This morning, I was thinking that there are a lot of things about daily life here that I haven’t mentioned, so I thought I would cover a few of these topics. Today I will cover transportation.
The Lebanese like to drive. There are a lot of cars on the road, a lot of traffic, a lot of pollution, especially this time of year. The rules of the road are few- lanes are not used, most traffic lights and stop signs are ignored, one way streets are a mere recommendation. New York City cab drivers are downright timid compared to drivers here. Sometimes you see soldiers directing traffic at busy intersections, but there are no traffic police. Ethan and I joke that if the government wanted to solve its money problems ($38 billion debt, 180% of GDP), all they would have to do is hand out traffic tickets for a month.
Of course, we don’t have a car ourselves. We get around using a system of taxis, minivans, and buses. And feet, of course. Perhaps the most common way of getting around is to take a service. There are thousands of beat up old Mercedes driving around Beirut. You stop one (or more likely, the driver of one sees you and slows down and starts honking at you) and name your destination – usually something general, like a neighborhood. He either drives off or gestures for you to get in. There may or may not already be other people in the car, and now the driver will set off, trying to pick up other passengers along the way. This service is aptly called “service” (ser-vees) and usually costs about 60 cents per person. The most direct route may not be taken, and sometimes you meander in the wrong direction for some time. If you are in a hurry, you can take this same car as a taxi for a little over $3 total. There are also city buses and minibuses that go on set routes for about 30 cents. I often take the bus to get to Chatila.
You can also take a service or taxi from one of the “bus stations” (usually just an intersection or roundabout) to another part of Lebanon (or Syria). And there are minibuses and regular buses that you can take, which are quite cheap. For example, you can get to Tripoli, on the northern coast, for 60 cents in a minivan. These sort of troll along the highway, picking people up and dropping them off along the way.
Sadly, there are no trains in Lebanon. There used to be a few lines, but they were destroyed at the beginning of the war. There is a movement to rebuild the lines, but the government doesn’t seem interested, mostly because of the outrageous expense. You can still see crumbling old train cars in some places, left to disintegrate for over 30 years.
