Exploring Beirut

Tripoli Railway Station

I woke at 0300, which is good for adjusting back to East Asia.  I dozed for a while and headed out at 0630 by foot to Mina, which is Tripoli’s port area nearby.  The route took me through a different side of Tripoli which was clean and modern.

Some 25 mins later, I reached the abandoned railway station at Mina.  There were a locomotives and wagons in various states of decay there.

This Ottoman station began operation in 1911 connecting Tripoli to Homs in Syria but that lined was ruined during WWI.  Later, under the French, the station was connected to Beirut (Mar Mikael) in 1945.  It was abandoned in 1975.

I returned to the hotel by 0745 and had a rest before checking out at 0900.

Text continues after this gallery.

Travelling to Beirut

At the nearby bus stand, I boarded an empty half-sized bus.  To my great surprise, we left around 0915 rather empty.  They made up the load on the way, collecting many people on the highway.

Like in Syria, the drivers here must have amazing hearing.  They can hear requests for stops (and specific instructions on where to stop) despite the loud engine noise and that of the traffic outside.

As we approached Jounieh, north of Beirut, traffic slowed right down.  I could see the pollution in the air as well.  The driver took detours on side streets and even a little bit on the pavement to jump ahead.

Arriving into Beirut from the north by road.

I arrived in the port area near Dawrah after 1100.  A student helped me get on a connecting bus to Hamra for LBP100K (NZD2) which seemed expensive as the ride from Tripoli was only LBP150K (NZD3).  He was extremely surprised that anyone would want to stay in Hamra, but that was the nice area on my previous three visits.  Perhaps things have changed.

I hopped off at spot on the Corniche closest to the hotel.  Despite the proximity on the map, it was a 20 min uphill windy walk to the Mayflower Hotel.

Despite being a little before midday, I was given my room straight away.  With only an afternoon to explore Beirut, I was out in less than half hour.

Exploring Beirut Central District

I wandered through the main street of Hamra to head to the BCD (Beirut Central District) area.  Back in 2002 when I first visited, this was the newly-built recreation of the glorious city centre was Beirut was the Paris of the Middle East.

To my surprise, there were new developments that had expanded much further out (towards Hamra) beyond the original confines of the BCD.  These new developments were modern and contemporary rather than in the historical Venetian/Arabesque style.

Disappointment set in when I got to the BCD area because it felt like a ghost town.  Many buildings were empty on the ground floor and some upstairs windows were boarded up.  There was some occupancy closer to the Council building and the seaward area but it was still pitiful and such a waste of tastefully built real estate.

Text continues after this gallery.

It’s my fourth visit to Beirut and I didn’t enter any of the three major places of worship here, namely the St George’s Cathedrals (one Maronite and the other Greek Orthodox) and the Mohammad Al Amin Mosque.  Somehow, these have always been overshadowed by other sights and priorities.

Corniche to Pigeon Rock

From the BCD, I took a long walk on the Corniche, heading west to the lighthouse at Manara.  It has been 15 years since my last visit and there were a few newish apartment blocks on the Corniche.

The restaurant at the lighthouse was now more upmarket than before.  It was around 1430 and I was ready for a meal but I wasn’t ready for the prices (not that I looked at the menu).

I continued past the Military Club and Luna Park and grabbed an ice cream cone.

Continuing down to the southern coast of the Beirut Peninsula, I stopped at the iconic Pigeon Rocks at about 1500.

My feet were starting to get tired as I made the uphill walk back to the hotel.  It was nearly 1600 when I got back.

Text continues after this gallery.

My feet were starting to get tired as I made the uphill walk back to the hotel.  It was nearly 1600 when I got back.

I staved off my hunger before heading out for dinner after 1700.  I found an Asian stirfry eatery run by a Canadian Lebanese.  The meal hit the spot perfectly as I had been deprived of vegetables and rice for a while.

My day concluded back in my room around 1900.  With the 1630 sunset, it felt late already.