Beirut Cont'd
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
33
93
Trip End
Jan 31, 2009
Beirut,
Lebanon
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Checked into a modest hotel called Marble Tower. I had heard that there was a 10% discount for AUB guests. So, I told them that I was a guest. Of course, the room was depressing after a hotel like Crowne, but still much better than my regular backpacker places.
In the LP map there aren't any milestones for the neighbourhoods to the south of Hamra. I decided to explore. I walked for hours and didn't come across a single ghetto. All the buildings that I saw were decent. Of course, there were a few bombed ones here and there. However, the Lebanese are working hard to replace such buildings. What resilience...
The National Museum is the best organized that I have visited in the Middle East. The layout was very impressive as well. However, the collection wasn't great. It was interesting how there were atrifacts from the Phonecian, Persian and Greco-Roman eras, but not from the Ottoman or French periods. Is there an intense public distaste for these times?
Went to Paul for lunch. Had an omlette and a lemonade. It was quite jet-set. I felt underdressed.
Walked by the French embassy. Was shocked by its sheer size. Its tall walls felt as if they were extending to infinity. Even the US consulate in Istanbul isn't as big.
The house of parliament is small. Moreover, it is peculiar that it's in the center of Downtown where no car is allowed to enter. Aren't parliaments usually at places that isolate them from the general public?
Sat at a cafe in Downtown and watched the people pass by. This part of the city seems to be dominated by the well-off. Reminded me of Nisantasi, Istanbul. The main difference are that Nisantasi is older, this place is better organized, and its building have more of an oriental touch.
I would expect Jordan's GDP per capita to be between those of Syria and Lebanon, but it's equal to Syria's. Apparently, Syria's output is much larger than what meets the eye. What a difference oil exports make... Also, the government expendetures component of Syria's GDP may be predominantly channeled into invisible projects, such as weapons systems acquisitions.
