Near East. Lebanon
BEIRUT (LEBAN)
I flew to Lebanon via Dubai from Yekaterinburg. The agency offered a flight from Moscow with Aeroflot, but I found a route with a transfer in Dubai at Amadeus and did not regret it at all. Moreover, we managed to stay in our beloved Emirates for 3 days on the way back. ) It turned out even cheaper than through Moscow, and if it were not for the greed of Ural Airlines and their traditional bummer with business class, changing the type of aircraft and incorrect check-in of my luggage on this section of the journey, the flight would have been 5+!
From Dubai, the flight was operated by Lebanese Airlines - MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES, if we exclude the fact that the plane took off from Dubai 30 (! ) minutes earlier than the time indicated on the ticket, and I was almost late))), otherwise we still have to catch up with them and catch up: Huge Airbus A-320-200. With individual monitors in each chair. A great selection of movies, games and other entertainment. Meals on the menu (! ) even in the economy class.
Friendly staff, ready to respond to any request of the passenger.
The flight from Dubai to Beirut took 3 hours. The airport named after President Rafik Hariri is a fairly large terminal, similar to Sheremetyevo-2, only practically deserted, like our airports during the period of perestroika and wild prices for air tickets.
A visa (its purchase) for Russian citizens, contrary to the descriptions on the Internet, was not needed. More precisely, the customs officer put it in my passport absolutely free of charge, barely seeing my Russian passport. At the exit from the customs post there is a special person with a machine gun, who flips through all the pages of the passports of the arriving passengers. On the subject of the absence of an Israeli visa in it. Because if you have such a visa in your passport, you will immediately be turned back and deported on the next flight to your native land)).
By the way, a similar procedure was done with my passport several times: in a hotel, when walking around the city, when checking a taxi by a military patrol. War is war. And an enemy is an enemy.
The fact that Israel and its sympathetic countries are the enemies of all Lebanese, I felt on my own skin. The first days, being in the city, I felt some detachment or cold politeness of the “indigenous population” towards myself: in a hotel, shop, transport ...Which instantly disappeared if I managed to get into a conversation and report that I was from Russia. Then, on the face of the interlocutor, a smile and true cordiality necessarily arose. There is such an attitude towards absolutely all white foreigners, who are apparently automatically equated with Americans or British or God forbid, Jews))).
If in Europe the word “I am from Russia”, as a rule, closes all doors)), then in Lebanon, on the contrary, it opens almost any doors and makes your stay in the country comfortable and absolutely safe. Thanks to VV Putin for the high rating of our country in the Middle East! ))) I really regret that I didn't have a T-shirt with the inscription "RUSSIA" on the chest in my wardrobe!
From the airport you can take a taxi - about 20 US dollars. They rarely agree to anything less, because there are few passengers and you are their real finest hour! Although the distance to the city is 10-15 minutes. And it's generally too expensive. Usually you can get around the city either by taxi or by minibuses (analogues of our minibuses - 750 Lebanese liras. Mere pennies. You will have to study the route yourself, because there is no description of the route on board.
But on the other hand, having traveled from the final to the final, you can explore almost all areas of the city and then it helps a lot to navigate when walking. What a low-budget sightseeing tour! )
The car park is mostly old. Traffic lights are rare. Almost all intersections are not regulated. They all go any way. That is, as anyone wants or can. Movement in randomness, somewhat reminiscent of Cairo, although very remotely. Cairo drivers are a separate song! Every Lebanese considers it obligatory to give a signal or a few to almost all colleagues passing by, passers-by on the side of the road, or to honk just like that, from the fullness of feelings, so there is a continuous cacophony of car horns and whistles of traffic controllers on the road. For reference, the average trip around the city cannot exceed 2.000LL.
CURRENCY. Lebanese lira (sometimes also called the Lebanese pound).
Bills with many zeros, which makes calculations very difficult. Especially in the early days. Once I mixed up banknotes and gave a taxi 10 times more than the taxi driver asked for. I still remember his round eyes with surprise))) In general, it is better to negotiate a price with taxi drivers in advance. But even this does not guarantee an economical trip, since at first it is difficult to estimate the distance to the destination and, accordingly, the price of the trip. Taxi drivers charge a lot of money from foreigners. For them, a foreigner is a rare case of making good money. This is a significant disadvantage. The first days the taxi took a significant amount, before he began to navigate the prices.
The approximate exchange rate for October 2007 is 1 dollar = 1.000 LL. There are a lot of banks. No wonder Lebanon is considered the Switzerland of the Middle East. Everywhere they take a commission for the exchange, for example, when receiving 14.000 LL, the commission was 500 LL
CONNECTION. My local operator Utel in Lebanon did not work.
He doesn’t work anywhere at all (((Good, but Megafon worked expensively and the GOODLINE tourist SIM card became an excellent way out. Before leaving, I put $ 100 on my account, which was equal to 190 minutes of conversation with Russia when I arrived in Beirut. I think it’s super economical. Taking into account the rates of our mobile operators - 70 rubles per minute in roaming.
WEATHER. During this period was the so-called velvet season. Or rather, its completion. The sea was already somewhat chilly. Although the temperature during the day was stable at around + 25-27C. This is not the Emirates, where at that time it was +32 and the sea was like fresh milk. For educational purposes, the weather was perfect. It wasn't too hot. In short, comfortable.
HOTELS. I booked a 4-star hotel on the RAUSH embankment. It was called DUROY. In general, the hotel is not bad, corresponds to the city four.
In principle, in Beirut you can find all the major world chains of hotels and there are no special problems with accommodation. Hotels have websites. And you can book the hotel directly. Some hotels have their own small beaches, although in general the coast is rocky and not suitable for swimming. Here I will say that I have never seen such a dirty city beach anywhere. No wonder I didn't see a single swimmer there all week. Maybe because the water was cold. But, for example, Russians swim at any temperature))), but I didn’t even watch them on the beach)) ...Since my vacation was not a beach one, this circumstance didn’t really bother me. They say that there are several private beaches, but I did not go there on purpose.
ATTRACTION. In Beirut itself, almost completely destroyed in the last century in the Arab-Israeli war, and gradually rebuilt, there is nothing to see.
The old part of the city, which represents the tourist face of the city, has been significantly restored and, to be honest, is of little interest. Although, in the evening it is the center of nightlife and it is pleasant to sit there in a restaurant or cafe, very reminiscent of Parisian establishments. Here I will not describe any places that a tourist can visit. This information is available on the Internet. For example, on the site http://www. beirut. en/
I bought a guidebook and a map of the city already in Beirut, in an ordinary bookstore. By the end of the trip, I had as many as three maps of the city - and they all differed from one another. In general, I wanted to hug and cry the compiler of these cards, which could be used very, very conditionally. The same street on different maps could have different names. Most of the houses do not have numbering and indexes. So, this is not London for you, where it becomes even awkward from the amenities created for tourists))
Lebanese cuisine is rich and delicious. She surprisingly manages to combine classic Arabic food traditions and sophisticated French ones. No wonder almost all Lebanese speak French very well! This rare combination of Arabic hummus and kebabs with unique sauces that can only be tasted in France fascinates and easily allows you to forget about your own figure, which has menacingly increased in size in just a week))) Although, I'm exaggerating a little, it was easy to eat rationally and tasty. In Beirut, this is not difficult. All products are extremely fresh and affordable. On every corner you can drink a variety of fresh juices at very reasonable prices. More precisely, almost a gift. For example, half a liter of the freshest mango or guava juice costs only 25-30 rubles. (2000LL)
Here are some prices in supermarkets: 0.5 liters of mineral water-255 LL,
Juice 1 liter - 1200 LL, 1.5 kg of selected persimmons - 5000 LL
Excellent lunch in a cafe on the beach - about $ 20, without alcohol. If you eat in more democratic establishments, the amount will be much lower.
Tip: try to try as many national Lebanese dishes as possible. Give up "caesars", "kebabs" and fast foods. I assure you. You will not regret!
PURCHASES. Lebanon is not a country for shopping. Prices for manufactured goods are quite high. No particular diversity is observed. So you can only count on traditional souvenirs, of which I found not a very large number. All because there are few tourists. They say that gold items are quite cheap. Due to uselessness - did not check.
The area of accumulation of shopping arcades and shops - Hamra.
ENTERTAINMENT. Traditional. Bars, restaurants and nightclubs are plentiful and affordable even for the average budget.
Surprising at first is the habit of a large number of Beirutians, as it gets dark, to gather on the embankment. Many come with folding chairs, barbecues. Coffee peddlers scurry around, there are carts with boiled corn and other simple food. Deep after midnight, a lively and even festive atmosphere of the party reigns here)).
I felt completely safe at any time of the day. In principle, I did not meet any drunken or other asocial elements. From this point of view, Beirut leaves the most favorable impression. I forgot my cell phone several times at various catering points and once in a store. Returning, once after a very long time, the phone lay in the same place where it was me and left. Although I do not advise anyone to relax anywhere!
In general, I consider the trip successful and interesting. Although many looked at me with bewilderment when I answered them the question “where did you rest?
» Tourists who year after year prefer traditional beach destinations in Lebanon will probably not be interested. I recommend to all other tourism fanatics to visit this peculiar Middle Eastern country and its capital.
I will be glad to the best of my ability to answer any practical questions regarding the trip to Beirut. Please do not argue with me about the completeness and accuracy of the regional information presented here, this review contains only individual impressions and is in the nature of a personal review, which does not claim to be complete and comprehensive, inherent in tourist guides.
ANDREI. Ekaterinburg e-mail: andrey_ekat@mail. en