Beirut, November 2012
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at 16:15 by Globalti.
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SwissdiverParticipantWhen it comes to travel in troubled areas, I usually follow the Foreign Office recommendations as well and its French and Swiss counterparts. Now I am seriously considering going back to Beirut, which doesn’t seem to be in contradiction with any of the previous. But Beirut is not Abuja or Tehran; in other words the line is not as clear (meaning than it is a clear “no” for the former and an obvious “yes” for the latter). Have any of you been there lately? Any thought?
Thanks1 Nov 2012
at 22:16
austlineParticipantI travel to Abuja and Lagos on a very regular basis, and while there have been some troubles in Abuja I find the place quite peaceful and pleasant, quite different from the stressful chaotic city of Lagos. I really like Beirut, fun city, have good friends there and always have a great time and never felt threatened. Agree all government travel advices are ambiguous to say the least. The Brits have one of the better sites, forget the Aussies their site is abysmal to say the least! Few places I wouldn’t venture too, Cairo -surprisingly, Kabul and Bagdad but to mention a few.
2 Nov 2012
at 05:07
LuganoPirateParticipantAustline, you’re right, Govt. travel advice is often subjective. Despite travel warnings I know people who travelled safely through the Congo and Sudan, by road.
I can see your point about Kabul and Baghdad, but I’m curious as to why you think Cairo is dangerous – assuming you’re not a female reporter of course?
2 Nov 2012
at 06:46
VintageKrugParticipantI’ve always wanted to go to Beirut, as I have family connections there. Not somewhere I yet managed to get to.
I would never let any local difficulty stop me travelling, though when travelling to Israel or countries close to Syria/Afghanistan/Iran it’s probably a good idea not to book to far in advance so you can gauge risk closer to you travel time.
In Beirut, I would recommend Gordon’s lovely hotel, The Gray, although I haven’t stayed there, the others in his group are superb:
http://www.campbellgrayhotels.com/le-gray-beirut.html?lang=EN#/le-gray-beirut
A good excuse to sample BA’s new midhaul Club cabin, too:
[photo credit to TCX69 on another site]
2 Nov 2012
at 06:52
SwissdiverParticipantVK: Beirut = Le Vendome for me, a brilliant boutique Interconti facing the see! And since I’ll be coming from DMM, no BA this time. Thanks anyway.
Austline: Can’t understand Cairo either…
2 Nov 2012
at 10:51
PierreParticipantHi,
@BeckyBoop
There is a city in Lebanon called Tripoli. It is not the capital city of LybiaI wld go to Beirut. The Middle East is safe I never felt any fear or pressure.
Obviously, and unfortunately, Syria cannot be listed for now. One of the most fascinating people I ever met..2 Nov 2012
at 16:18
SwissdiverParticipantBecky,
And it is about 50 miles from Damascus! You can relate this to the maximum width of Israel that is 70 miles (at its narrowest point it is less than 10 miles – source: Wikipedia). Everything is small in this part of the world 🙂 This being said, I booked on miles to be able to cancel should something weird happen in between (The US elections being a possible source of tension)…2 Nov 2012
at 19:01
austlineParticipantI have been put of Cairo as have heard dreadful airport stories and security scares. My wife would really like to visit Egypt but I am cool on the idea maybe when things settle down a bit I might change my mind. I have been told by my travel advisor not to go to Aswan because of the security situation.. What do BT readers think?
3 Nov 2012
at 03:27
PierreParticipantHi,
@austline,
I visited Egypt a number of times, visiting remote areas, even during political tensions, and never felt that I was at risk. I never Heard that Aswan was a dangerous place.There are cruises on the Lake Nasser (www.voyageursdumonde.fr) to be booked before your trip there. By far more impressive than the cruise on the Nile. When in Aswan or Luxor, do not miss Comombo. Enjoy your trip! Nov/march is the best period, you skip the heat!3 Nov 2012
at 08:06
Bruce98ParticipantI was in Beirut last month, very nice city, relaxed lifestyle etc….
The week after I left, a massive car bomb killed 8 people in the city.
It comes down to how lucky you feel, the probability of being killed by a car bomb is quite small, but on the other hand ‘you’re a long time dead.’
Tripoli (Lebanon) is 52 miles to the north of Beirut and IMHO is unsafe, due to entanglement in the Syrian internal conflict. Avoid.
3 Nov 2012
at 08:40
BeckyBoopParticipantBruce, where you there on holiday? I have always been put off going to the middle east as there is always fighting and political unrest. Me an my bf wanted to go to Dubai 2 years ago but didn’t because is illegal for unmarried couples to share rooms + you cant go out and get drunk 🙁
3 Nov 2012
at 08:53
craigwatsonParticipantBecky please tell me you are just having a laugh? Dubai is like the mid east version of Las Vegas. The only thing people do there is get drunk and party.
3 Nov 2012
at 09:40 -
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