A Lebanese Mezze!
On one of my first trips to Lebanon.. an Armenian family friend from Bourj Hammoud decided to give me a tour of the El-Metn mountains .Four of us set off and the object was to show me how..you can ski at the top of the mountains…and swim in the sea at Jounieh within an hour or so ! ..
Shahe was a great tour guide… he never stopped talking and was very knowledgeable about the local area and history.
We started out at the pretty town of Bikfiya…. fresh springs and citrus orchards.its 910 meters above sea level..and the views of Beirut and Jounieh were stunning… but we were going to go a lot higher than that..aiming for Sanin… 2695 metres… alpine yes!
At the top of the Lebanon mountain range..we stopped to look over at the breathtaking view of the Bekka….It lay before us… an emerald green patchwork of vineyards…orchards.. farms.. poppies… the granary of the romans..greeks…turks…syrians..a major stop off for any marching army…and yes there was snow where we stood… at the top of this great mountain range…beautiful!!
Very enthusiastic to show me the Bekka….and Baalbek…shahe started down the other side of the mountain… his wife worried how long this would take.. a half day trip was turning into a full day trip…did Shahe know the way?… where would we eat?. but.Shahe,in a happy..joking ,confident mood had a positive answer to everything.. so we continued.
i was happy in the back.. this was a great trip.. i was enjoying all the changing scenery…
Shahe found a “new”road.. and marveling at the good condition.. he decided this would get us to the great roman ruins of Baalbek quicker.
Houses started to appear as we descended to the floor of the Bekka valley.. i was looking round.. interested at seeing traditional houses.. not realising the chatter had died down in the front of the car…
i was just asking. “what are the black flags with photos of sheiks on them..local elections.maybe?”…….
when i saw Shahe wife reach under the front seat and pass him a pistol!..what the ****!Now she had one too! his and hers!!
The mood in the car was tense…and nobody was talking….what was the danger?.. the streets seemed empty… friday.. hmm..
My companion in the back seat said.. “good job we have black windows..this is Hezbollah territory..and Shahe is lost!…..oh crap!!!!
Luckily.. friday meant all the men where at prayers in the mosque… only a few women around. Eventually.. Shahe very reluctantly,stopped for directions… We were all enthusiastically invited in for tea by the old lady in the black burqa… but Shahe politely declined..another time!…and he shot out of there!.. phew!…
when he was clear..all hell broke loose as his wife went mad!.. we didnt get to Baalbek that day… lol.. we went home…and i didnt feel safe till we got to the top of the mountains again..
A typical lebanese mezze…… one minute its coffee and aiguille..next its armed and take cover….!
We laugh about it now… but back then.. we were lucky to get out of there!
What a wonderful and fascinating blog, Cherri. You had me very captivated while I was reading it!! Quite an adventure you were on. Did you get any photo’s of the area? Something I bet you will never forget!! Thank you for the great story.
thankyou passagigio.im happy you found it interesting. yes ive got photos..but not digital ones. ill have to scan them or something!.. 🙂
In hindsight a wonderfully, “different” day! Beautifully written – you took me on a journey and while some of it might not have been comfortable at the time for you – it was certainly an experience.. Thanks for posting, I enjoyed it very much.. keep writing…. Lina xxxx
thanks Lina.ive never written anything before so your comment is an encouragement!..merci!..:)
I’m glad you enjoyed the beauty of the country before being thrust into the horror of it – great blog xo
your right foreveryoung..its a truly beautiful part of the world..a jewel in a rough setting .thanks for your comment.xxx
I enjoyed that greatly, too Dianne, you tell a great story. I can identify with it to a certain extent, but not so dramatic. When I was in Egypt, we traveled by road from Luxor to Aswan, and back a few days later, in coaches and mini buses. That was under armed guard, so nothing like as potentially dangerous as yours. Makes you think a bit, when firearms are suddenly at the ready though, doesn’t it?
Great blog xx
thankyou steve. and yes.. you have certainly had a taste of excitement abroad! happy all went well with you. ..id love to go to Egypt!.:)
wow cherri what an experience its why i dont go to places like that even turkey i steer clear of a cousin goes there all the time but not me
give me the canaries any time but ur a very brave lassie i take my hat off to u
lol paddy.. true!!… sometimes ignorance is bliss!….:)