February 06, 2015

Kfardebian, Lebanon

The cold and arid environment at Mzaar Ski Resort.
The cold and arid environment at Mzaar Ski Resort.
Looking south at the valley and mountains.
Looking south at the valley and mountains.
Looking toward the southwest from Mount Mzaar.
Looking toward the southwest from Mount Mzaar.
Closeup of Beirut, seen from Mount Mzaar.
Closeup of Beirut, seen from Mount Mzaar.
Cross at the top of the piste on Mount Mzaar.
Cross at the top of the piste on Mount Mzaar.
Skiers coming down one of the pistes.
Skiers coming down one of the pistes.
Getting ready to ski down a piste on the side of Mount Mzaar.
Getting ready to ski down a piste on the side of Mount Mzaar.
Skiers having fun on the "Baby" slope at Mzaar Ski Resort.
Skiers having fun on the “Baby” slope at Mzaar Ski Resort.

I woke up after 08:00, looked outside, and did not see the ski lifts running (perhaps the resort doesn’t actually open up until 09:00, contrary to what I was told); so, I laid in bed a little longer and got up again at 09:00; this time the lifts were operational. I then showered, dressed, packed my bags, walked downstairs, grabbed my skis, and got to it. I started skiing at 10:00; the sky was cloudy, but the wind was mild, and overall it was a nice day (I also dressed warmer than the previous days I actually skied). Unfortunately, a number of the lifts were shut down and quite a few pistes were closed off – the snow isn’t deep in many areas and I actually hit quite a few exposed rocks today on pistes that were actually open. Due to certain lifts and pistes being closed, I couldn’t get to the northern part of the resort (“Warde”), an area that had a nice slope-side restaurant and that I liked very much; so, I was stuck on the south side, but at least Mount Mzaar was open and I had great views of Beirut from up there. I skied for three hours before stopping for a snack and a beer at one of the high restaurants. I then skied for another ninety minutes; even going off-piste a little bit at the end (although, to be fair, the off-piste here is pretty much just like the pistes, possibly even safer). All-in-all, I did alright and, in my lifetime, today marks the fifteenth day I have skied; not much, but I started late and I think I’m improving fairly well. Once I finished at 14:30, I returned to my hotel, showered, dressed, grabbed my bags, and checked out. I then waited in the lounge for my taxi to arrive and take me to the airport. The taxi came at 15:55, I placed my bags inside, got in, and was driven down the mountain and back to Beirut. The drive was much more pleasant this time since I didn’t have an absinthe hangover and I enjoyed the craggy rock outcroppings and colorful mountainsides. The drive took about ninety minutes thanks to much more traffic below 1000 meters and I reached the airport at 17:30. I then checked in, passed through passport control (which took forever despite short lines – usually it’s quicker to exit than to enter, but in Lebanon it’s the other way around), and then ate some food to spend the remaining Lebanese Pounds in my wallet; I had a feta cheese and pepper sandwich, salt and vinegar chips, apple juice, a beer, and a red bull; then after a short time, I had a chicken and avocado sandwich, more salt and vinegar chips, cranberry and pomegranate juice, more beer, and a brownie. Then, at 20:20, I boarded the A320-232 operated by Middle East Airlines, was given an orange juice, and, after all the seats were filled, the plane took off at 20:55. It was a short thirty-minute flight and we were soon in Cyprus.

 

 

After landing in Larnaca, Cyprus, I passed through Immigration, grabbed my bag, and then passed through Customs and exited the airport terminal. I then tried to take a taxi, but the drivers didn’t want to use their meters (which I had read online that they are required by law to use), so I fell back in to my old habit of walking. It took me just over an hour to walk from the airport to the hotel I desired to stay at in Larnaca and I arrived and checked in at 23:15. I then retired to my room, checked my emails, gathered all the required documents for an Azerbaijan e-Visa, and was ready to purchase my flight to Baku when I decided it was highly unlikely I would get the Visa in time and the cost of the flight ($280) plus the cost of the e-Visa ($120) would be a waste of money; besides, I found very little evidence from online forums that azerbaijan24.com was a legitimate website; so, I decided with a sad heart to strike Azerbaijan off of my itinerary; on the positive side, I will now have more time in Israel and Georgia, which I’m sure are more worthwhile countries. After a late night, I then went to sleep at 03:00.

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An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.