Driving Beirut

This is my fifth trip to Lebanon. My first was 15 years ago when I wasn't old enough to drive. Since then I've avoided driving like mad because Lebanese drivers are f-ing awful. Let me illustrate a common scene:

It is nighttime and cars are driving up into the mountains and down from the mountains to Beirut. There are steep cliffs on both sides with very little shoulder. If there is a shoulder it is generally populated by fruit stands and cars parked in front of said stands. (I do love that very much about lebanon). Not only are the shoulders absent, but also guard rails. Not only are shoulders and guard rails absent, but also painted lines, lanes, and smooth pavement. Pot holes... Well let's just say there is no dearth of them. Now that I've mentioned it's nighttime I should also take a moment to mention that random speed bumps appear in major thoroughfares. It's as if you'd be driving US highway 1 along side an interstate and you have to slow down suddenly so as to not become airborne.

Ok, no lines, no real lanes, speed bumps, potholes and bumper to bumper traffic one way or another. There are other problems as well. For example, without real lanes, cars pass on the inside (since there is no shoulder) and LEAVE THEIR DAMN HIGHBEAMS ON. TURN OFF YOUR F-ING HIGHBEAMS! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!?

So... I've been driving around Lebanon this go around. Some of my family members with whom I've been riding have trouble seeing at night. One night, crazy as I am, I volunteered to take the stress off one such family member and drive the rest of the way home. Luckily, I knew the roads from there. It was only 5km or so and I didn't worry too much. The fact that I don't have a Lebanese driver's license shouldn't matter much as nothing really matters much where traffic is concerned here. Since then, I've been driving most days, usually locally, but this evening (just after sunset, in Beirut rush hour traffic) I got volunteered to drive home from Beirut. I was not into the idea, but bless my family members' hearts. I couldn't take them driving me anymore today. I had driven down to the edge of Beirut this morning through some gorgeous scenery and stopped for breakfast then allowed someone else to take the wheel.

Coming back to the village was exciting to say the least. I think what I learned is that you just have to be confident in your car and be extremely alert as there are many jackass drivers here. In addition I've learned that Lebanon has too many cars, no alternate vehicles, and no public transit (A 15 year civil war which completely tore up the country left people wary of riding around unprotected, and killed any chance of reliable public transit. A bus getting bombed just doesn't sit well with that many people...).

I keep telling people here that traffic in India is worse. It's true too. India (at least Chennai and Pondicherry) has worse traffic than Lebanon, but the traffic difficulties are completely different. India has ridiculously many people/things/cars on the roads. Lebanon has too many cars and jackasses with cars on the road. In Lebanon I didn't have to swerve around a herd of cattle or dodge fearless passersby on foot. Nor did I have to navigate scooters, bicycles, motorcycles, and the occasional autorickshaw going the wrong way. I did however have to deal with Lebanese drivers, and lots of them.

So, my nerves are now calmed and I think it's beer time. No more driving for tonight, and hopefully for the rest of my trip.