Travel129
We are the two American tourists in Beirut traversing the city on foot. There is a building boom here on a scale I have seen in few American cities. Everywhere we walk the most noticeable activity is the moving crane. It would appear at this point that no one here will accept less than forward progress. Sunni, Shia, Christian, also now apparently Syria as an entity distinct if not separate from their known platform as Hezbollah supporters, and the non-believers alike all have enough mortar pockmarked ruins to gaze upon to last them a lifetime and certainly enough to last them more than 15 years if you are clocking from the end of the Civil War, please don't even mention the last Israeli trespass in 2006.
From nightclub to restaurant to corner store the focus seems to be business as usual, let us know when you get that government thing straightened out. If there is some sort of domino thing going on in Northern Africa it would appear not exactly pertinent to life in Beirut, isolated minor riotous acts notwithstanding.
A local artist tells us "well maybe a few more tanks" (than usual) but the mood of the army men on the street here seems one of slightly lessened alert, almost as if the turmoil in Egypt is decreasing the intensity of the crisis here rather than exacerbating it. The army men seem curious about us, not that we as American tourists are so rare, yet at the same time I'm not seeing so many of us. We are off season. Did I mention the weather here in Beirut January is perfect. And they have Cheetoes. Oh I could winter in Beirut. Thank God, peace be upon Him, for Lebanon.
Bernadette and I hope to get down to Tyre tomorrow.
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