The Departure
I woke up at 8:30 and immediately began getting ready, brushing my teeth and taking a quick shower. After getting ready, I repacked my bag, which had mouth-freshener for Samer. I gave Chady and Karelle their gifts when I met them, but since I couldn’t meet Samer, I handed the mouth-freshener to the hostel staff and told Samer to collect it from them. I decided to reach airport and sit in a lounge and have my breakfast there. Though I filled my water bottle.
My flight was at 12:55 and I could reach the airport in just 10 minutes. However, when I asked the hostel staff and a local guide, they advised me to arrive 2.5 hours before the flight. My time in Lebanon was so much fun that I didn’t get a chance to meet more people. I was all set to leave for the airport.
I needed a cab to the airport, but on the 31st it was difficult to find one without paying extra, since many drivers were asking for dollars due to the occasion. This is a time when they try to make more money. That’s why I was skeptical about getting a cab to the airport, because when you arrive at the airport, they may ask you for up to 30 dollars. However, you can negotiate and the highest you should pay is 15 dollars for 10-12 kilometers. Luckily, I found a cab for only 6-7 dollars and I gave the driver a little extra as a tip.
When I reached the airport, I saw long queues everywhere. Fortunately, I had plenty of time. The Air Arabia counter was not yet open for Sharjah, and most of the queues were for Amman (Jordan), since it’s only an hour flight. The queue was slow, and I suspect this was due to the end of the New Year holiday and people either going back to their home country or flying to other nearby destinations. After 15 minutes, 2 counters opened, and I quickly got my boarding pass. I then joined another queue for immigration. When I arrived at the immigration counter, the officer said something in Arabic, but I didn’t understand, so he laughed and said something about Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. It seems that Bollywood artists are famous from Armenia to Lebanon.
After clearing immigration, I looked for a lounge at Beirut airport. There were 3-4 lounges, but none accepted my Diners Black card. I decided to ditch the plan and start my exit tourism instead. I went to the duty-free wine outlet and bought two bottles of cheap wine for ₹2,000. Then, I spotted a Hallab outlet and decided to bring some Lebanese taste to India to share with my family and colleagues. I bought an assorted Baklava box in a tin container with nice branding on it.
I sat in one place for some time before moving towards my gate. There, I had to wait for a bit longer before boarding began. I placed my sweet box in my rucksack and stored it in the overhead cabin. Meanwhile, I carefully placed my daypack and wine bottles under the seat. I was seated next to a man who claimed to be of mixed Armenian, Lebanese, Russian, and African descent. He mentioned that his battery was dead and he had a long journey ahead of him. I offered him my power bank, which made him quite happy.
During the flight, I caught a glimpse of Beirut’s coastal line and the entire city. However, I was somewhat unlucky as my phone couldn’t capture the view.
As you have already read some interesting stories, we’ll end it here. Departure isn’t something exciting, after all.
Attractions of the day:
- Beirut Airport