“The governance and economy in Lebanon are in a parlous state. There is no functioning government or public service, so there is no garbage collection, no public transport, no road repairing and no control of vehicles, writes CLIVE WILLIAMS. 

AS you may be aware from my Sicily trip, I am an inveterate traveller. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan. 

My latest trip to Lebanon was no exception. I wanted to go to Lebanon because earlier this year I had two excellent Lebanese tradesmen doing jobs for me, and they encouraged me to go there.

I travelled to Lebanon via Antalya airport in Turkey. On arrival at Antalya the 16 transit passengers to Beirut were directed to wait in a holding area. Thirty minutes later we were told we had missed the connecting flight to Beirut because there was not enough time to transfer our checked-in baggage between flights. 

The next flight to Beirut was 24 hours later. Frustrating for me because I only travel with carry-on baggage.

Anyway, we were put up at a modern Turkish hotel an hour from the airport at the “world famous” Konyaalti beach and holiday resort. I was glad it was only 24 hours because the outside temperature in the shade was 45C, with high humidity. Why anyone would choose to go there for a holiday beats me.

I duly arrived in Beirut the following night and, after the usual airport delay of one to two hours while bored officials scrutinised passengers’ passports, I was able to join the melee for a taxi. I would have been met the previous night but the person who had come to meet me assumed I had cancelled my visit. 

I never like taking a taxi when not familiar with the local scene. I had visions of ending up as a kidnap-for-ransom victim, like my former colleague Terry Waite, who was held hostage in Beirut for five years by the Islamic Jihad Organisation. However, all went well, and I was considerably more relaxed after consuming two bottles of Lebanese Almaza beer at my hotel.

I subsequently travelled south to Sidon and Tyre, an area controlled by Hezbollah, then to the Bekaa Valley, also controlled by Hezbollah, then through the mountains and along the coast south from Tripoli through areas controlled by the Druze and Maronite Christians. 

It was overall a very enjoyable and hassle-free experience. There is probably more Lebanese violence in Sydney than there is in Lebanon! 

I was told the road from the Bekaa Valley to Damascus in Syria is safer (and better surfaced) than the road between Canberra and the coast.

The governance and economy in Lebanon are however in a parlous state. There is no functioning government or public service at the moment, so there is no garbage collection, no public transport, no road repairing, and no control of vehicles. 

You can buy a vehicle then drive it unregistered. I suspect a lot of drivers had no driver’s licence as well. Any Canberran who visits Lebanon is unlikely to complain again about the ACT government’s failure to cut grass, fix potholes, or collect garbage.

The official money exchange rate in Lebanon was one US dollar to 1500 Lebanese pounds. The unofficial exchange rate was 100,000. I regularly had the experience of spending a million pounds on dinner. 

Everyone accepts US dollars as the preferred alternative to the local currency. Residents are restricted in how much they can withdraw from banks. The local joke is that ATM stands for Afish Tes’hab Massari (You can’t withdraw money).

There are large refugee populations in Lebanon, mainly Palestinians and Syrians – probably as many as half a million Palestinians and 1.5 million Syrians. 

Lebanon’s population, excluding the refugees, is around six million. Many Palestinian refugees have been there since 1948 when Israel displaced them from Palestine. Lebanese are not permitted to enter the Palestinian refugee camps which have competing violent factions. The Syrians are refugees from the ongoing civil war in Syria. 

It was a bit on the hot side on the coast being the middle of summer – around 35C, but a very pleasant mid-20s in the mountains. From a temperature point of view, the best time to visit is autumn and spring.

I would certainly recommend a visit. The people are friendly and helpful. The food is excellent and inexpensive. It is interesting archeologically with Crusader castles and Roman and Phoenician ruins. The mineral museum in Beirut was the best I have ever visited. 

The hop-on hop-off bus in Beirut was typical of Lebanon. Instead of the driver dropping passengers off and leaving them at the various stops, he waited for them to enjoy the sights, then bought them Lebanese coffee at his expense, before driving on to the next stop.

Lots to appreciate, and well worth a visit.

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist