Pantai Klebang, Melaka

Here are some pictures of Pantai Klebang.

 You get a view of the Straits of Malacca from the top of the sand dunes

Thaipusam Weekend

I had a busy Saturday. Left home early in the morning and drove with the Indonesian painter I had asked way back in March 2015 to paint the porch and back walls at micasa. Yes, way back in March as I wanted him to buy the paint before GST came into effect (probably didn’t make a difference as almost every seller had increased their prices even in January 2015). We had agreed on his rate also back in March. Anyway, I finally couldn’t stand it any longer and asked Abah to tell him to do the job over Thaipusam weekend.

I sent him a text to come pick me up at 07:30 (he doesn’t know the way around KL. Like seriously) and we reached micasa just after 08:00. I showed him the areas needing painting and showed him the keys to access the back door and the balcony. I also showed him the bathrooms and where he was supposed to sleep that night. After sweeping the porch and washing my bathroom, I left. I had a 09:30 appointment at Optimax (six months post-LASIK eye check). The eye check ended just after 10 as I had to wait to be ‘discharged’ – the next check-up would be after January 2017 and it would be annual check-up subsequently.

After checking out the nearby pharmacies (I preferred shopping at Guardian over Watson’s but recently discovered that Caring Pharmacy - and sometimes Constant Pharmacy too – offers better value for my hard-earned money), we went to the Gardens Mall as I needed to pick up something.

We didn’t stay long at the Gardens and left at 12:01 (yes, I checked). We drove to the highway and exited it at Simpang Ampat at 12:58 and began the crawl along Lebuh AMJ. There were so many cars and so many traffic lights that we had to endure. We finally reached Muar town at 13:51 and searched for parking. Then we walked to Mee Bandung Abu Bakar Hanipah restaurant at Jalan Abdullah. We were last here exactly 52 Saturdays prior. This time though, the mee bandung was somewhat lacking and I felt the portion was smaller.

After our lunch, we walked to the market and bought some guava. We then drove to Jalan Sayang, parked there and walked to Muar Soup House. I had soto Muar there. We left Muar just before 5 p.m. and drove to The Settlement Hotel in Melaka. It’s a lovely charming new hotel close to the Portuguese Settlement (hence the name, I suppose). We were given a cold towel to freshen ourselves up and a cup of chilled drink during the check-in process. How refreshing after the long humid sweaty uncomfortable unbearable day! I went to check out the grounds; it didn’t take long as the hotel grounds are compact and the size is just nice.

After soaking in the tub, I performed prayers and then went for a complimentary neck and back massage at The Spa Library (a covered building by the small pool which houses both the library and spa area). The masseuse was very good but the prices were a bit beyond what I was prepared to pay for.

We drove out to Medan Ikan Bakar Muara Sungai Duyung. I read that it was better that Umbai and as it was quite close to the hotel, we decided to try it out. Well, I don’t know if we were unlucky or it was a Saturday evening but we queued 45 minutes for a table and a further 40 minutes just to place our order. [And what’s with Malaysian stalls and restaurants anyway? I don’t like it when they immediately ask for your drink orders. First off, I don’t drink right before or during a meal. Secondly, if you ordered iced drinks (I don’t because I don’t like icy drinks), the ice would have long melted by the time you finish your meal presuming you drink at the end of your meal as you should.] Then it was another wait for our food. It started pouring while we were still queuing to place our food order and those who were queuing for tables rushed in. Soon we had people who had yet to assigned seats/tables wandering around and had our tables bumped into by the passing patrons, spilling drinks that came too soon. And to make it worse? Our food just tasted ok. Nothing great at all. So much for all the waiting! The time wasted, the drinks spilled... that was definitely my first and last time there.

We returned to the hotel and retired for the day.

On Sunday, we went out for a morning walk around the area. We climbed up St John’s Fort (which I just discovered on Google Maps that very morning heh) and then went to the Portuguese Settlement. We then returned to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we took turns packing up and showering. We checked out before 11 as we decided to watch The Big Short at GSC AEON Bandaraya Melaka at 11:30. It was either that or Star Wars but I favoured the former seeing it has more Academy Awards nominations. We entered the theatre late as we had problems locating GSC but the movie hadn’t started yet so we didn’t miss anything, maybe just some trailers.

The movie ended after 1 p.m. and after an unplanned purchase, we decided to leave. I suggested heading over to Pantai Klebang (I saw some pictures of it from another guest at The Library Spa the evening before) but first we had to battle our way out of AEON’s car-park. We inched our way out of the car-park literally. Man, I think half of Malaccans were there doing their Chinese New Year shopping or grocery shopping!

We drove to Pantai Klebang and followed some cars to the sand dunes. We parked and walked about 700 metres to the sand dunes. There were a lot of those dunes. I ignored the nearby dunes and walked to those slightly further and began to climb. It was amazing. It felt like being in the Jordanian desert at Wadi Rum all over again except that the sand this time was white and it was beach sand instead of the red desert sand. You get a view of the Straits of Malacca from the top of the sand dunes and I sighted a small enclosure of water which looked like a small oasis in the middle of a white desert. Subhanallah. Again, it was amazing.

We finally left the sand dunes and drove to Casa del Rio where we would be spending the night. Again, we were given a scented cold towel to refresh ourselves during the check-in and this time, instead of a cup of cold drink, we got a small cup of sorbet. Fantastic when the humidity was 95% and the temperature soaring at 37C.

We were then ushered to our rooms and given a brief tour of the facilities in the room: the charging outlets; the bathrobes in the drawers of the wardrobe and the laundry bag in another drawer of the same wardrobe; the luggage area next to the wardrobe; the balcony... there were also little touches like the rubber duck by the bathtub, the 555 notebook, the containers of ground coffee and English Breakfast tea in addition to the tea bags (and the hot chocolate sachets when they came for the turndown service), the mosquito repellent in the wardrobe, the toiletries in terracotta jars and all these just off the top of my head.

We then went for a walk around the hotel grounds. You get an amazing view of the river and surrounding area from the rooftop where the swimming pool is. The gym is small but manages to have a bar for towels, water and green apples.

We walked out after evening prayers and had claypot asam pedas fish for dinner. We then went to Jonker Walk and then crossed over to Medan Samudera. As the stall I wanted to visit was already closed, we hurried over to Mr DIY at Dataran Pahlawan. I just about managed to grab a rice paddle and ladle and paid for it before the store closed.

On Monday morning, we went for a walk along the river and back again. We returned some 6.3 km later and had breakfast. I then hurried over to Medan Samudera and purchased two food covers. Then I hurried back to the hotel, showered and finished packing. We checked out at five minutes past noon. It was a great stay although I wasn’t happy to be charged GST on the 10% service charge.

We drove back and I was shocked when I reached micasa for the Indonesian painter left it in such a state. I immediately changed and proceeded to sweep and mop micasa.

Well, that was my Thaipusam weekend. Hope you had a good one too!

Some Lebanese Facts And Cats

Here are some Lebanese facts (some of which I had shared in my previous posts):

USD is good for tender in Lebanon: you can use it on minibuses, at supermarkets, buying coach tickets etc. You will get Lebanese Pounds in return of course. USD1 is tied to LBP1,500.

Internet coverage and WiFi connection are slow in Lebanon. Some hotels charge extra for it. I had been offline in Myanmar before so as much as I was reluctant to be offline, I wasn’t about to fork out money for a slow crawling surf on the Net.

You need to exercise a lot of patience dealing with the locals and waiting for and riding a minibus. Minibus condition varies from downright dilapidated no longer road-worthy vehicles to almost new almost clean vehicles. Bus drivers there are like the Metro bus drivers here when they used to terrorise the KL roads (good riddance to them and polluting smoke!): they wait on and on for passengers and take longer routes if it means an extra passenger or two when a shortcut would suffice. Minibus drivers may promise you they would take you to your destination but bring you only half-way there. And they know they can get away with it as you can’t do anything about it when you’re already half-way to your destination.

The army presence is heavy in Beirut and around the country especially along the highways. Baalbek is less than 10 km away from the nearest Syrian border and we were subjected to roadblocks on the way to and from Baalbek. You can’t take photos of just about any building in Beirut; the security guard or an army personnel may ask you not to do so.

There are some helpful locals but there are also gruff unfriendly rude locals who won’t think twice about snatching things off you. Be alert, be aware, even when you’re not walking alone and even when there are security guards and the place is all lighted up. There’s also a scam to rob passengers in service taxies where who you think is your fellow passenger is actually collaborating with the cabbie to rob you.

The locals speak Arabic of course and French. You’d expect the younger people to speak more English but not all do actually. At least not those I approached to ask for directions.

The locals live in apparent harmony, Muslims and Christians. Muslims also seem to celebrate Christmas and I believe I saw Bibles printed in Arabic. Here, we are so worried that Muslims would be apostates and become Christians if the Bible is printed in Malay (note: it’s printed in Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia). Who’s to say Muslims would practise their faith anyway? Under the terms of the 1943 National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the President of the country must be a Maronite, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the Speaker of the House a Shiite.

And now for some Lebanese cats and a Qatari:

 I was welcomed by this kitty early in the morning of my arrival

 Minutes after that first cat, this scaredy cat was fleeing away from me. Maybe because I looked like I eat cats for breakfast

Temple guardians, Baalbek, with their personal butler

A local in Tyre (Sour)

Outside Natural History Museum, American University of Beirut

Campus residents at the American University of Beirut

 Local resident with The Corniche at the background, Doha

At Souq Waqif, Doha

Don’t Tell My Mother That I Was In Beirut: Episode II

Saturday, 26 December 2015

Oliver and I both wanted to visit Baalbek and we agreed to go together. We asked Talal for directions and tips and Talal obliged us by drawing a very nice map of where to get the minivan to Baalbek. We left at 08:00 and took a minibus (LBP1K) to the Airport Junction where we changed for another minibus whose driver claimed was going to Baalbek. We drove into the mountains as we headed north-east and about an hour later, reached Zahlah. We were told to get off and change for another minibus. Having been told that he would bring us to Baalbek, we were understandably not happy at having to change vehicles but we had no choice. I mean, it wasn’t as if he would continue on the trip anyway. We made a lot of fuss and boarded another minibus. We reached Baalbek 30 minutes later.

There are three main temples at Baalbek: the Temples of Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus. Only the Temple of Bacchus is relatively intact. We spent hours there exploring the site. There’s also a museum and an exhibition hall near the exit. Despite the earlier fuss with the minibus driver, I was happy and satisfied with the visit to Baalbek. We took a direct minibus back to the Airport Junction in Beirut. There was a roadblock on the way back (roadblocks and the patrolling army are a common sight in Lebanon) and we were stopped. We had to produce proof of identification although the chap checking it took a brief glance at mine and waved it away.

We reached Beirut in the afternoon and I went to the dormitory to rest. I was left in peace (my other dorm mate, a girl from Turkey, only returned at 04:50 the following morning while the other dorm mate, a Japanese girl, was only checking in that evening) and watched football. I went down to the first floor where the reception, kitchen, lobby/TV area and men’s dormitories are with the intention of cooking some soup for dinner. It turned out that Talal had been cooking some local rice dish and he offered me some. It was good! (and I didn’t have to cook!) I returned back to the dorm and watch more football, yes, including Arsenal’s punch drunk Boxing Day performance. Grrr!!!

Sunday, 27 December 2015

I had a late breakfast as we were going to Jounieh and Harissa today and Oliver didn’t want to leave too early. We left after 10 a.m. and took a bus to Jounieh. You really have to be patient taking the bus and minibus in Lebanon. The bus/minibus stops every few metres to pick up passengers and doesn’t take the highway flyovers if it can take the normal road to pick up more passengers before re-joining the highway.

The driver dropped us off at Jounieh by the highway and we asked for directions to the Téléphérique. The fare was LBP11K return during the weekends (LBP9K on weekdays). We bought the tickets and went up to the first floor to queue up for the gondola. Minutes later, we stepped out at Harissa and walked to Our Lady of Lebanon. There were a lot of people there today, Christians and Muslims, both enjoying the view and spending time with their families and friends. We spent some time there before going down. We waited about ten minutes by the highway before getting a minibus back to Charles Helou.

Back at the hostel, I had some snack before venturing out to Gemmayzeh. I returned briefly to the hostel to change a USD20 note before walking to Beirut Souks. I returned after 6 as I was still wary of the locals.

Monday, 28 December 2015

I had an early breakfast today and left early. I caught bus no. 15 to Cola Junction (LBP2K) and from there, asked for directions for minibuses to Saida (Sidon). I was planning to go to Sour (Tyre) but there’s no direct buses to Sour from Beirut although there were a few cabbies willing to take me (no thanks, guys). The fare was LBP2K and we reached Saida bus station after about half an hour. I quickly located the bus bound for Sour (also LBP2K) and boarded it. It was another half an hour of pleasant drive along the coast. At Sour, I asked for directions to the Roman ruins. I had to ask a few people before finally getting a chap who spoke English. I think there was another site but I couldn’t find it but I was satisfied with the trip nevertheless.

I then rode the bus back to Saida. The ride back took so long that I dozed off and when I woke, I became anxious and worried that I had missed Saida. I tried to locate landmarks and was relieved when I finally saw one. The bus dropped us all somewhere and the driver told everyone in the bus to board the adjacent bus. I was not happy about this but that’s Lebanon for you and me. Oh by the way, it took more than an hour on the return trip to get back to Saida from Sour when it took only half an hour in the morning.

I got down at Saida bus station and walked back to Château Saint-Louis. There was an admission fee of LBP4K. I explored the Château for some time before boarding a bus back to Cola Junction in Beirut and from there, taking back bus no. 15 to Charles Helou. I got caught in the horrible Beirut traffic jam that evening.

I had a quick dinner then sat in my dorm to watch football. Arsenal were sober this time and we were the New Year numero uno! Alhamdulillah. Now, to maintain that. No pressure, lads...

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

I got up early, showered, performed prayers and finished my packing. I stayed in reading as I had planned to have breakfast after 8. I brought my bag down to the reception after breakfast and checked out, telling Talal I would pay upon my return in the afternoon. I then walked around downtown (a lot of areas are cordoned off by the army though) and then walked all the way up to the American University of Beirut. I’d read about the National History Museum there – it’s the third oldest in the Near East after Cairo and Istanbul - and had planned to visit it as I wouldn’t be visiting the Beirut National Museum (I would need to take a taxi to the National Museum and I wasn’t about to take a cab alone).

  

After the museum, I walked briefly around the campus (there were so many friendly furry cats there! And scaredy ones too) before sitting down at a bench under a tree overlooking the sea. I stayed for an hour before making my way back to the hotel.

I left the hotel after having a light meal and paying for my room. I bought a flat bread with some topping (freshly prepared too) not unlike a pizza and then waited for a minibus to the airport. And waited. And waited. I was still waiting an hour later despite changing locations a few times. There were a few other men also waiting with me all along the street but the minibuses heading our way were all full. I finally asked a driver of bus no. 15 and he gestured to me that I should wait across the street. So I waited along with three others and a minibus came, made a U-turn and gestured to us. I asked if he was going to the airport, ‘Matar?’ and the driver nodded. Another fellow passenger who got on and sat next to the driver also turned to look at me and nodded, ‘Matar.’ So I got on. The minibus was almost full just shortly after and we made our way south of the city. The traffic was bad as usual. People got on and off. We drove on. More people got off. And finally it was just me in the minibus. He looked at me and asked in Arabic. I told him, ‘Matar,’ and he immediately launched into a tirade. I cut him off in English and said, ‘Look, you said you were going to the airport. I asked before getting on if you were going to matar and you said, yes. So don’t turn around and say now that I didn’t state my destination.’ He went on muttering and gesturing angrily in Arabic and finally I snapped back and said, ‘Ok, fine. I said matar, you said matar, I got on and now you want me to get down here. Fine. Why don’t I just walk then? Huh?’ I struggled with my bag and took it down and peeled off a LBP1K note and handed to him. Then I stared at him in the eye and asked the direction to the airport, looked at him again, and left but not before I shouted ‘Baghal!’.

I stalked off in the general direction of the airport (it was a major road, more like a highway actually). I came across a cabbie who offered to take me but as I had run out of the local currency and wasn’t about to use more USD (even if I hadn’t run out of pounds, I still wouldn’t have taken a cab there), I declined. I did ask how far it was to the airport and he said about ten minutes. Fine, I thought, I can manage ten minutes. So I walked on and even passed the army checkpoint, both me and the army police unfazed at each other. Funnily enough I was still approached by cabbies offering me rides to the city when I clearly looked like I had walked a km to the airport.

My flight was early the next morning so after freshening myself up and performing prayers, I sat down to have my bread. I was quite sleepy and managed to doze off for a brief while. I got up suddenly and went to use the bathroom where I encountered a girl who kept looking at me before waving at me. I quickly left. I tried to get some kip but sleep eluded me. Finally at 3 am, I got up and went up to the departure area on the first floor. I had checked out the departure area a few times before and it was lacking seats, there were way too many people and you need to go up another level if you want to use the bathroom (there’s an escalator up but only stairs down); hence why I decided to just stay at the arrivals level until it was time to check in for my flight.

We had to put our bags into the x-ray scan before making our way to the respective check-in counter. To my dismay, there was already a long queue at the Qatar Airways check-in counters and the counters were still closed. And to top it off, there was no bag drop-off counter. What nonsense is this???

I went in immediately after checking in my bag some half an hour later. We were earlier told to go to Gate 3 but it was subsequently changed to Gate 5. I performed prayers at Gate 1 – no, there wasn’t any prayer room at the boarding area – then made my way back to Gate 5. I decided to join the queue and ended up standing for 45 minutes. We were supposed to take off at 05:05 but we were just about to board at 05:00. I fell asleep almost immediately and only got up when I was awakened for breakfast.

We landed at Doha at 10:50 and this time, the transfer process was better. I then made my way to the desk and signed up for the free Doha city tour scheduled for 16:00. We had to meet at the desk at 15:15 though. Then I went to catch up with the world (Internet and wifi service in Lebanon is very slow and most hotels charge for it. I didn’t want to pay for a slow service and hence was offline for the whole time I was there). After prayers, I sat at the TV rest area reading and charging my devices.

The group for the 16:00 tour met up at 15:15 and we were brought to another level to clear immigration. We had our passports checked and stamped and then made our way to the bus. You need a visa to enter Qatar but you don’t need a visa to join the tour so I thought I might as well avail of the service and get to see Doha with the compliments of Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism Authority. The tour lasted about 2.5 hours and we went to the Dhowa pier, passing the Museum of Islamic Art. Then we continued on to The Corniche, the West Bay area where the foreign embassies are, before stopping at Souq Waqif for an hour. I enjoyed the tour very much. Our bus driver and tour guide were both Nepalese. We got back to the airport at 18:40 and cleared immigration again.

Back at the airport, I went to perform prayers then sat in the Family Room. It was quiet in there but freezing cold. At 23:15, I went to the bathroom to freshen myself before making my way to the gate.

Thursday, 31 December 2015

After a mighty long layover (15 hours and 5 minutes!!!), it was time for me to board the plane home. I somehow managed to catch some kip and woke up twice for the meals. I tried to read but was too sleepy so I succumbed back to sleep.

We landed at KLIA at 13:20, much earlier than the scheduled time of 14:10 (the pilot was actually worried we would arrive late). I went to perform prayers first and when I came out, my bag was still nowhere in sight. There were a lot of pilgrims back from umrah that day. I didn’t have to wait long though; my bag was out some five minutes later and I ran all the way down to the bus station to catch the 14:30 bus back to the city. It was New Year’s Eve and I had anticipated heavy traffic.

I stopped at the Leica store at Avenue K to enquire on compact cameras. They didn’t have any in stock and I would have to order one. A Leica C (very basic) costs RM2,700 *gulp*. Damn you, Beiruti for stealing my Leica!!!

I was home by 17:30 and finished unpacking within an hour. I was already pumping iron that evening and there were a mighty lot of pumping to do too!!!

The end

~~~~~~~~

The world lost a talented genius on Sunday. I didn’t really listen to his songs but I know of him. He may not appeal to everyone, indeed, not many may have understood him. But all the same, we can all learn the following from the late David Bowie:

Be yourself. Be strong enough to be yourself.

Don’t be afraid to express yourself

Believe in yourself

Be confident with yourself

Create yourself

Transform yourself and to hell with what people think.

Requiescat in pace, David Bowie.

Cat with a cattitude

Don’t Tell My Mother That I Was In Beirut: Episode I

I remember reading in a magazine some time back of this bloke from Lebanon who said he loved living in Lebanon because where else could one go skiing in the mountains in the morning and swim in the sea in the afternoon on the same day. So I thought it would be cool to check out this country one day. After visiting Jordan in end-January and early February 2015, I decided that my next Middle Eastern destination would be Lebanon and planned to visit it in end-December. The trip almost didn’t materialise when I read about the attack in Beirut on 12 November 2015 (a day prior to the Paris attacks). I was about to put the trip off then thought, hey, people won’t stop going to Paris or Mumbai or London so why should I stop going to Lebanon? I only searched for a flight to Lebanon in early December and bought the ticket without further ado.

Thursday, 24 December 2015/ Friday, 25 December 2015

It was Maulidur Rasul today, a public holiday, and my flight is in the evening. I finished packing and tackled household chores then finished my book before resting. I had a brief siesta after lunch then got up at 15:30 for a quick shower and got ready. CT came to fetch me and we left at 16:00. We stopped en route at Salam Noodles in Cyberjaya for early dinner en route to KLIA. I realised I had too much meat that day (why must you be acidic food and unhealthy?). We reached KLIA at 18:30 and I dropped off my bag. There was a long queue at the check-in counters so I was glad I had checked in online.

We took off on time and I was about to doze off when I was awakened by the sound of children crying and the crying went on and on and on so much so I wondered if the parents had gone deaf. Of course one crying was followed by another. We landed at Doha just before midnight local time some eight hours after take-off. I felt it was a very long descent and it took a while before we landed and taxied the runway. I made my way to the transfer gate and there was a very large crowd of people. Confusion reigned for a while as we were unsure what was happening as there was no clear signage, no clear explanation and, worse, no organised line. It didn’t help that a few flights landed at around the same time. I joined the throng of passengers and we slowly shuffled along to clear the transfer security check.

Once done, we emerged into the duty-free area. I had a brief rest before checking out the area: noting the location of the desk for the free Doha city tour, taking photos of the area and locating the ladies’ prayer room before walking to my gate.

We took off slightly later than scheduled but I was too sleepy to care. We were handed a box of sandwich and pastry but I was too sleepy to eat and instead just stuffed it into my bag. Mind you, being sleepy didn’t mean I could sleep of course.

We landed at Beirut International Airport at 05:10 and the first thing that went through my mind was that Beirut is not a flat city as I’d read from an online forum. I quickly made my way to the immigration. The process was slow and I stood waiting for 15 minutes before it was my turn. The officer demanded (?) I needed visa and I said no, I didn’t require one. He insisted and I said, no. I had checked, dammit. But his insistence raised doubts in me and then he directed me to go the office so I went in a huff. The officer inside was attending to a family but he took a look at the passport in my hand from five metres away, checked a list behind him and told me that I didn’t need a visa. I felt like marching back to the first officer and telling him off for wasting my time.

My bag didn’t take long to emerge and after getting hold of it, I walked out. This is where you get ambushed by the taxi drivers (or touts?) asking if you needed one. I insisted I didn’t want one as I’d read of minibuses that service the airport and the city. I went to ask at the convenience store but the guy behind the counter dismissed the question and said there was no such service. I went back up to the Departure area and asked a porter. He showed me a departing van and said that would be what I was looking for. So I stood there flagging down vans (some stopped of their own will), enquiring if any of them were going to/passing by Charles Helou bus station. A few replied in affirmative and quoted fares ranging from LBP4K to LBP10K. I had read that the fare should be about LBP750 (then again, it might be old information) so I waved them off again. A cabbie said he could take me for USD15. No way, mate. I was beginning to kick myself for refusing an offer of LBP2K when a clean white van came along (this shortly after a driver in a dilapidated no-longer-road-worthy van quoted me LBP5K) and quoted USD1 to me. I hopped on gratefully (this is where having a small trolley bag came in handy).

The airport is only 9 km from the city so we were at Charles Helou less than 15 minutes later (the minibus stopped a few times along the way to pick up passengers). The driver would beep his horn to attract passengers or stopped when hailed. I observed all this while taking in the sights of the city. I got down at Charles Helou and asked for directions to Talal Hotel which I’d booked for my stay. The hotel is located in a small side cul-de-sac off Charles Helou. I left my bag there, returned to Charles Helou station and bought a ticket to Tripoli (Trablus) for LBP5K. The trip took an hour and we reached Tripoli at 09:10.

At Tripoli, I wandered the streets but nothing much caught my fancy. I returned to the bus station before 11:00. I decided to take the bus to Byblos (Jbeil). The ticket cost LBP4K. The driver dropped me off by the highway and I walked into the town and wandered until I came to the port. I spent some time walking around and taking pictures before making my way back to the highway. I lost my way but managed to find a minibus back to Charles Helou in Beirut.

Back at the hotel, I checked in to the double room which I’d booked at the third floor (with shared bathroom). I also checked out the girls’ dorm. There were only three beds and I decided I’d stay the first night in the double room and move into the dormitory for the next three nights. When I checked in, Talal, the hotel owner, said that Lebanon is not a cheap country so I decided to save costs by staying in a dormitory. Oliver, a bloke from Guangzhou I met at the lobby, concurred and said he cooked all the time. Oliver also mentioned he was going to The Corniche so I decided to venture out with him and maybe pick up some groceries at a supermarket. So I took along my Longchamp Le Pliage and put my pochette, camera, water bottle, iPhone and iPad in it.

We left and walked to downtown about eight minutes away. Then we turned into another street and walked along the waterfront. There were a lot of people there although it was already dark (the sunset was at 16:30) – jogging, strolling along the promenade, hanging out with their friends or families. It was a pleasant evening out and you could see the twinkling lights of the nearby towns around the bay.

We were on the way back to the hotel when I suddenly felt something snapped. It took a couple of seconds before I realised that some scum had snatched my Leica camera from my wrist which in turn was in my hoodie pocket (!) from behind. Oliver was looking at me and he gave chase. I gave chase too but the perpetrator had a waiting accomplice on a motorbike and they were already speeding off. The thing was, it was not a dark area at all – in fact we had just passed some posh restaurants with guards outside the door and were in front of a car dealership. The guards were not at all helpful and didn’t even lift a finger, what more an eyebrow. Well, that happened barely 12 hours after arriving in Lebanon. What an awful thing to happen! And why do these things always happen to me? (A mate once said I looked posh. Well, be that as it may, surely I don’t look like I’m begging to be robbed or snatched or attacked???) Oliver kept shaking his head, apologising for not being able to help and he kept saying that some Arabs were just crazy. He then told me that his friend was robbed by the cabbie of a service taxi (a service taxi is one you share with other passengers) while travelling to the airport for his flight out in 2014; it turned out that the other passenger was an accomplice of the driver. They left the friend in the mountains but he somehow managed to get a free ride to the airport after telling his predicament to some locals (it helped that he knew Arabic). I shuddered and vowed to never ever take a taxi all alone there (not that I dare to ride a cab alone here anyway). It’s better to stick to the buses and minibuses - safety in numbers and all that. 

I was shaken and stirred and told Oliver to just return back to the hotel. Thank God I was safe and sound and alive instead of injured or having a twisted wrist or had a knife pointed at my neck. Still, I was wary and suspicious and alert of every male we encountered after that incident. We made our way back, stopping at Signature supermarket near Beirut Souks (where the premium and posh luxury brands are) en route.

My record walk today!!!

  

Note: USD1 is fixed to LBP1,500. USD is accepted throughout the country so you really have no need to find a money changer. It would be best and ideal for you to carry USD in small denominations. Thank God I had a lot of USD1 notes which I bought in KK last year.

To be continued

The Year That Was: 2015

We’re now five days into 2016. I really don’t want to talk too much about 2015 except to say that it had been challenging (physically, mentally and financially), and testing, trying and tiring at times. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed but it wouldn’t be life without challenges, eh. I know I’m luckier than those poor refugees fleeing their respective homeland, trying to make it into Europe intact and determined to make a whole new life for themselves. Yes, I need to think in perspective.

Speaking of refugees, no, it hadn’t been a good year. Conflicts and disagreements continued, new disputes arose, natural disasters and catastrophes still happened. And let’s not forget our new friend who’s here for better or worse, til death do us part, in sickness and in health: the blinking GST.

Personally, it was another one of those years. I spent even less time on boring FB and more time reading and reflecting. I finished 111 books and tried to read the Quran almost every night. I hope to equal or improve on this record further, insyaAllah. Amen.

Alhamdulillah, I managed to squeeze in some trips, local and abroad (I managed to visit three new countries, syukur):

January: day trip to Muar; flew to Jordan at the end of the month

February: Explored parts of Jordan; spent Chinese New Year in Kota Kinabalu

March: A weekend retreat at Pangkor Laut Resort

April: Flew to Taiwan at the end of the month

May: Flew back from Taiwan. Flew for a day trip to JB in mid-May

June: Didn’t manage to make any trip ;’(

July: Spent my birthday weekend in Jakarta; travelled to the East Coast on 31 July

August: Back from the East Coast on 2 August. Spent the Merdeka weekend in Penang

September: Flew to London and then on to Italy

October: Flew to Kota Bharu for a day trip in early October

November: Spent Deepavali weekend in Saigon with aunt

December: Took my nieces and nephew to Legoland then flew to Lebanon on Maulidur Rasul (I flew Qatar Airways and managed to visit Doha).

Arsenal continued to both thrill and frustrate me. We won the FA Cup for the dozenth time, Alhamdulillah. The Arsenal tour was to Singapore just before and after Eid so I didn’t manage to see them at all.

I resolve to eat more healthily, maintain a healthier lifestyle, drink more fluid, cut down on acidic food, manage my relationships well, rein in my temper, not to get too stressed out/anxious and continue on exploring the world, insyaAllah. I resolve to take shorter showers, be smarter when it comes to buying food (not buy too much only to let them expire), waste less resources and be a more discerning responsible citizen of the world.

How did you find 2015? Did you find it a relief to say goodbye to 2015?