I was in Lebanon During the 2019 Revolution and It Was an Amazing Experience

I traveled to Lebanon as a solo female traveler for 5.5 days on October 21 2019, right after the revolution started on October 17. I was in the West Bank in Palestine for 2 weeks before Lebanon (with Cyprus as a buffer in between, see more on how to do this here, as it is taboo due to their political relationship) and I had booked my ticket to Lebanon on October 18; only to find out later that a revolution had started…

 

WHAT STARTED THE REVOLUTION?

 

The Lebanese government had been corrupt and embezzling enormous amounts of money for decades, which had caused a financial crisis, high taxes, a high cost of living and high unemployment in Lebanon. The government’s mismanagement had also resulted in a lack of basic services like electricity, water and sanitation. Meanwhile, the government officials were living their best lives for decades.

On October 13, around 100 wildfires broke out in Lebanon, causing a tremendous amount of damage. Unfortunately, the Lebanese government failed to manage it properly because the fire-fighting aircrafts were not maintained, due to a lack of funds. However, Lebanese riot police vehicles, equipped with water cannons, had been fully maintained and were used to help battle the flames. Consequently, Lebanon had to rely on aid from neighbouring countries.

A few days later, the Lebanese government proposed new taxes on tobacco, gas and What’s App calls (a free app) in order to collect more revenue. This was the last straw for the Lebanese people, so they started protesting, which caused the government to cancel the proposed tax within a few hours. But the damage was done because this had unleashed the resentment that had been simmering in Lebanon for years.

 

MY EXPERIENCE IN LEBANON DURING THE REVOLUTION

 

Well, I was still determined to go to Lebanon, but I kept my eye on the situation and reached out to my hostel in Beirut to get their first hand opinion straight from the source, to ensure that I was making a safe and informed decision.

So I went.

And I went without having a flight out of Lebanon. I do this fairly often because I don’t always know how long I’ll want to spend in a place and I like to leave room for spontaneous adventures. And in this case, it wasn’t a bad idea because if the revolution worsened, I could leave when necessary. *** In order to go to a country without having proof of onward travel, you can “rent” a ticket from Best Onward Ticket for $12US. I’ve used this a few times.

I was the only foreigner on my flight from Cyprus to Beirut, but I was used to this from all my travels in the Middle East and North Africa. The older Lebanese man beside me, Josef, started a conversation with me by saying I was brave to go to Lebanon at this time and that he saw a Swedish man check in for our flight, but then changed his mind and left when he learned about the revolution.

We spoke for the rest of the 40 minute flight. He gave me his phone number in case I needed anything while in Beirut and once we landed, he made sure my taxi was there to pick me up. He has two daughters and said he hoped someone would do the same for them if they were ever in my situation.

Once I arrived at my hostel late at night in Beirut, I quickly realized that it was fairly empty, so it would be difficult to meet other travelers (and friends) as a solo traveler.

The next morning, I walked around and explored the centre of Beirut, the heart of the protest area in Beirut. The protest was very quiet during the day, but I was told it would be much more exciting and lively at night. There was military everywhere in the streets, all day and night, the whole time I was in Lebanon.

All of the businesses and stores around the centre of the Beirut were closed, due to all the looting and damage during the first few days of the revolution. And there was graffiti EVERYWHERE.

I went back to the protests at night, and then nearly every other day and night in Beirut. At night, it was a giant street party, with music and dancing, street food, with a side of political speeches to inspire the crowd.

I tried to get money from a few ATMs, but I didn’t have any luck. Then the locals told me that the ATMs were empty. I did not consider that when I came to Lebanon… but it certainly made sense because businesses were closed and on strike. Luckily, many places took credit card, but many also did not. I had about $15US (Lebanon uses both USD and their Lira). If I couldn’t get cash at all in Lebanon, I could use my credit card for many things and I could ration my cash. It would limit what I could do and eat, but I would survive.

But, to be fair, there wasn’t going to be a lot I could do in Lebanon anyway. The possibility of day trips to Byblos and Baalbek seemed to be out of the question, due to road closures, and so many places were closed.

I went to a restaurant to buy lunch and before I ordered, I asked if they accepted credit cards, but it was cash only. The employee insisted on giving me the food anyway and said I could pay it back tomorrow when I got money. So generous and sweet! However, I couldn’t accept because I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get cash in Lebanon and pay him back. Josef also offered to loan me some money.

Luckily, the next day some of the ATMs were refilled, so I got some cash. And I went back to the lunch place and the guy was so happy!

The next day at the protest, a Lebanese man approached me and asked if I was a journalist. When I said I wasn’t, he asked why I was there. This would be a trend for the next few days. He spoke to me about the revolution and invited me for lunch at their political party tent, where I met more locals. It was lovely.

Then I ran into Josef, my Lebanese friend from the plane! I ended up spending the day and night with him and met his wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, pets and maids (the last one was a culture shock for me).

That night I met a Lebanese girl from Beirut and I ended up spending everyday with her and her friends, and Josef, until I left Lebanon.

I ended up staying in Lebanon as long as I could, until my flight home from Paris.

The day I left Lebanon was October 27, the day that tens of thousands of Lebanese people formed a “human chain” by joining hands from the north of Lebanon all the way to the south (171 km), in order to show the unity of the Lebanese people. This country and its people are incredible.

CONCLUSION

 

The hospitality, openness and friendliness of the Lebanese people made an unforgettable and amazing experience during my time in Lebanon.

I never once felt unsafe during my time in Beirut and I never saw any violence (but that also doesn’t mean some violence didn’t take place during some of the protests).

Although nothing went according to my rough plans of exploring Lebanon and I met very few other travelers, instead, I spent my time with locals, so I honestly couldn’t have asked for a more ideal experience in Lebanon. And being in Beirut during such an important time in Lebanon’s history is unforgettable.

However, I met a German girl in Beirut who was extremely annoyed and disappointed about the inconvenience of the revolution because her trip didn’t go according to plan and she wouldn’t be able to sightsee in Lebanon, so she wanted to change her ticket and leave shortly after she arrived in Beirut. I found her attitude to be selfish and close-minded.

When you’re traveling, it’s normal and expected for many things to not go according to plan, so you need to learn how to accept this, be flexible and adapt. You do not have control over what happens in the places you visit, but you do have control of your attitude and your perspective.