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| no partners | | This isn’t much of a hike but I figured I would share the pictures with HAZ. The pictures are from a trip to the Middle East in Feb 2020. The last 5 days of my trip were in Lebanon. The majority of those were spent exploring Beirut (a few months before the disastrous explosion), but I made one exception for the ruins of Baalbek.
I was warned by my airport driver not to take a bus to the ruins because of safety issues. He happily offered to drive me personally for 100USD. When a good weather window opened on my last full day before returning home, I opted to take a public bus out of Beirut.
The first driver took us over the Lebanon Mountains and into the Beqaa Valley to a town called Chtaura. Here, the other passengers exited while I was set up with a second bus. This new driver seemed a little heated over another bus on the road and one of the most intense bus rides in memory ensued. Super aggressive driving and passing on busy roads. To this man’s credit, everyone made it to Baalbek in one piece. I was calm for the whole ride but damn if I wasn’t thinking this could be it.
A small cafe near the bus stop worked well for sustenance - falafel and apple juice. The two guys running the joint we’re incredibly friendly. It’s a straight shot from the cafe to the ruins. I was reluctant to explore the city of Baalbek, a choice that I’m still on the fence about. Surely there’s some awesome food somewhere in there.
I spent a couple hours taking pictures of the Baalbek site. The scale of things here is incredible. The individual pieces of stone used are enormous. Ornate sculptures are everywhere, each one more jaw-dropping than the last. While a guide is nice for information and history, nothing beats taking in the scene alone.
When I wrapped up with the ruins, I headed down the Baalbek's main road to see the Stone of the Pregnant Woman. Despite feeling iffy about walking around the town of Baalbek, I knew that I may never be back so I had to go for it. The stone is cool, but after the ruins it’s kind of meh. I would recommend starting with the stone. 
In a sense, my entire trip was leading up to Baalbek. It’s technically the furthest point I made it to. Certainly a day I’ll never forget. |
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