(Him: Charlie)
Lebanon is bonus. It was never on the list of countries to
visit due to the Syria situation, which prevents any land border crossing.
However, when booking the flight from Istanbul to Amman, we found out that we
could have a stopover in Beirut for a low cost, so we decide to spend 4 days
here to explore the country.
The expectation for Beirut was high – chic, modern, and
developed, so I have heard before arrival. But what met us on the ground was
completely different picture – hassling taxi drivers, chaotic (super aggressive)
cars, derelict buildings and littering problems, all made me wonder if I’d been
reading about a different country.
After walking for a whole afternoon, the confusion didn't go
away. Instead, it got worse. While buses are cheap, other necessities in daily
life are quite expensive (food for instance). It appears that there are a lot
of rich people in Lebanon, and there is a large proportion of poor as well. There
is a small pocket of luxurious buildings and shops in downtown Beirut, but it
could hardly be any representation to the city. So what’s the city really like?
(Building relics close to the city centre - probably damaged 2006 Israeli invasion.)
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