The Blood and Tanks
Part 1
It was the morning of December 31st and I was constantly thinking whether I should explore Tripoli for a few hours or go to Beirut and rest in the hostel. After fighting with my thoughts, I decided to explore Tripoli and not regret this decision. Tripoli is the poorest region in Lebanon and most of the violence and protests are witnessed there. That was one of the reasons I was avoiding Tripoli. On the brighter side, Tripoli is known for Arabic sweets and soaps.
Karelle told me that she wants to meet me before I leave. I called her at 11:00 and I thought I would get ready before it. I was taking a shower and when I was opening the glass door by sliding it. Suddenly the entire glass door fell on me. The glass was everywhere, even on the bed. I had cuts on my hand and foot. I started bleeding and was worried if my head was bleeding too. I was lucky that despite finding glass pieces in my dense curly hair, I was safe. I messaged my AirBnb host, but he was not responding to messages or calls. I messaged Karelle and shared her photos. She was frightened and she said she would reach my AirBnB as soon as possible. I started clearing the floor and re-packing my rucksack.
I was sitting in a chair that was safe and looking at the bathroom. I was still hearing the weird sound of glass pieces falling slowly. Karelle got worried as she didn’t have any idea about my injuries. Luckily, I had minor bruises and bleeding. I was lucky to not damage my head with the glass pieces.
The first thought that came to mind after I understood what had happened to me was to keep a $20 bill on the table with a note on tissue paper. I wrote that this incident happened with me and the glass bathroom needs immediate maintenance; it is too risky. I received a message from Karelle; she was outside the AirBnb. I opened the door and asked her to be careful when she enters the room. I told her about the incident, including keeping $20 on the table. She explained to me that it was not my fault and that I should take the money back. We first decided to visit a pharmacy for dressing. Karelle and I locked the room and started going to the center to find a pharmacy. We found a pharmacy, but she wanted to give the entire antiseptic solution that was costing less than $4. Luckily, I kept that $20 bill and asked Karelle to exchange it. Karelle was a bit resistant to getting the dressing from the woman because she was charging too much. I told her that she had already opened the antiseptic bottle and it was better I do the dressing here.
It was quick and we started walking towards AirBnb. I told Karelle to keep the antiseptic bottle with her. There was a bakery right next to my AirBnb and Karelle explained the entire scenario to them. The person called Stephen, my AirBnB host, and it appeared that was a common name in Batroun, I believe. Stephen picked up the call and I explained to him what had happened to me. He was asking about my injuries. He said he is apologetic for it and I told him to get bathroom maintenance on priority and he agreed. We were at the door of AirBnb and found that Stephen’s mother was clearing the other room. Karelle spoke to her in Arabic, and when I opened the door she was shocked to see the glass pieces on the floor. She called someone from her home, probably Stephen’s brother. The man wanted to compensate me for my dressing, but I refused to take the money. It was only $4 and I didn’t want to send the wrong signal to him. I wanted to make sure that Indians were better at handling the situation. Karelle was a common translator for the man, and I. Karelle, told me that he wouldn’t get peace of mind if you didn’t take money. I took LL1000 (₹2) to respect his offering. He was offering me an extended stay, but I told him that I needed to go to Tripoli. He offered me to drop by the highway and to explore Mseilha Fort. Karelle told me that he found this way to compensate you. We hopped in the car and first visited Mseilha Fort. It was closed, so he asked the caretaker to open it for us. He made the fort open for me. Karelle and I went up and explored the fort and took some photos. I wanted to pee, so she suggested I go behind the bus and do my thing. There was no toilet nearby so I decided to pee behind the bushes.
Karelle was excited about taking my photos and we took some more. When we were leaving the fort premises I saw Syrian women with their kids picking mallow leaves from the fort premises. Again, I felt bad seeing Syrians live like this.
We sat in the car, and Stephen’s brother dropped me off on the highway. We said goodbye and I got a van in a few minutes for Tripoli. Karelle told me to try the sweets at Hallab. It hardly took 25 minutes to get to Tripoli. As there was no bus station, I put Hallab’s location in my phone and got down a few hundred meters before it. I got confused with directions, but soon found Hallab. I entered the shop and asked for their top 3 favorite sweets. The young woman suggested that I should go for the assorted one that would have 4 different sweets. There was only one family sitting in the shop and I quickly went to the restroom to wash my hands. They served the sweets and I enjoyed every bite. I asked them if I could put my rucksack in the shop for a while. The staff were generous and they put it safely. I already asked Chady to recommend me places to visit in Tripoli. The first stop was to visit Tripoli Old Souks and Charkass Soap Factory. I put that on a map and started walking.
Tripoli was completely different from Beirut and other cities. It was more Muslim-dominated and dense. You can sense the struggle and it reminded me of certain areas of Delhi. I pulled my GoPro out and started shooting. I didn’t feel any unsafe environment and people were busy with their own business. I followed the map and was cruising through the souks. I soon reached the soap shops and colorful soaps making different structures exhibited. I was filming and seeing the process in front of my eyes. A woman approached me and started explaining to me about various soaps and their benefits. She explained to me that they source sandalwood from India and roses from Syria. The scent I tried out there was strong and long-lasting for sure. I asked her about Charkass Soap Factory and she directed me. I went upstairs and found the famous Mr. Charkass. I started filming his factory and her wife explained to me about different soaps and its cost. I even interacted with his son. Mr. Charkass is popular and he knows this fact. I had a selfie with him and told him he is famous on YouTube. His wife was excited to tell me that she gets messages from people in Al-Hind.
Before leaving the factory, I bought some small soap bars. My next destination was the Al Mansouri Mosque. It was past 15:00 and the mosque was closed. I decided to visit the Hammam, but it was closed too. I thought, at least I’ll see the Castle of Tripoli before I go back to Beirut. I walked towards the castle. It was located on a steep slope and was guarded by the Lebanese Army. When I went upstairs, the guards said the fort was closed and that I should visit the next day. I asked them if I could stay for a few minutes and then leave. They were reluctant and I didn’t want to create a problem. I decided to accept my fate and not see the mosque, Hammam, or the castle. I started following a map for Hallab. I was merely a few meters away from Hallab when I saw a van. I asked the driver if it would go to Beirut. The driver said yes and asked for LL50,000 (₹80). I was stupid to even call Chady to confirm the price. I should have not even bothered Chady for such a small amount. The passengers standing outside were excited and funny because we were all struggling to communicate. The passengers who also wanted to go to Beirut surrounded me. They were so supportive and friendly. I managed to understand that it would take 20-30 minutes for the van to leave. I decided to sit for a coffee in Hallab and then board the van. I made the deal with the driver that I would come back in 20 minutes.
I reached Hallab and ordered a coffee. I was sitting leisurely and sipping my coffee. I was confident that I would be able to get a van if I missed this one. I finished my coffee and thanked the staff for keeping my rucksack safe. I marched towards the van. The passengers were outside and got excited when they saw me back.
It took over an hour to reach Beirut and the van stopped once for a quick snack for passengers. I thought I would get off near my hostel, but the bus stopped at the final stop near Nejmeh Square. I thought I would call a cab and reach my hostel. Remember, it is the 31st of December and these cab drivers were asking for a hefty sum of dollars. Even one driver told me that it is the only time they earn money. I totally understand the sentiment. Another issue is that cabs usually don’t come to this area. The bus driver was there. The bus driver doesn’t speak English, so he approached the building security guard and asked him to translate and help me out. The guard told me that the bus will leave again in an hour and it will cost me only LL10,000 (₹20). I told the guard that I’m willing to pay LL1,200,000 (~₹218) and can’t wait an hour for the bus to leave again.
The security guard tried his best to talk to the cab drivers and negotiate, but it was an unfruitful affair. He showed me a street and suggested I walk a kilometer straight and stop around the newspaper agency. I thanked both of them and started walking.
I barely walked for a few minutes and started seeing heavy deployments of Lebanese Army and tanks on the street. I had never seen a tank on the street. It was more visible at tourist attractions. I walked around a kilometer and decided to book a cab from there. I was lucky to get the cab to my hostel. I asked the driver what all the Army was for. He said it was for security and protection, but I guess it was to prevent people from gathering against the regime.
I reached my hostel and opened the door using the door code. It was tiring first half and the next half is the new year celebration. I decided to sleep for a couple of hours before I celebrated the new year evening.
Part 2
I recall Claudia’s excitement about watching the New Year’s fireworks. When I received her message, I woke up and found that she was already at Beirut Souks, asking locals about fireworks displays in Lebanon. Meanwhile, I asked the hostel reception about hot water, and they informed me that it was available until 15:00. Given the electricity crisis in Lebanon, the hostel relies on solar panels for the geyser. Although disappointed, I managed to wash my face with cold water and quickly got ready to meet Claudia at Beirut Souks.
When I arrived after 20:30, I found Claudia sitting on a bench near Starbucks. We asked locals for suggestions and finally decided that Jounieh might be a good option. On my second day, we visited Jounieh and discovered that it was around 20 kilometers from Beirut. Despite the distance, we decided to be adventurous and celebrate the new year in Jounieh. To be safe, we called Hassan and arranged for him to pick us up in case we needed to leave Jounieh in the wee hours of the morning.
We decided to bring chips and soda to celebrate the New Year with a picnic. We went to a supermarket called Spinneys and grabbed a few bags of chips and some sodas. After ordering a cab, we headed to Jounieh to see the fireworks. However, we found out from locals that the celebration used to be grand but due to the crisis people are not celebrating it on the same scale anymore.
We arrived in Jounieh, but did not find much excitement in the city. We walked towards the Jounieh Christmas Market, but it was about to close and there were hardly any people around. We asked a policeman for directions to the fireworks site, and he directed us towards the coast. As we walked down the street, there were pubs on both sides and the sound of loud music and people filled the air.
The pubs we came across were asking for a hefty entry fee, so we decided to join a local shop instead. Although the crowd was smaller, we were hoping to see more people arrive closer to midnight. We were seated at a table in the open air and ordered beers. We had brought along bags of chips to munch on while we drank. A staff member at the shop was singing Arabic songs and there were some disco lights in one corner of the shop. There were couples, family and young crowd enjoying food, music and dancing. The army was patrolling the streets of Jounieh, which made us feel safer.
The people were friendly. As midnight approached, the singing intensified and people started dancing. It was enjoyable to witness Arabic dance to songs on New Year’s Eve. I captured these moments on my GoPro, and a kid became excited about it. I accidentally left the camera in video mode, and he took the camera and started looking at it. To understand what happened, you should see the video.
As we were 10 minutes away from 2023, they began distributing whistles and cone hats. A local shop set off some fireworks, but they didn’t last long. A group of people approached area near our table, which had plenty of space, and formed a circle. They started dancing to Arabic songs.
Suddenly, a fight broke out between the shop’s singer and a young, skinny boy who had removed his t-shirt to fight. Many people left their seats, and some even left without paying. Within a short period of time, the Lebanese Army arrived with at least 10-15 soldiers, and they took the boy away in a humvee. The vehicle and some soldiers remained there for 20-30 minutes before leaving the scene. After the incident, the crowd was smaller, but everyone resumed enjoying the singing and dancing.
We asked the waitress about the shop’s hours and she informed us that it was open 24 hours. Despite having to handle more than 30 customers at once, she was hardworking and managed everything single-handedly.
At around 03:00, we decided to visit a pub where a DJ was playing some great Arabic music. We enjoyed the company of a young Lebanese crowd and had a few more beers before concluding the celebration at 04:30.
I felt privileged to have celebrated the new year in a foreign town. I enjoyed all the fun and amazing moments throughout the night.
Attractions of the day:
- Mseilha Fort
- Hallab 1881, Tripoli
- Tripoli Old Souks
- Charkass Soap Factory
- Al Mansouri Mosque
- Ezzeddine Hammam
- Castle Of Tripoli
- Beirut Souk
- Jounieh