Bierut.. A Delightful Surprise.. !

A Perfect Middle Eastern evening settles over the Mediterranean and the Palm lined Boulevards of Central Beirut comes alive with the lights and the Sizzle of the traffic. Scruffy guys in suits exchange the city's ubiquitous English-Arabic-French greeting -"Hey-kifak-ca-va" ? (How are you?), and fashionista babes adding all the glamour that is needed to the most vibrant street in Central Beirut - Monot Street !

Watching the bubbly flows, the radiating smiles, the vibrant and excited levels of energy the easy going, carefree attitude, I could not suppress the insistent question : My God.. Is this really Beirut?

This question popped into my head mainly coz of the flutter that was created the day it was known that I was supposed to go to Beirut, Lebanon, for a customer visit. There were loads of people giving me all sorts of information download about the country's history, the rigidity of the place, the hostile conditions etc.. But their concern was justified...

Only 3 years ago, the city was under assault. And just one year ago, Lebanon was struggling to choose a President. As it finally emerged from all the chaos and conflict, the image of Beirut was tarnished and demoralised. But today, the atmosphere in this wonderful city - a place that much of the world still associates with civil wars, Sectarian strife and Political Assassinations - is remarkably upbeat and 100% charged up !

The fact that the New York Times has named Beirut as the top travel destination for 2009 stays as a record to the statement that the city is on a major comeback ! The city is on its way for reclaiming its title as the "Paris of the Middle-East" !

And boy was I in for a pleasant surprise. Because of the opinions I heard from lots of people before travelling, I had already made up an image about the city, and believe me it wasn't pretty. This whole thing made the entire trip so exciting, basically because any place I visited on my 3 day trip was just hell bent on proving my assumptions wrong about the City..

Be it the all night long beach clubs that line the coast, or the never ending rows of French Cafes, restaurants and eateries, or the very famous Lebanese food, nothing failed to amuse me, and I was just loving every single moment of it. There wasn't anything typical of Middle East associated with Beirut..

I mean, first of all the Primary Language is not Arabic. French is also a widely accepted language. The USD is a widely accepted currency than the Lebanese Pound. The weather is amazingly lovely and finally, one look at the babes and you will know Na --ah ! This place is definitely not part of the Middle East !

All I have to say is that never make an opinion based on what people around you say. Had I backed out thinking that it would be unsafe to visit Lebanon, I would have missed one of the most wonderful experiences of my life....

More on that later... I leave the rest to you guys to decide.. :)

Cheers..

Kash