Law & Order
re-runs, dubbed in French and shown on Lebanese TV. My evening at the hotel
room was rather entertaining. And it was only night two.
When I arrived
on Sunday, a driver was at the airport, waiting for me, ready to whisk me away to the hotel. A
quaint place in downtown Beirut, international flags displayed
outside and the front desk manager was kind and accommodating. I was set up for the
next several days, and with that; I was also ready to get in and take a nap.
I never sleep while traveling. My layover had been a rather pointless
in Amman, but the flight was cheap because t was the middle of the Muslim holiday: known as
Eid.
The small room
was cool and clean and contained everything I needed: a bed, a desk and a bathroom. I
unloaded my belongings and sat down on the bed, though almost
immediately, I laid down and went right to sleep. After a couple of hours, I
decided I needed to explore the block. I would touch base with my friends
later. Most places were closed both due to Eid and because it was Sunday,
explained the afternoon hotel manager. But he gave me fine directions to a
small market that *would* be
open.
Making my way
down the street, I thought it might be good to have a little cash, in Lebanese pounds,
rather than just my credit card. So walked a little further to see if I could find an ATM. I circled around one of the small streets and
headed toward the port, thinking I would come up on a main road. I did. Turning
to my right, I saw a security guard who caught my eye and asked if he could
help - at least, I assumed that is what he was asking in Arabic. I asked him if
he spoke English and he answered back that he knew some. He showed me to the
ATM right inside the building he was watching. I didn't know the currency
exchange at the time, so I made a guess and pulled out Lebanese pounds as well
a dollars, just in case.
Back around and
to the market, I picked up a few snacks and headed back to the hotel. If I
thought I was lost, I simply asked someone on the street. Everyone was kind and
helpful. Later that night, looking for a restaurant or bar open, because a
woman does have to eat, even on the holiday; I found a place that had lights on
just down the street from the hotel, but of course when I walked up the stairs
to the restaurant, I discovered it was a Chile's - ah, an American restaurant.
Nevertheless, I was hungry, so it was - I ate and had a couple of
deserved Margaritas. Of course, it didn't matter much. I sat at the bar and
with only a few people in the venue watching the Manchester United-Chelsea football
match (ManU won, sadly), the bartender and one of his *server* friends eagerly
talked to me - what to do in Beirut, how to navigate around and then, you
know, the conversation diverted to Lady Gaga and why she made for great
Halloween costumes.
Day two would be
a bit like the first, walking to one of the shopping centers for a local phone
and well...a hair-dryer (yes, truly an American girl). But without any trouble, I was able to ask for
assistance and folks were able to help. Even if they didn't speak English well,
or at all, they could understand and were more than willing to point and show
me where to go.
In all the hours
of my work, research, writing and inquiries: the one thing I found in my first
days here: people are attentive and willing to share what they know with
someone who is obviously...not a local.
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