Hi Everyone,
The guys are showering from their long day on the boat, I survived the 4-wheeler ride - even drove the beast, although I kept hitting the side of the cliff, but not bad for my first time. At least we stayed in Lebanon and upright. Anyway, thought it might be a good time to write another installment....but now everyone is coming down for dinner, so I'll stop for now and continue after everyone goes to bed. Hope you are getting these - thanks, Frank for letting me know you've received - hugs, Lari
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Driving in Lebanon
Hi from Faqra, Lebanon!
Last night I made a list of blog topics along with all the things we've done in just 3 days and it was really long! We have been busy. But I have to tell you about the driving in Lebanon, especially Beirut. It is like nothing we have ever experienced anywhere...even the Italians look tame compared to the driving here. Charlie and I would still be in the driveway if we were at the wheel!
First rule: ignore all rules. Second rule: go as fast as you can at all times. Third rule: Other vehicles are to be passed, no matter what. Fourth rule: the entire road is yours - both sides. Fifth rule: there really are no rules.
James follows every rule! Huda is slightly more conservative, I can keep my eyes open! Traffic is incredible, like an LA freeway in rush hour run amok, with no lanes, speed limits or fear of dying. (I am the only one experiencing that!) Cars drive 3 and 4 abreast, pass constantly and if there is even an inch of space, a driver will somehow maneuver his car into it. Everyone has the right of way at every intersection, roundabouts are a free-for-all and stoplights - the few that work - are usually ignored unless there is a policeman there, who is usually directing everyone to go at once anyway. Motorbikes (forget helmets - not macho) speed in and out of lanes, zipping through the cars and trucks like gnats.
Remarkably, there is no road rage. We would be screaming and cursing constantly at the insane drivers trying to kill us....but here, it's normal to pass on curves, cut each other off, park in the middle of the road and never, ever make eye contact with another driver (if I don't see you, you aren't there). And we've seen a few fender benders, but no major accidents. Most cars - and there are very expensive models and beaters here - are dent free. So this system seems to work, but I have no idea how. Good brakes, and possibly large doses of controlled substances.
Crossing the street is equivalent to having a death wish! Pedestrians have no rights, in fact, I think it becomes a sport to aim at the poor human trying to get across the street. And the drivers give us "the look" as we run, screaming, across the road.
I seriously doubt either of us will get behind the wheel while here, but I have to go now and learn how to drive a four-wheeler from a 12 year old and a 14 year old. Say a prayer for me!
Love,
Lari
Last night I made a list of blog topics along with all the things we've done in just 3 days and it was really long! We have been busy. But I have to tell you about the driving in Lebanon, especially Beirut. It is like nothing we have ever experienced anywhere...even the Italians look tame compared to the driving here. Charlie and I would still be in the driveway if we were at the wheel!
First rule: ignore all rules. Second rule: go as fast as you can at all times. Third rule: Other vehicles are to be passed, no matter what. Fourth rule: the entire road is yours - both sides. Fifth rule: there really are no rules.
James follows every rule! Huda is slightly more conservative, I can keep my eyes open! Traffic is incredible, like an LA freeway in rush hour run amok, with no lanes, speed limits or fear of dying. (I am the only one experiencing that!) Cars drive 3 and 4 abreast, pass constantly and if there is even an inch of space, a driver will somehow maneuver his car into it. Everyone has the right of way at every intersection, roundabouts are a free-for-all and stoplights - the few that work - are usually ignored unless there is a policeman there, who is usually directing everyone to go at once anyway. Motorbikes (forget helmets - not macho) speed in and out of lanes, zipping through the cars and trucks like gnats.
Remarkably, there is no road rage. We would be screaming and cursing constantly at the insane drivers trying to kill us....but here, it's normal to pass on curves, cut each other off, park in the middle of the road and never, ever make eye contact with another driver (if I don't see you, you aren't there). And we've seen a few fender benders, but no major accidents. Most cars - and there are very expensive models and beaters here - are dent free. So this system seems to work, but I have no idea how. Good brakes, and possibly large doses of controlled substances.
Crossing the street is equivalent to having a death wish! Pedestrians have no rights, in fact, I think it becomes a sport to aim at the poor human trying to get across the street. And the drivers give us "the look" as we run, screaming, across the road.
I seriously doubt either of us will get behind the wheel while here, but I have to go now and learn how to drive a four-wheeler from a 12 year old and a 14 year old. Say a prayer for me!
Love,
Lari
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
We are in Lebanon!
Hi All!
We made it successfully to Lebanon as scheduled, arriving about 3 a.m. Sunday morning. The flight from JFK to Dubai was about 13 hours, every seat was full, but we managed to sleep a little, watch a few movies and drink lots of water. We flew over the Atlantic, crossing Europe beginning at the coast of France. Once we were over the Arabian Peninsula, we flew over miles and miles of desolate terrain, rugged, uninhabited and the color of cafe au lait. Our route took us between Iran on the left side and Iraq on the right....made me very glad we were on Emirates, less likely to meet an errant missile, I presumed! Looking at the landscape, thousands of feet below, made me wonder why this part of the world, which looks so barren and lifeless, has been the site of so much war and hostility for thousands of years. We landed in Dubai on time, and were thermal scanned for swine flu as we left the aircraft, that was a first.
The 4 hour layover in Dubai gave us a chance to wander through the world's largest Duty Free shop (the entire terminal!) and have a lovely dinner courtesy of Emirates Air. Shops full of 22K gold jewelry, Rolex and Piaget watches, perfume, liquor, clothing, food, $700 bottles of wine and caviar lined the concourse. Two Zen gardens with waterfalls, 3 spas and 16 sit down restaurants and two Prayer Rooms (men's and women's) fill the terminal. There was the Islam call to prayer while we were there, and we watched the men head one way and the women the other for prayer. Wish I'd taken a photo of the sign that said Restrooms and Prayer Rooms, not likely to see that again.
We opted to stay at the airport as it was 98 degrees and 100% humidity outside. I don't recommend Dubai as a vacation destination in July. Our flight to Lebanon took off at 1 a.m. - also jammed, apparently there is no recession in the Middle East - and landed about 20 minutes late, but as soon as I stepped off the jetway and actually stepped onto Lebanon, I felt like a part of me was home. Amazing.
We cleared Immigration and I actually got two Lebanon visa stamps in my passport after I told the inspector that coming to Lebanon was a lifelong dream come true. He wanted to be sure I could read the stamp!
Our hosts met us with roses, water, hugs and kisses at 4 a.m.! The entire family came to the Airport, James and Huda and their daughters Nadine and Dina. The drive to their home in the mountains northeast of Beirut took about 45 minutes and at this hour, there wasn't much traffic as you can imagine. Beirut looked beautiful, at least what I could see, and we talked and laughed non-stop the entire way home, becoming instant friends. It's as if we've known each other for years in some ways. We already felt so welcome....how the heck did we get so lucky?
Then we arrived at their new chalet - and we about fainted. As we drove into the 5000 sq ft garage through beautiful teak doors - the garage is tiled and finished - we knew we were in for something special. Forget every chalet you've ever seen, this is not a chalet, it's a palace! Perched on a hillside with the Mediterranean off in the distance, the house is an architectural masterpiece. Made of concrete faced in Lebanese stone, the 15,000 sq ft. home has 4 floors, floor to ceiling half rounded glass walls on the living and sleeping levels, more rooms than I can remember, fabulous wood, tile, marble and stone floors, walls and ceilings, glass and stainless steel staircases, bathrooms that are not to be believed, a kitchen I covet, lovely gardens with a stream, several patios and a spa, custom furnishings, gorgeous decor, OMG! James designed it and Huda decorated it - the house actually floats on a central column, with....shoot, I can't begin to do justice to the house by describing it, so I'll send photos as soon as I figure out how. Just know our jaws hit the floor upon entering and might still be dragging the floor a bit! Even in my state of jet lag euphoria, I wasn't prepared for this! Wow! Our room is huge, its rounded exterior glass wall looking toward the Med and valley view, large bath, king bed, sitting area, and a loft! It's beautiful!
We stayed up until well past sunrise talking to James and Huda and when we finally went to bed about 8 a.m. Sunday, we had been up since Friday morning. Our travel time from our house in St. Pete to their house in Farqa was 41 hours! We slept until about 6 p.m. Sunday. Then awoke to find this really wasn't a dream, we were still in Lebanon in this gorgeous home with these warm, generous people. Whoooo hooo!
Much more to come. We've already had encounters and experiences in just 2 days that will fill about 3 more blogs. I'll close this one by saying my first impressions are that Lebanon is beautiful, friendly, welcoming and exciting. There is as much new construction here - homes, buildings, hotels, public spaces, marinas, condos - as there was in FL and much of the US in 2004-2006. The economy is strong, prices are high and people are enjoying life here. You wouldn't know there had been a war 3 years ago and a civil war that raged for nearly 20 years from the 70's-90's by looking at what's happening here now. We have encountered check points along more rural roads, especially those leading directly to Syria, and all cars are stopped and inspected before entering parking garages, but other than that, there are no outward signs of previous wars - no damaged buildings, barracades or soldiers in the streets. We feel very safe here.
And we have already learned much about our hosts, their life in Yemen and here, so I have much more to share. Stay tuned. Hope this arrives okay, we have experienced a little trouble with e-mails getting out on this computer. Please send me an e-mail when you read this.
Thanks!
Love,
Lari
We made it successfully to Lebanon as scheduled, arriving about 3 a.m. Sunday morning. The flight from JFK to Dubai was about 13 hours, every seat was full, but we managed to sleep a little, watch a few movies and drink lots of water. We flew over the Atlantic, crossing Europe beginning at the coast of France. Once we were over the Arabian Peninsula, we flew over miles and miles of desolate terrain, rugged, uninhabited and the color of cafe au lait. Our route took us between Iran on the left side and Iraq on the right....made me very glad we were on Emirates, less likely to meet an errant missile, I presumed! Looking at the landscape, thousands of feet below, made me wonder why this part of the world, which looks so barren and lifeless, has been the site of so much war and hostility for thousands of years. We landed in Dubai on time, and were thermal scanned for swine flu as we left the aircraft, that was a first.
The 4 hour layover in Dubai gave us a chance to wander through the world's largest Duty Free shop (the entire terminal!) and have a lovely dinner courtesy of Emirates Air. Shops full of 22K gold jewelry, Rolex and Piaget watches, perfume, liquor, clothing, food, $700 bottles of wine and caviar lined the concourse. Two Zen gardens with waterfalls, 3 spas and 16 sit down restaurants and two Prayer Rooms (men's and women's) fill the terminal. There was the Islam call to prayer while we were there, and we watched the men head one way and the women the other for prayer. Wish I'd taken a photo of the sign that said Restrooms and Prayer Rooms, not likely to see that again.
We opted to stay at the airport as it was 98 degrees and 100% humidity outside. I don't recommend Dubai as a vacation destination in July. Our flight to Lebanon took off at 1 a.m. - also jammed, apparently there is no recession in the Middle East - and landed about 20 minutes late, but as soon as I stepped off the jetway and actually stepped onto Lebanon, I felt like a part of me was home. Amazing.
We cleared Immigration and I actually got two Lebanon visa stamps in my passport after I told the inspector that coming to Lebanon was a lifelong dream come true. He wanted to be sure I could read the stamp!
Our hosts met us with roses, water, hugs and kisses at 4 a.m.! The entire family came to the Airport, James and Huda and their daughters Nadine and Dina. The drive to their home in the mountains northeast of Beirut took about 45 minutes and at this hour, there wasn't much traffic as you can imagine. Beirut looked beautiful, at least what I could see, and we talked and laughed non-stop the entire way home, becoming instant friends. It's as if we've known each other for years in some ways. We already felt so welcome....how the heck did we get so lucky?
Then we arrived at their new chalet - and we about fainted. As we drove into the 5000 sq ft garage through beautiful teak doors - the garage is tiled and finished - we knew we were in for something special. Forget every chalet you've ever seen, this is not a chalet, it's a palace! Perched on a hillside with the Mediterranean off in the distance, the house is an architectural masterpiece. Made of concrete faced in Lebanese stone, the 15,000 sq ft. home has 4 floors, floor to ceiling half rounded glass walls on the living and sleeping levels, more rooms than I can remember, fabulous wood, tile, marble and stone floors, walls and ceilings, glass and stainless steel staircases, bathrooms that are not to be believed, a kitchen I covet, lovely gardens with a stream, several patios and a spa, custom furnishings, gorgeous decor, OMG! James designed it and Huda decorated it - the house actually floats on a central column, with....shoot, I can't begin to do justice to the house by describing it, so I'll send photos as soon as I figure out how. Just know our jaws hit the floor upon entering and might still be dragging the floor a bit! Even in my state of jet lag euphoria, I wasn't prepared for this! Wow! Our room is huge, its rounded exterior glass wall looking toward the Med and valley view, large bath, king bed, sitting area, and a loft! It's beautiful!
We stayed up until well past sunrise talking to James and Huda and when we finally went to bed about 8 a.m. Sunday, we had been up since Friday morning. Our travel time from our house in St. Pete to their house in Farqa was 41 hours! We slept until about 6 p.m. Sunday. Then awoke to find this really wasn't a dream, we were still in Lebanon in this gorgeous home with these warm, generous people. Whoooo hooo!
Much more to come. We've already had encounters and experiences in just 2 days that will fill about 3 more blogs. I'll close this one by saying my first impressions are that Lebanon is beautiful, friendly, welcoming and exciting. There is as much new construction here - homes, buildings, hotels, public spaces, marinas, condos - as there was in FL and much of the US in 2004-2006. The economy is strong, prices are high and people are enjoying life here. You wouldn't know there had been a war 3 years ago and a civil war that raged for nearly 20 years from the 70's-90's by looking at what's happening here now. We have encountered check points along more rural roads, especially those leading directly to Syria, and all cars are stopped and inspected before entering parking garages, but other than that, there are no outward signs of previous wars - no damaged buildings, barracades or soldiers in the streets. We feel very safe here.
And we have already learned much about our hosts, their life in Yemen and here, so I have much more to share. Stay tuned. Hope this arrives okay, we have experienced a little trouble with e-mails getting out on this computer. Please send me an e-mail when you read this.
Thanks!
Love,
Lari
Friday, July 10, 2009
Today's the Day! Off to Beirut
Friday, July 10, 2009
Well, since it's after midnight, it is now officially the day we depart for Lebanon. Naturally, all my plans to be packed in advance, leaving this last evening at home to relax before the 10,678 hour flight (or so it may seem by 2:40 a.m. Sunday morning when we arrive in Beirut) were for naught! Although most everything is in the luggage, there's still much to do before we hop in the airport limo at noon. I'm sure I'll continue to wander around the house moving little piles of things here and there before I'm exhausted enough to sleep.
Our journey begins on a Jet Blue flight from Tampa to JFK. We arrive at 5 p.m. and because this domestic leg of the trip, for some international trade reason, couldn't be booked from Yemen as part of our overall ticket, it is not a connecting flight. Yep, we'll have to claim our bags, schlep them to the international terminal, go through security again (agh), check in, then wait until our 2300 departure. Well, at least we have lots of time to kill and this should take care of a few hours! Apparently JFK was closed on Wed. for several hours due to turtles on the runway. Man, those terrapin terrorists will stop at nothing!
Next leg is the loooonng one - JFK to Dubai, UAE - about 14 hours. Oh if I only had the extra $9000 per person to upgrade to business class.....seriously, $9000!!!! I want to peek through the curtain to see who does have the $9K!
We arrive in Dubai at 1945 on Saturday evening - Dubai is 8 hours ahead of St. Petersburg - and get to explore the fabulous Dubai airport for a few hours. Apparently it has the largest Duty Free shop in the world - oh dear! We leave for Beirut at 0020 on Sunday, July 12, arriving at 0240, but we gain an hour, so it's really 0340 Dubai time. Our gracious hosts will be waiting at the airport, so we're hoping Charlie's strange collection of tools - including a major wire crimper that just barely fit in the suitcase - won't create a crisis in Customs. Would be interesting trying to explain that at 3 a.m. after flying for 2 days!
The drive to their home in the mountains is about 90 minutes, I know I won't be seeing much!!! My guess is by about Tuesday we might be coherent!
Thanks to all of you who responded to the blog, joined, sent comments and wished us well on our adventure. I'm looking forward to Tuesday!
Stay tuned!
Sending with love,
Lari
Well, since it's after midnight, it is now officially the day we depart for Lebanon. Naturally, all my plans to be packed in advance, leaving this last evening at home to relax before the 10,678 hour flight (or so it may seem by 2:40 a.m. Sunday morning when we arrive in Beirut) were for naught! Although most everything is in the luggage, there's still much to do before we hop in the airport limo at noon. I'm sure I'll continue to wander around the house moving little piles of things here and there before I'm exhausted enough to sleep.
Our journey begins on a Jet Blue flight from Tampa to JFK. We arrive at 5 p.m. and because this domestic leg of the trip, for some international trade reason, couldn't be booked from Yemen as part of our overall ticket, it is not a connecting flight. Yep, we'll have to claim our bags, schlep them to the international terminal, go through security again (agh), check in, then wait until our 2300 departure. Well, at least we have lots of time to kill and this should take care of a few hours! Apparently JFK was closed on Wed. for several hours due to turtles on the runway. Man, those terrapin terrorists will stop at nothing!
Next leg is the loooonng one - JFK to Dubai, UAE - about 14 hours. Oh if I only had the extra $9000 per person to upgrade to business class.....seriously, $9000!!!! I want to peek through the curtain to see who does have the $9K!
We arrive in Dubai at 1945 on Saturday evening - Dubai is 8 hours ahead of St. Petersburg - and get to explore the fabulous Dubai airport for a few hours. Apparently it has the largest Duty Free shop in the world - oh dear! We leave for Beirut at 0020 on Sunday, July 12, arriving at 0240, but we gain an hour, so it's really 0340 Dubai time. Our gracious hosts will be waiting at the airport, so we're hoping Charlie's strange collection of tools - including a major wire crimper that just barely fit in the suitcase - won't create a crisis in Customs. Would be interesting trying to explain that at 3 a.m. after flying for 2 days!
The drive to their home in the mountains is about 90 minutes, I know I won't be seeing much!!! My guess is by about Tuesday we might be coherent!
Thanks to all of you who responded to the blog, joined, sent comments and wished us well on our adventure. I'm looking forward to Tuesday!
Stay tuned!
Sending with love,
Lari
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Lebanon Adventure - Preparation
Sunday, July 5, 20009
We leave for Beirut on Friday and our prep for the 3 week adventure has been intense. Besides the research on Lebanon, flight arrangements, getting business and personal stuff taken care of, deciding what to pack, new camera, etc. I have also been trying to track down my grandparents' ancestry. Both came through Ellis Island, but their names were either misspelled or totally different than the names I knew them by as a child.....hmmmmmm. Fortunately, my first cousins, Eleanor and Ann Marie had documents that helped us get to the first steps and we found the ships and dates they both arrived. But that's as far as I've gotten, as we don't have any documentation on where they lived in Lebanon (which was Syria back then). I've tried Ancestry.com but couldn't find anything there past my grandparents. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to visit the towns or villages where they were born, but doubt that after more than 100 years, I could begin to track down any family ties in Lebanon. But, you never know.
Since this is my first post, it's really a test to see if I know what I'm doing. If you decide to accept my invitation to the blog, I'll be thrilled. Not sure of the internet access where we are staying, as it is in the mountains, about 45 minutes from Beirut (near Faraya and Farqa if you Google Earth it), but I'll keep writing anyway!
Love to all,
Lari
We leave for Beirut on Friday and our prep for the 3 week adventure has been intense. Besides the research on Lebanon, flight arrangements, getting business and personal stuff taken care of, deciding what to pack, new camera, etc. I have also been trying to track down my grandparents' ancestry. Both came through Ellis Island, but their names were either misspelled or totally different than the names I knew them by as a child.....hmmmmmm. Fortunately, my first cousins, Eleanor and Ann Marie had documents that helped us get to the first steps and we found the ships and dates they both arrived. But that's as far as I've gotten, as we don't have any documentation on where they lived in Lebanon (which was Syria back then). I've tried Ancestry.com but couldn't find anything there past my grandparents. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to visit the towns or villages where they were born, but doubt that after more than 100 years, I could begin to track down any family ties in Lebanon. But, you never know.
Since this is my first post, it's really a test to see if I know what I'm doing. If you decide to accept my invitation to the blog, I'll be thrilled. Not sure of the internet access where we are staying, as it is in the mountains, about 45 minutes from Beirut (near Faraya and Farqa if you Google Earth it), but I'll keep writing anyway!
Love to all,
Lari
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