Nikki Beach anyone?

Day 2

Beirut seems definitely less crowded than it was in 2005, although the local government has very high expectations about the number of visitors coming this year. My impression is however that there are less people in Internet cafes and restaurants, that the activity of shops seems considerably slowed and that, despite the huge presence of tourists from the Gulf region and the progress in some impressive building projects like the Marina Towers, the high season might end below the expectations. Maybe it would be a good idea to improve the Tourist Information Office which has just a handful of brochures and where the staff is advising you to check "on the Internet" because "there are PDF files". No less. A PDF file comes very handy when you get lost in the middle of the Bekaa Valley.

As I left the office quite underwhelmed at, I met a Danish guy who happens to be a journalist and we had an interesting conversation while finding a safe haven at Starbucks among an orgy of Frappuccino and Forêt noire cake. After visiting a couple of bookshops (and a few dozens books later), I walked down all the way to the Monroe Hotel to find out more information about the Hakeh Niswan play by Lina Khoury. Partly based upon Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, the play delves into the innermost aspects and problems of Lebanese women and tackles the subjects of female sexuality and women's legal status. This play is obviously the talk of town these days.



I then allowed myself an afternoon off at the famous St. Georges Beach Club, which was once renowned as an upscale meeting place for socialites and tous les bons viveurs de Beyrouth. The beach club is still very enjoyable, with a large pool of salted water, a neatly trimmed lawn and a VIP seating area if you want to show off for a while. Bring your latest Nokia mobile phone and a designer swimsuit. The glitzy atmosphere was only partly spoiled by an Abyssinian cat who decided to leave a reminder of its last meal on the lawn among the costernation of the staff. At the end of the day I concluded that the beach club couldn't be more gay if it ever tried.




A sunset stroll on the Corniche next to the 'Ain al-Mrayssah mosque and a walk all the way uphill to AUB took me back home. Unfortunately, the diner called "Friendly" closed earlier this year. I liked that place because they served homey food, the woman at the desk was lovely and, above all, the place was exquisitely unpretentious. Too plain maybe for the Gulf Arabs who choose more upscale places and not hip enough for the AUB students who populate the Western-style eateries on Bliss Road. I eventually had dinner at the Blue Note Cafe. Not that I find it a second-best choice: Blue Note hosts a vibrant jazz scene with superb live music performances and they serve delicious local food which is also good value, especially if you choose one of their daily specials.
I ended my evening with a look at Wolf, one of the latest additions to the Beirut b(e)ar scene.

***

My thought today is for my friend Đuzo in Srebrenica on the 11th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. Nothing can express my feelings better than this prayer:

ﺒﺴﻢ ﺍﷲ ﺍﻠﺮﺤﻤﻦ ﺍﻠﺮﺤﻳﻢ

In the name of God the most merciful the most compassionate

We pray to Almighty God:
may grievance become hope;
may revenge become justice;
may mothers' tears become prayers
that Srebrenica never happens again
to no one and nowhere.