Thursday, July 30, 2009

Dionysis in Zahle

I stopped in Zahle on the way back from Baalbek. Dionysis greeted me. I didn't know much about this town except that it has some nice cafes, so many people stop on the way to and from Baalbek for lunch or dinner.

Zahle reminds me so much of Bulgaria. From its winding, hilly streets, to its red rooftops, I could have been in Veliko Turnovo. (Check out my posts from Veliko Turnovo. It really shocked me how similar were the two cities.)

Judging from the orange flags and the giant poster of Michel Aoun, I'm guessing this is Free Patriotic Movement territory, a Maronite Christian city. These divisions, which have murdered thousands of people, seem so quaint in a quiet town like Zahle. It's such an odd feeling.

I'd really like to spend a couple of weeks hanging out in this town and wandering the streets.

I was dropped off a mile from downtown and had no idea where I was or how to get to these famous cafes they have there. No matter. I was blessed with travel sense.

When I eventually did find the cafes, I decided to splurge on a meal. But it's Lebanon, so splurging meant being overcharged by $20. Because you order things, but then they bring you all of this other stuff (almonds, bottles of water, etc.) that they charge you for. And they also tell you to drink as much as you want from the bottle of wine they put on your table even though you order only half a bottle. Then they charge you for the whole bottle.

I drank the whole bottle anyway. (Don't worry - I sat there for nearly three hours enjoying just sitting there, watching the Gulfies enjoying freedom, being devout, and being hypocrites.) Somehow I knew I'd be charged for the whole thing. They not being used to Western tourists didn't expect me to drink the whole bottle, so HA! screw them. It was quite odd being the only Westerner in the whole city, especially being a single woman traveler. It was like I was the tourist attraction!

Anyway, here are my photos of Veliko Turnovo Zahle. I must go back there!























Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Last photos from Baalbek

My multiple Baalbek posts are a result of a very slow internet connection that takes a long time for photos to upload. That's thanks to corruption in the telecommunications industry. Money for reconstruction of infrastructure went straight into the pockets of businessmen and the result is a dysfunctional internet structure. There is a citizen broadband movement, but so far that has mainly been an internet petition - I don't know how far they are in pushing for real reform in the industry. But it's a start.

Still have hundreds of photos from Zahle, Byblos, and Beirut!










Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Rome in the Apocalypse























Why am I so fascinated with Roman ruins? Well, the parallels between Rome and the United States have not escaped me. Have you seen the National Mall? The American Bar Association? The Treasury? Any building downtown? I don't hold any illusions that the United States of America is different than Rome. The thing I wonder is - will Washington one day look like this?