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Originally Posted by jibber
Thanks for all the info! It all sounds pretty great. I think I should be absolutely fine in Borj Hammoud, Canada is more adamant that Turkey acknowledge the Armenian genocide than almost any other country (which is why I have to pay three times as much as any other country for a visa in Turkey, haha). Plus there's no way in hell I'd be mistaken for Turkish looking at me  |
Well don't worry, Turkish looking is just the normal looking way. All I'm saying, don't go flapping some Turkish flag on there.
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I'm really interested in the Cedars, but I'm gonna be there in November, so kind of an awkward time. Not quite winter, so no skiing, but hopefully it'll still be possible to do some hiking in some areas?
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Oh, I know a great place.
The Valley of Qadisha. It's just beautiful, and that is usually the ultimate place for a good hike. Plus in November you won't get cooked by the cruel summer sun.
You can also hike in all the mountains, as Lebanon is just a land composed of two mountains and a Valley. I'd recommend you go to
The Black Peak, the highest peak in Lebanon, at d 3080m. It might be truly chilly, but I think that's the only good thing after the suffocating summers of the Middle East.
Sadly, this place is related to a very bad memory of mine. When my brother accidentally pushed me in the lake at the top of the mountain, when pointing stupidly on some boring fishes.
Another place would be, well kind of everywhere. Lebanese people don't do much hiking, so all these "touristic places" are left to the brave energetic Europeans. Which are quite a few. So I'm sure, all these places won't be busy.
Some people go to the South for the sole intention of hiking the Mount Hermon, seems like one of the best places. -But I can't speak of experience about it.
So are the Barouk preservations btw. I remember the last time we went there, we hiked on the top till we were able to view the whole Valley of Bekaa. I guess you're able to do so on the black peak too, or just on any peak really.
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Also, any other more modern, urban cities other than Beirut that might be interesting? Of course I'll be visiting all the major historical sites, but I'd also like to spend a couple days just wandering around a city that's not usually considered a "tourist attraction."
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Ummm, all the places I named are not quite the touristic places. If you want to spend some days just strolling along the streets, Kaslik, jounieh and Hamra are the best places for you. In other places, it's either too souk-ish, or very close to the highway.