Having been stuck in Turkey due to a freak snowstorm and my flight being delayed two hours it was rather late when I finally touched down in Beirut. The same Beirut that has been a synonym for a destroyed city for many a year.
To read about my time in Istanbul click here.
First impressions of the airport were good and I was greeted by a big YPT sign which is always nice.
The Mozart Hotel in Beirut
I won’t give this its own article, for it does not deserve it. This is a cheap hotel and it does what it advertises. A so so place in a great location.
By great location that is when things are open, it is next to the “bar street”, which I was to find also included many a shisha place. Turns out much like Turkey these places do not sell beer. It took me 4 attempts and being turned away from restaurants cafes and shisha joints before I found Little Beirut Restobar
Little Beirut Restobar
Located not on the main strip I found it near the money changer I had used on arrival. Inside a kind of mall it hit my two main needs it was open and it said bar.
A cute little venue there were a few other patrons and football on the telly. I started with a Lebanese beer and some kofte, before moving onto Long Island Iced Teas. They obviously don’t make too many as full shots of each 5 liquors were poured in. It tasted not great, but two got me drunk. Kudos to Little Beirut Restobar.
My bill was $280 – Kinda
So, Lebanon has a lot of problems, which I will deal with in a later article, but principal among them is the currency. There’s and official and a blackmarket rate. By official rates my bill was $280, in actual fact it was $19 at black market rates.
Kind of a cute thing, but when you talk to locals who have had their savings wiped out not so cute.
I duly returned to by digs at the Mozart Hotel and tried for another beer, thankfully they didn’t have any. Six hours later I was up and ready! Country 157 had been ticked off of the list, now time for 158, the Syrian Arab Republic!
To read about our Syria Tour click here.