Ok, I'm ready to tell you my secret. I, Jake's girlfriend, AM in fact the vice president of the Jake Keyel fan club. It's true. The president?...you can be the judge of who that might be, loyal readers :)
Anyways, I have been having a great time here in Lebanon. Lebanon is a country about the size of Connecticut; but it is JAM packed with: mountains, beaches, caves, islands, cities, some of the most ancient ruins in the world, and much much more. So this week, during the day, as Jake has been improving his Arabic at lightning speed, and managing to work on this cool report for the IOM, I have been trying to see as much as possible! ...and eat as much Lebanese food as possible.
I was a tiny bit nervous to be traveling alone during my mornings/afternoons this week, in a new country, but it has been a good experience for me. First of all, with a lot of help from Jake, I really haven't been getting lost or totally ripped off. Second, Lebanon is a very safe place to be. I don't get hassled, and when I go into a busy public area, there guaranteed to be policemen and security guards to make sure the area is safe. Third: As far as being a woman here, I do not feel out of place. Lebanon is a pretty liberal place in the Middle East...the culture/style of women here is so varied, and really interesting to be around. Ok, and last but not least, I seem to appear very adoptable. Let me explain a little...
...on Monday, as I was walking to see the Jeita Grotto, (Jake described this a little in an earlier post), a family of 4 in a very nice car pulled over and said
"are you going to the Grotto? So are we! Get in!"...so I did (dont worry mom and dad, I have turned down other more sketchy offers for free car rides, this was a good one)! And I proceeded to explore the grotto with this Lebanese expat family who lives in France and is vacationing in Lebanon. They had never been to the grotto either, so it was a fun experience!
...then on Wednesday, I went to the ancient city of Byblos. I mean ancient... "one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited towns", we are talking Mesopotamia ancient. I was perusing a gift-shop, and there was a family there inquiring about the price of key-chains. I heard the father say:
"She's definitely not from here", He promptly turned to me and said "You are not from here, where are you from?"
...we walked together for a while and I learned that they live in Calgary, but are here in Lebanon for a month on vacation. The father grew up in Lebanon right near the border to Israel. We walked and walked, and they and their 3 sons told me so many stories, and gave me a million recommendations about what to see and do, and how to haggle at stores etc. They were very proud to tell me about all the great things to see in Lebanon. They even invited me to join them on a boat ride out in the Mediterrenean. I spent the whole afternoon with them, until I met up with Jake that evening to explore (and of course re-enact battle scenes) in the ancient roman/phonecian ruins...and eat a REALLY tasty seaside dinner :)
I won't go into too much more detail but I did indeed visit 5 cities in 4 days. Monday, as I said, was Jeita, as well as Zouk Mosbeh. Tuesday was Jounieh, where I rode on a cable car up a small mountain to see this beautiful statue at the top. Wednesday was Jbail/Byblos. Thursday was Beirut, where I was treated to a really fun afternoon by my Lebanese friend from Oberlin, and his family, and that makes 5. Jake and I head out shortly for a 6th city: Baalbeck, and not long after that I will come home!
Ok, that is all for now!
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