Beirut, Lebanon, May 02, 2009

[RobF]

I just moved to Lebanon from Sydney Australia and seriously looking to get in touch with the alternative scene here.
Have to say, ecstatic the Sisters of Mercy are coming, i dont think theyve started selling tickets for them yet, i was at VirginMS last week and all theyve got is James Blunt. Really didnt think Lebanon would have a big alternative scene but there you go right.

Anyways, if anyone in Lebanon or coming to Lebanon in May wants to get to know me better send me a private message XD

It's a brilliant town, but the alternative scene is a little hard to connect with, there are great gigs going on in Beirut, great bands etc, they're just a little difficult to find. Contact these guys http://www.lebaneseunderground.com they've promoted some brilliant bands, local and international, and buy their compilations, I'm a vinyl militant but I make an exception for their CDs.

Drop me a PM, I'll be in town for a few days either side of the gig, so we should pop to Gemmayze for an Al-Maza or two.

[maxr]

Having cheerfully returned from the excellent Brussels gigs, pleased to note that the Beirut tickets are now on sale:

http://www.ticketingboxoffice.com/Default.asp

Hopefully see some of you there. USD31 plus handling for regular standing tickets, there seems to be some vip rubbish too.

Cheers
Mark

[Silver Girl]

hello everyone!
Please be gentle, I'm new . Well you guys inspired me and Him Indoors to join in on this one (mainly due to RobF's confirmation that Bar American Dream was still a going concern- spent many a night in there in spring 2004) so the flights are booked and we're coming along! (Cyprus Airways from Manchester, £323 quid which isn't that bad considering there's only an hour stopover).
Who's for a pint then?

[maxr]

Silver Girl,

Hopefully see you there. I may need directions to the American Dream as my preferred haunt was Cafe du Prague and that lovely ransacked old place in Hamra opposite Starbucks.

Nearer the time the heartland away team will doubtless swing into action.

See you and your chap there, redundancies permitting.

Cheers
Mark

[_emma_]

Well.
This afternoon I got a phonecall from a bank - they can give me a new credit card with big limit and long-term deadlines because I've been a loyal client of a mobile phone company etc etc. blah blah.
And it's a long weekend (bank holidays) in Poland, so no need to take another day(s) off.
I know it's a stupid idea, but after the Helsinki gig and the second beer tonight I have a feeling that I could overcome my fear of flying to do this one.
Especially because for now it seems that it's just Warsaw-Krakow-Praha-Budapest for me and that's it - Zagreb seems very unlikely - and that's not enough.
But f**k no, I don't know anything, do I need a visa or some other special requirements of that kind? Is the gig sold out yet? Are the flights from Poland possible on that date? Will ask my travel agent's tomorrow.

Jesus.

[lachert]

it looks that after third beer you'll sell house and fly to brazil

[_emma_]

Haha.
No no no no, with all my love and devotion, deep at heart I'm not really mad. The thing is, if I'm thinking about actually ringing the travel agent's tomorrow to get to know more about the details, it means that I've already figured out that it's briefly speaking quite possible. And the second beer was opened just in order to reinforce that thought and to make me sure that this is the right way of thinking.
And no, I'm not opening the third one (although I'd love to), because I have work tomorrow starting at 8.

[Andrew S]

London - Beirut, £305 with Turkish Airlines. Hmmm.....

[_emma_]

Ok. Checked. There are flights and they seem affordable. Visa seems not to expensive either, and not difficult to obtain, no other special requirements etc.
But in broad daylight the mere thought of being placed in a speeding machine miles above the ground seems unbearable...
I dunno. That way or another - I won't be able to sort it out now (too little time, to many other things to do) as on Monday I'm leaving again for the whole week. But then when I come back home at the begining of April AND get that new credit card, AND if there are still flights available at that time - I have a feeling that I'll f**king do it.

[paint it black]

Haha.
No no no no, with all my love and devotion, deep at heart I'm mad.

fixed for you

[_emma_]

Thank you.
I just hope that it'll turn out to become more than just wishfull thinking.

[Silver Girl]

Silver Girl,

Hopefully see you there. I may need directions to the American Dream as my preferred haunt was Cafe du Prague and that lovely ransacked old place in Hamra opposite Starbucks.

Nearer the time the heartland away team will doubtless swing into action.

See you and your chap there, redundancies permitting.

Cheers
Mark

Yikes, hope the work situation isn't all bad news.
The American Dream is (we think...) on either Rue Makhoul or Rue Sidani - I could probably still walk there from Bliss Street but it's a bit tricky just looking at the map.
Where's everyone staying? it's all getting rather exciting...
We're planning our trip over there

[RobF]

I'll be staying at the end of Gouraud, but I know Hamra pretty well if people want to meet Cafe Du Prague way. I haven't a gig ticket yet due to credit card behaving oddly, which is daft on my part, but I'll be in town from the 30th April if anyone fancies a drinky-poos...

This should be a silly one.

[RobF]

PS @Emma, visas available at Beirut airport for EU citizens, but it gets a bit random, somtimes they charge (About $20) sometimes they seemingly can't be arsed, depending on time of day/mood of bloke at desk.

PS NOBODY, NOBODY! Pay more than $25 to get into town, they'll start quoting around $50.

[_emma_]

Now can you please give me some advice on how to overcome the fear of getting on a plane?

[Scardwel]

Now can you please give me some advice on how to overcome the fear of getting on a plane?

I'm told Xanax is good for this, if you can get hold of some.

[RobF]

Fly with MEA, as half their passengers don't drink, there's no mucking about with minatures, just large glasses of Bombay Sapphire at regular intervals with optional tonic... Oh the joy...

And if there's any way to get over your fear, it's gently drunk landing in Beirut in the middle of the night with Ribbons on the headphones.

[LouLou]

Now can you please give me some advice on how to overcome the fear of getting on a plane?

I'm told Xanax is good for this, if you can get hold of some.

i have no idea how intense your fear of flying is, but i would stick to natural stuff unless your doctor prescribes you something for it. as far as herbal remedies are concerned, i find that passiflora extract does quite a good job of calming one down (provided, of course, you haven't developed resistance due to excessive consumption in the past ). at least it makes you drowsy, so the worst case scenario is that you'll have a nice long nap on the plane

i don't know much about xanax to be honest, but most prescription stuff take about 3 months to work properly anyway

[_emma_]

I'm told Xanax is good for this, if you can get hold of some.

Just read about the side-effects, thank you.
That combination of drinks + Ribbons sounds much better. Or, on second thoughts, maybe "Bad Vultee" - if SSV can heal my migraines, perhaps it'll heal the fear too.

i have no idea how intense your fear of flying is

Quite intense. Like a propher phobia y'know. Irrational, self-propelled, strong enough to make me spend 2 cheerful days on bus/train/ship/horsedrawn cart rather than 2 hours on plane etc.
I'm deadly frightened of these, so how does that compare to aircrafts.

[LouLou]

I'm deadly frightened of these, so how does that compare to aircrafts.

that serious, huh? if it's any consolation i'm no fan of those ghastly amusement park thingies either

i know a few people who received cognitive behavioral therapy for their phobias and they were fairly happy with the outcome. I don't know how long it takes to get any result, but would there be any chance for you to talk to someone who specialises in phobia treatment, at least to get an idea? i also know that they sometimes prescribe anti anxiety drugs to help with phobias, but that's just alleviating the symptoms really.

i really do hope you bite the bullet and make it to the beirut gig. i would be more than happy to accompany you on the plane to provide a hand to squeeze (or crush, depending on the circumstances ), not to mention the all-important paper bag of course, but sadly it's totally and utterly out of the question.

feckin' work!

and yeah,

feckin' finances!

[_emma_]

Ok.
I printed the map and located the venue, airport, and the pubs you mentioned on it, so I already have all the most important information vital for surviving.
But before I book the flight I need to know the following:

1. The airport, on the map, looks close to the town , about 4 - 5 km, is that right? It seems a short distance but given the fact that I'll be a lonely woman, still shaking after the flight, in the middle of the night there, I suppose it's better to know in advance how to get into town. So:
Is there any public transport from airport to town going AT NIGHT? How much is it? Is it safe? What else should I know?
Or, alternatively, is there anybody who would like to colect me from the airport and accompany me to the town?

2. What currency is generally accepted in Beirut? Lebanon Pounds? US dollars? What currency should I take with me, and how much for a two-day trip?
(on the ticket-selling site it looks that 45000 LBP is equal to 30$, blimey is that possible? )

3. Are visa cards accepted in most pubs/restaurants etc.?

4. Can you recommend a cheap and decent hotel either near the venue, or - even better - in between venue and airport? (Looks like I'll be flying back home on May3rd at 6AM so that would be easier)

5. And again, will it be easy to get to the airport very early in the morning on Sunday with public transport?

6. Anything else that a lady arriving in Beirut on her own should be aware of?

Thank you very, very much in advance, if it wasn't for this thread in this forum I would probably never even think about doing this trip.

[Scardwel]

According to http://wikitravel.org/en/Beirut
there are no public transport services between the airport and downtown. So you will have to take a taxi.
What day/time does the flight land at Beirut?

[_emma_]

There's 2 options (I still don't know which one I'll take):
Both Turkish Airlines from Stambul, both at night 01/02 May:

1. 11.30 PM
2. 01.15 AM


Why?

[Scardwel]

There's 2 options (I still don't know which one I'll take):
Both Turkish Airlines from Stambul, both at night 01/02 May:

1. 11.30 PM
2. 01.15 AM

Why?

Because mine arrives at 22:50 (01 May).

[_emma_]

Ah!
In such a case, I'll do my best to take option number 1.