Saida

There are so many things we wanted to do in Lebanon that we weren't completely sure where to start, but our first excurision outside of Beirut was to Saida (Sidon) in the south of the country.

Until 2000 Saida was under Isreali occupation and being aware of this is something that any visitor should consider. Not in the sense that it would make it unsafe, just that you really should be conscious of the recent history to best appreciate the living conditions of the people there and all the struggles they have been through, and continue to go through. Also keep in mind that since our visit to Saida in 2005, the city was again bombed by Israel.

The Khan al Franj has been completely restored.	A man sitting on the road in Saida.

Our hotel in Beirut was the University Hotel just across from the main gate of the American University in Beirut. There are a few ways to get from Beirut to Saida; shared taxi, mini-bus and public bus. We chose the local public bus because it seemed to be the easiest method to figure out and because we wanted to see all the towns along the way.

After leaving our hotel we walked about 8 blocks up Hamra Street, which is the primary commercial artery in West Beirut. There we caught a public bus to Cola where we would transfer to the Saida bus. Catching the local busses in Lebanon simply means that you wait along the route of the bus and when you see it you wave it down and get on, there are no specific stop to wait at. This seemed a little daunting the first time, but once we were used to it we had a lot of fun with it and ended up riding the bus everywhere we could.

The primary transfer hub for Southern Lebanon is Cola. Here you can find shared taxis and private busses that take you to cities like Saida and Tyre. From those cities, you can transfer to other transportation to go farther inland.

One of the many posters found across Southern Lebanon remembering people who died.	Posters remembering former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and Yasser Aarafat displayed on a wall.

(this intersection was destroyed by Israel in 2005). Once you get off the bus you will hear people yelling all sorts of destinations, just say Saida and they will probably point you in the direction of where to catch transport. It is worth pointing out here that Lebanese are some of teh friendliest people I have ever encountered when travelling, they are easy to speak with, patient and even though they have been through shit, seem to smile a lot, especially if you throw some Arabic words around.

After finding the bus, we began the 1 1/2 hour trip to Saida. Actually the distance is only about 35KM, but the bus takes a slow road and makes local stops along the way. There is a freeway to Saida that will get you there faster, but the old road goes right along the coast and you will see many greenhouses, unfinished homes, citrus trees and amazing views of the water. We were the only tourists on the bus, yet I never felt anything but welcome there, and not in a "thanks for being a tourist" sort of way, just a, "we're glad to see friendly people on our bus" sort of way. That sort of honest "going about my business but happy to see you attitude" is what set Lebanon apart from say, Egypt or Turkey.

The oldest mosque in Sidon with it's beautiful wooden ceiling.	The Crusaders Castle over the brilliant blue Mediterranean.

When we first arrived in Saida I must admit I felt a little out of place. Even though my travels had taken me to many places before, something about knowing I was in Southern Lebanon still made me a little uneasy. That uneasy feeling was long gone after one day in Saida and stayed throughout the rest of my stay. From the bus stop you need to walk about a 1/4 mile to reach the old city (Medina). Saida is a small town, but ancient and full of charm. In the city you will mostly find homes and people living their daily lives, not the shop filled souks of a major Middle Eastern tourist town. It is easy to wander through the small streets and explore. The cities buildings were still littered with bullet holes, but these weren't from the civil war battles that affected Beirut, these were from 20 years of Israeli occupation. Seeing that really put it into perspective of what life might have been like for the people here only 6 years earlier. We found our way to the plaza at the center of town and sat down for some Juice which was recommended in the Lonely Planet.

The Khan El Saboun soap shop near the port.	Stacks of natural soap made in the region are piled up in the Khan El Saboun shop.

While we sat, a group of boys were kicking around a soccer ball, which accidently went in our direction. At that point the proprietor of the shop took the ball, pulled out a large knive and cut it to pieces right in front of us. We couldn't believe it! Why anyone would cut up a childs ball just for playing is beyond me, we nearly cried and couldn't stop thining whether this man did that because the kids were bothering "the tourists". The thought of those kids loosing their ball because we were there really killed our mood and we quickly finished our juice and wandered back into the town. About the same time we bumped into a man who came up to us and asked where we were from. When I told him America he grabbed me and kissed my face. This caught me a bit off guard. After a brief discussion of how happy he was to meet us, he walked us to the oldest Mosque in town and took us inside. The mosque was simple, yet one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It' stone walls and wooden roof really made it feel comforting, the kind of place you'd want to pray in or just visit during the day to clear your head.

Afer the mosque we said goodbye to the man, but he insisted we come visit him on his boat restaurant, which he said was docked at the harbor. We said would try and departed for some more siteseeing. We walked around and saw the Khan El Franj, an ancient merchant center that was restored by the Harari Foundation, as well as a few shops near the waterfront. One of the shops we visited was El Saboun, a wonderful local soap shop. We also wandered along the marina and watched a group of young boys playing in a boat. The boys were really fascinated with us and wanted us to take their picture (below). They were really excited when we showed it to them on the LCD screen, that experience almost made us cry again.

Just outside the old city next to the marina is The Sea Castle, a fortress built by the Crusaders in the early 13th century. This building is a primary tourist attraction and I believe many tour busses actually bring people here just to see this, then scurry them off back to Beirut, a real shame. Nonetheless, the castle is beautiful, not because of its condition, but because of its orientatation and the georgeous blue water of the mediterranean that surrounds it. There are also wonderful views towards the city and some amazing photo opportunities.

The minaret of a mosque covered with bullet marks.	Children playing at the port near the old city.

After enjoying the castle we were walking back in the direction of our bus and saw the boat restaurant of the man we met earlier. At that point, he walked out and saw us and there was no turning back, we had to go in. Inside he provided us tea and showed us all the postcards he had received from people he had met. He was a really friendly guy and we hope he is okay after all the turmoil that found his city after we left.

We walked back to where we left our bus, but instead of taking the public bus we opted this time for a mini-bus. The cost was only a dollar or two each and we knew it would get us home faster. The most memorable part of that ride was the non-existent suspension. Each time we hit a pothole, it felt like the rear axle went right up my ass. The mini-bus dropped us off at the same intersection in Beirut we left from and we caught the local bus back to hour hotel, ending our first, but not last, experience in this amazing part of the country.

Highlights

• Taking the LLC bus from Beirut is a great experience.
• Visit the shops inside the old city.
• Try to find the XX museum.

Links

• Sidon Tourism
• Overview of Sidon

Credits:
Photos by Azza Basarudin