Facets...
Be careful taking the elevator. There are daily 3 hour power outages and if they happen along while you're jaunting between floors in your 3'x 3' elevator - that's where you'll be for the next three hours. Haven't discovered this the hard way...need to find my watch.
You get lots of free stuff when you travel with the Robert Deniro of Lebanon. Women in head scarves seem particularly taken with him. First they sneak bashful peaks at him, then they giggle as he walks past before finally breaking into delighted conversation with their friends once he's gone.
Yeah, I was talkin to him!
On my first day in Lebanon I achieved a long held career goal when I was forced to strip naked in order to tech scout a location. Note to all: Turkish bath houses are inhabited by far scarier people than those that attacked poor Viggo - they just wanted to kill him.
The experience gives a whole new meaning to the words "Tech scout."
Moments before entering Turkish bath for tech scout. Sorry, no other pictures.
The Lebanese like to sit for hours, smoke tobacco from a hookah and eat.
Kid leaving school.
I don't have a story for all my pictures.
Why go to Hollywood when you can go to Lebabnon? (clicking on this picture will explain the caption)
One of our locations.
Pack'em in.
There are buildings here!
more to come.
Yay! I'm so glad you're keeping a blog. I've been wondering how you've been doing out there. Keep posting!
ReplyDeletePS - I want a hookah.
- Alice
Hanging with the DeNiro of Lebanon? Being indiscriminately naked? Sir, I think you may be the Harvey Keitel of Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteCool, I'm glad you made it over safely. Good decision on the no pictures policy in the Turkish bath. Your readers are grateful.
ReplyDeleteI warned you about the Turkish baths! I am sure you never felt so clean (or violated)! Great pics - keep it up! And the hair cut looks alot less scary right after you shaved it. Not so ummm...you know (who knows who is monitoring this blog). Do tell how much your gear cost you though and the trials of not having a bulkhead seat for a fricking 10 hour flight?! Living vicariously through you - J
ReplyDeleteWhere's your boat?
ReplyDeleteWhat—adventue travel and you didn't bring your boat?
Good God man, where are your priorities ;-)?
Okay, seriously—details—we want details!
Woo hoo! Have fun.
Great blog. Wonderful photos. Terrific prose. You are having an adventure to be envied. Stay safe and have fun.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair - I don't eat in McDonalds around the world, I just take pictures of them. But in the spirit of full disclosure, I did have a coffee in a Starbucks in Istanbul. Even though I prefer locally owned coffee shops when I'm home, sometimes when away from home for extended periods we are forced to do things we wouldn't otherwise do. I'm not proud of it.