Running at the Riviera

I have found my daily morning routine, although its only my second time..

First I get out of my hotel and into the heavy morning traffic. Luckily I wear a yellow visible t-shirt when I buzz through the traffic like wasp. The technique to get some good morning exercise is to have fun and not getting killed in the traffic so do like Han Solo in Star Wars when in a meteor Storm, he is concentrated and believe in his so called luck. If I got hit by one of the monster cars I would literary be a scattered insect on the front shield. However, after this mild focused adrenaline beginning of the the jog I get to Rauche, the Rivera..

My plus goes in to a steady paste while running besides the waves. Since its Friday today, the Minaret echoed its long call to prayer. Together with the sound of the waves and the distorted loudspeaker it makes a harmonious song to jog to.

I run by elderly men who stand at the rail with their fishing rods. I haven't seen one capture anything yet, but I enjoy the sweet smell of their Turkish coffee while passing them. I run and look at the young students for the nearby American university and smile to the girls while gearing up in speed, not knowing if its to impress them or because I get shy of my flirtatious run..

Its a good way to start the day, if not the best.

Four photographers and the online head of news

I meet with Wadji, head of the on-line department of of the Daily Star. We have been corresponding since May about my last photo series in Lebanon. My initial idea was to get in touch with the ministry of tourism and offer my photography and services, but I never got any clear feedback. Fortunately my idea suited the The Daily Star who is initiating a website promoting Lebanon and they would like to use my photos.

He helped me alot, pouring out with leads like golden coins.

I was humble and thankful and I still am!

Before I left I was introduced 3 photografes, one from the herald times and on for the daily star, the third photographer was the bright Brit Sam who just have been on an assignment to make giga pan photos for the DS. I was compulsory curious about this apparatus he had in his black bag, almost taking it out of his hand and running, however before I acted to this crime of thought he invited me to the roof where he explained me the technique and started to take 108 pictures with the machine that will eventually be massiv a massive in depth of field panorama photo

My ideas with this machine went absent without leave..

Giga Pan Scan of Beirut - Results will be shown...

While nerding under the Arabian sky, Fadi called me, a Swedish/Lebanese photographer who now lives in Lebanon. My Swedish journalist friend told me to bring him some mail, so I did. Fadi hes has basically been working for all of mayor newspapers in Scandinavia and together with my friend back home during the war 2006. But now he is a cameraman for a reality dating show, understandably he was not satisfied with this current job..

While eating the delicious Lebanese main dishes fattoush, tabouleh and humus we exchange words of life, professionally and personally while swallowing everything down Almace beer..

Four wheel camels

My Lebanese friend told me a story, when he was in the states he received comments like "go home and jump on your camel while going there". My friend who told me this particular story, did go home and he cranked up the music in his Porche Cayenne and  pitied for the poor white trashy comment.

Beirutis drive their cars fast and exclusive (when they are not stuck in a long lasting ques).

Traffic in this city is so bad that you can at times taste the fumes on your lips, smell the rubber particles in your nostrils and get tinnitus of the battling car horns, it's almost like a hot debate in the tight space of the British parliament.

Im just wayting for a chairman to hit his hammer on the table and yell "order.... ORDER" !


Although the stereotypes involve anything beyond knowledge, they do drive pretty nice cars, which the europeans do as well. Hereby stating that the myths of the small country in the middle east is sadly mixed up by the media and western politicians...

Blinging Hummers are taking over the military hummer in the cityscene. 
"I you want to drive a five star car, you first have to live at a two star"

No sleep to...

I did not go into a satisfied R.E.M state of sleep until 4 o clocloc in the morning. I guess my thoughts were in a mighty dialog, the self-confident angel debating with the low-esteem devil, each on one shoulder, talking to each other through my ears. So I ploughed them in, atleast I could not hear the fan, the trafic and I pretended not to hear my thoughts.

I woke up after sleeping a couple of hours, a public anouchment by a police car went through the air.

I was to tired to take its serious. Later I found out that the tourist in the area were really worried, some foreign president was comming and the police wanted everybody to move their cars..

A polish tourist asked for direction to downtown, I took him under my wing and did some hip-shoot-tourist-site explanations. He was impressed, so was I, I was only here for 2 weeks 5 moths ago.

I got to destination for the day, to get a telephone sim card, so now Im connected.

The polish and I had a some Arak under clear sky in downtown Beirut, I lit a fat romeo y julieta, blew the smoke towards the sky and listend to the stories he had to tell, my phone ran and I paused him, I laughed realising its my my first call on my Leb cell,

Yasmine called to invite me out for drinks tomorrow!

Back in Beirut

My dear Friend Yasmine picked my up, she gave me her gossip of her newfound boyfriend whose actual swedish, we had a laugh and I checked in the Regis Hotel.

The Borat impressionist manager Mazen welcomed me and I checked into my room and went straight to the balcony to see Beirut, to the left the ocean, the right the uprising hotels.

I truly love this city, the smells, the sounds, the overexaduratd capetalistic mentallity and its humble tyrany, but most of all I like the hospitality, so far from us in the cold north and so warm like them in the close south.

In front of me was the trafic with its permanent getaway peddle-to-the-metal attitude that get your adrenaline pumping whether you are inside or outside the car. Nearby me are the cool chilled bars with longdrinks that make the night seem short, all around me is the diversity all the religions and different people cramped into a tiny spot between the white mountains and the azure ocean. Its good to be back in Beirut!