Mideast Diaries

I know I’ve written ad nauseum about how strange it is to cross the border from Israel to the Arab world and vice versa, but there it is, it’s just strange. I got up in Tel Aviv yesterday, packed, called a cab. The cab driver asked me where I was flying off to. I told him Beirut and he jerked his head back and then laughed and said, I’ve been to Beirut. He meant as a soldier, of course. I asked him how he liked it. He said he actually liked it a lot. The Israeli soldiers would get R&R in Beirut. He said they’d go to regular restaurants and everyone was very friendly to them. The food was good. He didn’t like how some of the Israeli soldiers treated the locals. Nothing violent, but they would try to cheat them. Like at one point during the war, Israel devalued the Shekel, so 500 shekels were suddenly just 5 shekels. The Israeli soldiers would give Lebanese money changers old 500 shekel bills (now worth 5) and tell them they were new 500 shekel bills. So, basically, they use a dollar to get $100. He said that was bad, but they had a great time, because they all were so rich in Lebanese money they’d go crazy, going to bars and clubs and stuff. (more…)

Beirut. Wow. It is an explosion of life after Amman. It’s almost overwhelming. I realized, flying in last night, that I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought it would be quite European, I thought it would be reconstructed more than one might expect. I thought there would be lots of neon and fast food chains. Leaving Amman was almost a nightmare and entering Lebanon was similar. These Middle East airports have a constant series of lines you stand in. You go to one to pay some money and get a receipt, then you bring the receipt somewhere else to get a stamp, then somewhere else so someone can check that you got the stamp. Then there’s two other lines so other people can check your passport for no reason whatsoever. It’s so inefficient and it makes very clear why these economies are not the thriving powerhouses some wish they would be. It makes you realize just how well-functioning and efficient the US is. (more…)