Lebanon Travelogue 4
Well hey there, my friends! Sorry for the extended delay, but to be honest, that pesky gallbladder robbed me of my precious downtime! We still had loads of fun, but whenever I had the opportunity to sit down/had wifi/had a few moments to write…you guessed it. SO…welcome back! Oh and spoiler alert…we have made it back home to the US…but just last night! So we’ve got plenty to chat about to bring y’all up to speed!
I know you thought we were wrapped up with our time in Lebanon…wait, you don’t memorize my posts and remember me saying the hike day was “our last full day in Lebanon”?!? I’m wounded…just gutted. But say it, I did. However, I wanted to share some random thoughts/observations/quips that I thought y’all might find entertaining, concerning, or informative…at the very least!
There are so many places to start in the category of “things I didn’t expect/things that startled me,” even though we’ve traveled to the Middle East multiple times! But let’s just go the the GLARINGLY most obvious one: horn usage. Y’all. I cannot prepare you enough for the difference in horn usage from the US to Lebanon. If someone honks their horn at you in the US, you best speed away, throw your “I’m so sorry…my bad!” regretful wave, or prepare for a collision. In Lebanon, it’s more like BEEP BEEP “How’s it going?”…BEEP BEEP “Just wanna say hey!”…BEEP BEEP “Hello, kind sir, would you mind switching lanes so I might pass you safely on your left?”…BEEP BEEP “It’s a Friday.” You get the idea…communicating every mundane thought…with both frequency and urgency. It can be…unnerving, but also kinda…sweet?
Let’s talk about dinner time. There was NEVER a time when we weren’t wrapping up our evening meal around 10pm. TEN. PM. Chris could’ve gotten an Oscar for his performance in the ever-popular drama, “I always stay up this late!” But seriously, just how…how do they consistently eat that late?!? When dinner starts at 8 every night, how oh how do they keep their guts in check?!? Completely at a loss on that one. But they do so with much joy and wonderful food…it was just the westerners that had issues. :/
Then there were the terrorist mosquitos. They had it out for me and were packing all the punches and all the hatefulness in each bite. Every night, I’d find 4-5 more, growing into giant welts! By the time we left Lebanon, I had WELL over 10…in 4 days. Talk about coming out of your skin in pain and discomfort! I was going bonkers!!! SO…be prepared. You’ve been fore-warned.
Second-hand smoke, anyone? No, for real…both lungs must be fully black by now. I mean…do they not have surgeon generals over there?!? Did THEY die of second-hand smoke? I wanted to tell them it wasn’t the best for them…I wanted to say many things…the hubs wasn’t keen on me doing that. It would’ve taken me til Christmas to talk to everyone I saw lighting up! EGADS! They definitely did not understand the assignment. (That’s the new “didn’t get the memo” for all you old folks.)
Rounding the corner here, one of the most hilarious moments was when Chris Carr, the Good Right Reverend, posed a question to his ever-gracious wife…”Do you even have room for another bracelet?!?” I can assure you, kind sir…the answer will always be a resounding YES. C’mon dude. You’re not new here. Pass the credit card, please.
Lastly, Lebanon…I have a question. What did washcloths ever do to you?!? For the love. Game-changer. Get on board…I’m begging you. And for that matter, toilet seats. Let’s just get behind that one too. Pretty please. I’m too old to squat. There, I said it. For the time-being, just add that to your packing list, friends. Not the toilet seat…that would just be weird. But the wash cloth…yes.
OH and be sure to watch your back…a certain reverend might accuse you of swiping his toiletry bag…or maybe some stranger STOLE it…or he will find it in the very place he put it. Yea…keep your eyes open, friends. :)