EMYR at Beirut

Jack Tar has reached Beirut in Lebanon, having sailed from Mersin via Iskenderun in Turkey and Lattakia in Syria. And the crew is “ruined”; we have seen so many Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Phoenician columns and stones and castles. We have lost count of the Crusader castles. The journey so far has been a truly fascinating one and we have seen places and people we hadn`t ever imagined having the opportunity to visit. This rally does afford the experience of a lifetime. Whilst in Iskenderun, we visited Antakya, old Antioch, with an amazing bazaar and a wonderful archeological museum displaying exquisite ancient mosaics before an overnight sail to lattakia. While there we toured via a crusader castle, Crac de Chevaliers, to Damascus where we visited the old city and stayed overnight. Then on to ancient Palmyra in the eastern desert, a ruined city in an oasis. Next was Aleppo in the north, another fascinating place with an exciting souk [bazaar].
Another overnight sail saw us here in Beirut two days after their parliamentary elections. The country is covered with huge photos of candidates and party flags. We are told the presence of armed military and police guards everywhere is normal. The gate to our marina is guarded by an armoured vehicle mounting a heavy machine gun and a contingent of armed soldiers. Here we have seen the downtown city now largely rebuilt after their civil war and looking very attractive. Then south into Hezbollah territory, to Sidon and Tyre, both fascinating places with ancient souks, caravanserai and old ports. We passed Palestinian refugee camps surrounded by Lebanese soldiers where the people seemed to live in unfortunately squalid conditions. Next we saw Biblos in the north, another old port with ruins and a souk. But, by far, the highlight of our visit has been the visit to the Jeitta grotto, a cave system where we walked one km through the most amazing cavern and then went further by boat. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos; cameras had to be deposited in lockers before entry. The beauty of the cave defies description. It is sufficient to say that Walt Disney could not even approach the the wonderful effects that nature has achieved.