprisingly, the opinions I have heard on this issue reflect strong prejudices, and radical propaganda. However, seeing how Lebanon was bombed unmercifully by Israel less than two years ago……..I suppose the citizens of Lebanon have some very real and vivid reasons for the justification of their fostered hatred.

The bus pulled into Lebanon at around noon……the sun was shining…..and my exhausted body was frigid with excitement and nervousness. The first thing I noticed about Lebanon was its massive military presence. Gigantic tanks were staggered along the main roads, and were surrounded by young soldiers armed with machine guns. As we drove by the remains of a recently destroyed bridge (2006)…a Lebanese man next to me shook his head with disgust and mustered “Israel”.

After about an hour of zigzagging roads that forcefully descended the rolling hills toward the sea; I was dropped off on a street corner in downtown Beirut. I was left to fend for myself in a foreign land, it was momentarily frightening. For the next two hours; perplexed and energized, I wandered through the city streets mentally absorbing my surroundings while desperately fending off overzealous cab drivers. The city of Beirut appeared relatively clean and to my surprise, the buildings were mostly modern and high end. Beirut’s luxurious front began to lose its zeal once I noticed all of the bombed out buildings that were snuggled up next to brand new luxuriously built office buildings and apartment complexes. It was an amplified version of Sarajevo. In many ways it was far too contrasting to take seriously. In America, eyesores are dealt with accordingly. In Beirut they are ignored…….or perhaps simply left as a reminder of the city’s rugged past and present volatility.

The military presence in Beirut became more and more impenetrable as I walked toward the city’s center. It was difficult to walk a whole block without being stopped, questioned and searched by at least a handful of armed soldiers. Downtown Beirut was actually quite developed and modern. In appearance, Beirut's shopping district is as equally posh as London's or Beverly Hills'. Elegantly decorated Cafes were surrounded by snobbish retail stores selling high end merchandise and clothes of the latest fashion.

Despite Beirut's extravagance and superficial beauty, the entire downtown area was almost completely empty. Massive Tanks and military road blocks kept vehicle traffic out, as Lebanese soldiers guarded and occupied the buildings within. It was another interesting contrast,………..next door to a high end jewelry store would be an abandoned department store with 25 soldiers napping in sleeping bags within. Outside of the main shopping district, tent cities the size of football fields were set up and occupied by Hezbollah militants. The militants seemed to be enjoying their monotonous and uneventful occupation of Beirut by drinking tea and playing cards outside their tents.

My mind continuously raced as I fearfully soaked up my surroundings. Had I made a mistake in coming to Lebanon? Was this really an appropriate time for me to visit Beirut? Was I being foolish visiting an area occupied by Hezbollah (as an American)? The answers to these questions were quite unclear as I initially explored the militarized city of Beirut. My mind was eventually put at ease after having several interesting, calming, and educational conversations with residents of Beirut.

I was constantly stopped and questioned by soldiers, and had my bag searched twice while I wandered around Beirut’s shopping district and downtown area. While wandering about, I was able to have a few enlightening conversations with friendly Lebanese soldiers, and a diplomatic guard working outside the Belgian embassy. I learned quite a bit about the current situation in Lebanon from these brief conversations.

According to my sources, the parliament is expected to petition for an extension that would overrule Friday’s critical deadline for appointing government officials to run the Country. Most of the Lebanese people I have talked to are not expecting a violent conflict with Hezbollah, but are not ruling it out as a vivid possibility. Hezbollah will most likely not get their way, which will likely cause another political stir and a series of radical protests. It seems that most people in Lebanon are in favor of a pro-Western leader (at least most of the people I had talked to)……but of course Hezbollah will not be happy with anything other than a pro-Syrian leader. Hezbollah is basically in favor of dissolving Lebanon back into Syria in order to create a more militarized, and strategically located Islamic nation. One that would be better equipped to deal with a certain “occupied area”.

After being yelled at several times for taking pictures, I gave up and decided it best that I not irritate the soldiers with anymore of my tourist antics. I asked one soldier where I could get a bite to eat and he kindly suggested that I take a cab to Rouche; a Westernized section of waterfront away from the outrageously expensive downtown area.

Rouche turned out to be a beautiful waterfront area with sandstone cliffs that overlook two giant rocks emerging from the sea. The cab ride was equally rewarding because I ended up at a Carl’s Jr. (Hardee's) burger joint! I felt a bit strange eating an American hamburger 40ft away from a giant tank and a dozen heavily armed soldiers. I suppose I must get used to this sort of thing while I am in Lebanon. I am fully aware that the soldiers are in place only to make the people of Beirut feel safe. That being said, in my observance, the military presence in Beirut essentially kills the exquisiteness of the city, and transforms the potential atmosphere of peace and tranquility into one of brute-force security and superficial stability. It is impossible to overemphasize how much the city is in fact occupied by Hezbollah and the Lebanese military. Soldiers are literally everywhere. I only wish I was able to take a few pictures…..

After a delicious hamburger and fries I met up with my host Joumana, and was soon off to her home for a bit of R&R.

Joumana picked me up at around 6pm at the Rouche waterfront, and took me back to the bullet ridden apartment she shares with her mother. Joumana is a smart, well traveled, open minded, opinionated, and incredibly talented artist in her mid 20s. She actually just created the first ever Lebanese Comic book……..the illustrations are absolutely remarkable ( I am sure it could be found easily with a quick Google search).

We spent the next few hours getting acquainted and discussing Lebanon's civil war history and its correlation to the current situation. The emphasis of our discussion was on the events that took place in 2006.

-Situation: Hezbollah(which of course is independent from the Lebanese Gov) decided to Abduct two Israelis…………….the Israeli military decided that a fair response to this act of terrorism was a full frontal assault on Lebanon, mainly Beirut. So on March 15th 2006 the Israeli army brutally attacked Lebanon's major roads, bridges, hotels, etc. The Lebanese were completely surprised, shocked, horrified, and helpless until the war ended a month later.

Joumana told me that she was shaken, yet strangely calm about the situation in 2006. She calmly BLOGed and talked to friends in her bedroom as she watched and listened to her city being attacked. She and her family had lived through several of Beirut's previous conflicts, and were now well adjusted and prepared for the ugliness of Beirut's historically-frequent violent conflicts.

It was sad to listen to how Joumana described how Beirut's rapid progression had been severely halted by the war in 2006….."it will take at least ten years for Lebanon to get back to how things were before the war (2006)".

Before the devastating assault in 2006, Lebanon was enjoying rapid economic and social progression as well as a blissful independence from Syria. From what I have been told, shortly before the 2006 war, there were open discussions about peaceful relations with Israel. Basically, the Lebanese people were enjoying freedom, economic growth and peace; before Iranian backed Hezbollah ignited a flame that tore through the heart of Lebanon. It is increasingly apparent that Israel’s indiscretion has cut a deep scar into the heart of Lebanon, and that Israel’s acts of indiscriminate aggression did nothing more than infuriate and distance their neighbors; essentially pissing away any potential for stability within the region.

Hezbollah may be extreme, and radical in principle, but their public relations efforts as of current, make them relatively harmless. They are now attempting to distance themselves from gorilla tactics by representing themselves as a group of Lebanese citizens whom want to work with the Lebanese government, not against it. Therefore, any provocation of violence, or unnecessary displays of force on behalf of Hezbollah, is in theory, strictly prohibited by the Hezbollah’s administration. Hezbollah's driving force is their more than one million poor-rural Sunni population. However, Hezbollah is considered by many to be all show ……..and little go. Out of the four million+ Lebanese citizens, most are in favor of a secular government, one with complete independence from Syria. It has been said that if Hezbollah were to act out in a way that would threaten civil stability, they would immediately be dealt with by the Lebanese military and completely squashed.

Lebanon's relationship with Syria has been rocky at best the last few decades. Lebanon feels strongly that they are going in the right direction and that Syria is not. A popular opinion is that Syrians live in a state of oppression, and with ruthless tyranny. In contrast, the Lebanese are living in a generally free society, and are enjoying the economic rewards that have been the result of open relations with economically thriving Western countries. Lebanese people have been absorbing the sweet taste of freedom for quite some time, and will not willingly fall back into oppression and harsh dictatorship.

11-27-2007

I wandered around Beirut today…..nothing incredibly exciting happened. I woke up feeling ill, but overall better than I had been feeling previously. I roamed the bustling streets of downtown Beirut before getting lost in Beirut’s industrial area for about three hours. My saving grace was the waterfront………I knew that if I walked along the waterfront long enough I would always be able to find Rouche. As I hoofed it up and down the steep streets of Beirut, I could not help but daydream about what it might have been like to have been living in Lebanon during one of their wars. The bombed-out 20+ story hotels and industrial buildings told a tale of brutality and ruthlessness. How did the people in Beirut feel when their city was under attack? What emotions does one go through while desperately sprinting to safety through smoke filled streets, and watching their once peaceful neighborhood being systematically destroyed by savage weaponry? Again I am forced to recognize and thoroughly appreciate my predisposition to economic success, and my countries overall stability. No one wants to raise their kids in a war zone…or live in a land overwhelmed with violent volatility. However, we must play the cards we are dealt…..and hope for the best.
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One might argue that it is irresponsible, and unethical to visit a land torn apart by recent war. I actually feel quite the opposite; I believe that a lot can be learned by visiting a country that has been ravaged by war. Perhaps if all of the pro-war Israelis went on a walk around Beirut and mingled with Lebanese locals they would humanize their neighbors and be less prone to unmercifully attack them without feelings of guilt. The same can be said about Iraq,……perhaps if a face was put on Iraq…….and the American government walked a mile in an Iraqi civilian’s shoes;………maybe next time they would think twice about ripping the heart out of a country under the disguise of fear and revenge.

I think that all of the technology that has been put into war has been completely counterproductive. The argument is that advanced weapons systems and security vehicles save lives by keeping the soldier out of harms way and essentially fighting a war from a “safe distance”. Yes, but this is really only true in theory…………..sure it would be entirely true if all of our enemies were living in tents and fighting us with bows and arrows. But the fact of the matter is that both sides have the technology;………..which means instead of making a war “safer for soldiers”, technology simply ups the antis by exponentially magnifying the violence and destruction. Our new technologically advanced weapons systems also dehumanize our opponents; which is undeniably quite sociopathic.

If a soldier feels comfortable smart bombing an enemy hideout and killing 30 soldiers and 8 civilians including women and children; should not the same soldier/soldiers feel comfortable entering the building on foot, entering each individual room, and slitting the throats of each and every occupant face to face. It is a brutal image to imagine……..however, my argument is that the end result is the same. People are losing their lives……….and just because a particular soldier does not retain any vivid images of his destruction, does not mean that it did not happen. Essentially,…….I am tired of the “us vs them” mentality that our entire world shares. Is it so engrained in our DNA that we must constantly provoke and fight each other? Such is life I suppose, a life we are born into with perhaps less control than we think. For an impoverished person living solely to survive and keep his family alive, my anti-war rant probably sounds ridiculous. It theorizes that there are choices in life, a theory that is perhaps hard to grasp for the unprivileged.
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As I was burning time on the waterfront watching the fishermen pull small fish from the sea, I was approached by Sammy.

Sammy spent about 10 minutes curiously staring at me and smiling before mustering up enough courage to formally approach me. After exchanging friendly smiles with the man, he walked over to me and began telling me his life story. He really did not waste much time with small talk, he pretty much just dove into his disheartening stories as if I were a paid psychiatrist or an old friend. Sammy had a gentle demeanor and sadness in his eyes. Though he appeared to be relatively soft spoken, he was quite eager to vent his frustrations and to voice his story to me. It became obvious to me that more than anything else,…….the lonely man simply wanted someone to talk to…

My new friend Sammy: a neatly dressed, fair skinned Lebanese man in his early 40s……adamantly proclaimed that his recent misfortunes were direct results of Lebanon's recent war with Israel. I found the hypothesis to be quite interesting, and was more than willing to hear him out. In fact I ended up asking him so many questions that he started thinking that I was a journalist. In truth, as soon as Sammy and I parted ways, I dug out my notebook and began to write. The following is the information I gathered.
(Start Here-un edited after this point)
-On March 15th, 2006 at 10:45am Sammy was working at the Phoenician Hotel in downtown Beirut. He had been working there for the last 9 years, and on this particular date was decorating the interior of the hotel in preparation for St. Valentines Day. He was at this time; happily married with his wife of 12 years…..who with he had two beautiful daughters.

At 11:00am March 15th 2006 he heard a thunderous roar from outside. As the windows in the hotel began to shatter, he and his colleagues feared for their lives. "What was happening?" As the sky began to fill with smoke and fire, and the streets filled with dust and debris…….panic consumed everyone with unforgiving strength. Sammy told me that everyone was in a state of confusion and disbelief….. He witnessed a few frightened tourists running barefoot and half dressed down the street and away from the hotel. But where was it safe? No one new at the time, what was going on, or who was attacking their country.

A month later, after the dust had settled in Beirut;………..things were not the same. Hotel workers including Sammy were laid off,…..and many businesses shut down do to lack of customers. Lebanon,…….specifically Beirut……was dependant on tourism as a vital source of income and economic advancement. Unfortunately for Beirut, post-war tourism has yet to take off in Lebanon. Fear of instability…..and potential danger, has proven to be enough of a deterrent to all but eliminate the tourism industry in Lebanon. Hezbollah, and Lebanon's military occupation of Beirut has not done much to ease the mind of potential visitors.

So after Sammy and 70% of his colleagues were laid of from the hotel, he was forced to take a truck driving job to support his family. After several months working the graveyard shift, he began to see the effect it was having on his family life. He was constantly working odd hours and was spending less and less time with is wife and children. One day be began to grow suspicious of his wife's fidelity. After about 2 weeks of investigation,……including Sammy's sneaky video surveillance of his wife and her lover hooking up in an empty parking lot,…he confronted his wife. His wife immediately left him and took his two daughters with him. Ohh…….and Sammy also complained that his wife had drained more than $35,000 out of his bank account before she disappeared with the kids.

Now Sammy is living alone……..and unable to seek out romance, because he is not yet divorced. He says he will not get divorced anytime soon because in Lebanon it costs $15,000 to make a divorce official.

So there ya have it,……….my new friend Sammy pretty much vented his depressing life story on me for an hour, before I managed to weasel my way out of the conversation. He was a really nice guy, and a strong Christian. His brother is a pastor of a church in Beirut, and he tried unsuccessfully to take me to church with him. Sammy's story is sad, but perhaps almost typical (mildly) for a person who has lived through a devastating war. Despite Sammy's visible depression and sadness, he showed me that in many ways he is optimistic for the future. He told me that his life was like Lebanon……once bordering greatness………now in pieces…….and with great promise and potential for success in the future. He mentioned that he rarely sees his wife anymore, and fears that his children will turn against him…….he told me that he will show his children the spy footage he captured, as soon as they are old enough to understand. Sammy is a really nice guy, and I really do hope things work out for him in the end.

11-28-2007

-Baalbek-

My host emphasized to me that nobody should leave Lebanon without visiting Baalbek. Baalbek is an ancient city a couple hours away from Beirut. The main tourist attraction in Baalbek is the massive ruins of the city (100AD); specifically of the temple of Jupiter.

Unfortunately for the timid tourist……….Baalbek is in the heart of Hezbollah territory. I was actually not even considering a visit to Baalbek until my host convincingly told me that it was completely safe to visit. My skepticism and fear of the area had vanished until Joumana gave me a quick pep talk on our way to the bus station. She bluntly told me to not be an idiot and to keep my mouth shut and refrain from talking about politics. This statement was basic, and simple,……..but it effectively reminded me of the potential dangers of an area occupied by anti-American forces.

I made my way to a min-bus (like a late 80s Toyota van) that left for Baalbek shortly after 9am. After a bus transfer about half-way…..I was on my way to the land of Hezbollah. The first thing I noticed about the desolate land we were approaching was that the soil was bright red. After some closer observation of the area, I began to see Hezbollah flags and billboards everywhere. Yellow Hezbollah flags lined the streets the last 20 miles leading into Baalbek.

As we approached Baalbek, I could not help but feel a bit frightened and uneasy about my situation. It was a challenge for me to feel comfortable, and to ignore the media images and travel warnings I had seen on popular travel websites. Was I making a mistake coming to Baalbek? Was I pushing my luck? When I arrived in Baalbek and caught my first glimpse of the ancient ruins, my nerves began to relax. I began to put things into perspective, and to think about how many other people had visited this historical site before me. I am a tourist……….and therefore not a target for terrorism(generally). Since I was not wearing an American flag jump suit, I eventually felt quite safe and secure about visiting the region.

The Ruins were Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot possibly describe the magnificence of Baalbek adequately. The size alone is absolutely breathtaking……….how on earth did they move these massive pillars and stones? The architectural techniques and engineering of this massive complex is remarkable and genius even by today's standards. The frame around the outside of Baalbek consists of 30ft by 12ft(estimate) bricks. How the hell did they move these chunks of stone such long distances? And with the technology used 2 centuries ago? I will post a few pictures of this area,………but keep in mind that these pictures do not even come close to representing how amazing this site is. Try to comprehend the contrast between these massive structures and the tourists next to them. I have visited many historical sites riddled with roman ruins,……but have never seen anything of this magnitude.

After a few hours of amazement, and spending time to relax on the remains for peaceful reflection; I left the Roman ruins and ventured out into the city. As I was leaving the historical site, I was immediately swarmed, and ruthlessly hassled by unrelenting vendors. One guy spent about 10 minutes trying to sell me a yellow Hezbollah t-shirt…….not sure if he realized that I was an American.

I wandered about halfway through the town of Baalbek…….before unwelcoming stares reminded me that it may be prudent to stay near the tourist spots. Perhaps Baalbek was not the best place to explore ….and mingle with locals.

I made it back to Beirut without incident…….and left the following morning for Syria. This time without a visa………………