| Page Views: 11,857 Last Visit to Lebanon: April, 2005 | The Land Of The North & The South... by coceng - last update: Sep 4, 2005 |
EURO TRIP 2001
EURO TRIP 2002
EURO TRIP 2003
EURO TRIP 2004
MIDDLE EAST TRIP 2005 :
LEBANON
SYRIA
JORDAN
EGYPT
April 2005 :
When I told my travel agent about my cancelled trip to Israel, he suggested Lebanon or Syria to me !
I thought I might as well cover these 2 countries !
He said, "Excellent !"
Furthermore, I could get a cheap ticket flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beirut !
I said, "Excellent !"
I actually first knew Lebanon from the massacre in the early 80's ! The war...
Little that I knew then that I would be seeing this country.
Bought a guidebook right away which was combined together with Syria.
Read attentively about the places; Seeing photos on VT but none of the VT members that I was in touch with would want to see me...
Elsewhere on The Net, I managed to get in touch with a guy who could take me around & he lives in Beirut.
He could also take me to some places around the north or Lebanon. So, I set the date for my journey to begin...My Flight Journey from Kuala Lumpur
Lebanon is nice but also a bit disoriented at first.
Beirut is just a city & not as Paris Of The Middle East !
Baalbek is so impressive !
The driving is sheer craziness !
Almost hassle-free country !
At least when you say NO twice, they would have understood !
Easy to travel around but especially the northern part, check whether the snow is still melting as some roads might be closed.
There are also military check-points in the south & also in the estern part of Lebanon.
There are many off the beaten sites around Lebanon.
It is really a cheap place to travel around... |
| My Itineraries Around Lebanon... |
MY ITINERARIES...
5th April 2005 (Tuesday) : Flight from KL, stopped over in Dubai. 10 hours flight, smooth one. Arrived in Beirut at about 1.30 pm. Got lost looking for my hotel !
Meeting Riyad in Beirut; Dinner & talk...He's showing me around Beirut at night. We also went to Mr. Rafiq Hariri's tomb. Al-Fatihah...
6th April (Wednesday) : Morning bus to Tyre, although had to change bus at Sidon.
On the way back from Tyre, stopped in Sidon. Meeting Ibrahim, a tour guide; We decided to see The Beiteddine Palace.
Arrived at 8 pm in Beirut; Met up with Paul. Dinner with Paul near his university.
7th April (Thursday) : 10.30 am bus to Baalbek. Arrived at 1 pm. Seeing the ruins is just so amazing ! Night photos around Baalbek !
8th April (Friday) : First decided to go to Hermel but changed plan & on my own went to Aanjar instead 'cos it's on the way back to Beirut. Hermel is too further to the north almost near Syria. Safely back to Beirut.
Today is a busy day ! Meeting Riyad again at about 2.45 pm, first we went to Jeita Grotto, amazing caves ! Reminds me of Postojna Caves in Slovenia !
Then, we were off to Byblos (Jbail); Just enough times to take some photos around the old port.
Then, Riyad drove me to Tripoli & left me there around 7 pm; I explored the night life of Tripoli on my own.
9th April (Saturday) : In Tripoli & also my last day in Lebanon. In the morning went to see The Citadel, so huge !
Then, checking the souqs & The Grand Mosque.
Riyad came again with his twin brother. Us 3 drove to the scenic Liban-Nord (northern-Lebanon), passing through Bcharre. We were actually going to another highlight in Lebanon : Al Arz or also known as Cedars Of The Lord ! I stepped on my first solid snow ! Sliding down the hill & my bum was all wet !
We went back to Tripoli & they left me for good & I took the night bus (at about 9 pm...) to Aleppo in Syria.
I was at the ticket counter to Aleppo & asked for a ticket. The guy asked me whether I had a visa & I said I didn't need one as I am a Malaysian & I do not need any visa entering Syria.
The guy replied back, "No Bus !".
I said how come as the last bus was at 12 midnight.
He kept on saying no bus & no bus & insisted that I took a taxi instead.
Slowly I took out a letter from he Syrian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur; The letter was a confirmation letter written in Arabic saying that I do not need a visa to enter Syria.
He read it & then smiled at me, "Oh ! The bus will be in 30 minutes..."
I bought my ticket but I was grumbling profanity in Malay language !
Bye Lebanon...Bye Riyad & twin brother; Bye Paul; Bye Ibrahim; Maybe 1 day I shall return... |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "Each Town Has Something Different To Offer !" | | Cons: | "Well, Beirut Will NEVER Be Like Paris !" | | In A Nutshell: | "A Side-Trip If You Happen To Be In Syria Or Jordan..." |
coceng's Lebanon Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 4 - Photos: 11 | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers
Tips: 3 | | | Transportation
Tips: 1 | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 coceng's Lebanon Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for coceng about Lebanon | | | | |
magor65 Thu Nov 24, 2005 12:19 UTC
Lebanon and other countries of the Middle East are on my wish list. I visited Israel a couple of months ago and hope for more. | stappm Wed Jul 6, 2005 06:14 UTC
Great Page - I cannot wait to get to Lebanon! thanks for the tips! | matcrazy1 Fri Jul 1, 2005 15:12 UTC
Good job! Nice pictures, good suggestions and very good warning tips :-) |
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