Wadi Qadisha to Amshritt

HI There

I am back and writing again. Well last time I stopped in Wadi Qadisha after our nightmarish 3 days in the mountains and the 2700m high pass to pedal over (Which I am really proud off my performance).
Well we stayed 3 nights in the Tiger House recommended by Nicholas and Roland our cycling friends from Lebanon. Thanks for the tip as it led to us meeting Mari, Marco and Phillip with whom we went hiking down the Qadisha Valley. The first day there we tried to find the entry and were mislead but fed by a lot of tea and coffee by the Syrian workers on the new road. Well in the afternoon a thunderstorm brought some snoow to the heights and an early return to the hotel where we met our 3 friends and with whom we spent the evening laughing, eating and drinking Raki or Arak as it is called here. We also joined them for the next days hike down the Qadisha Valley. The beginning was a little wet and not the landscape did not live up to the expectation. But after our lunch on the single track it was spectacular, unfortunatately night caught up with us to soon and we had to get out of the Valley and back to Becharre. On the way back we stopped at somebodys garage, he was destilling Alcohol and I wanted a photo, so the 5 of us were invited and we had some more Arak. Then we left and that moment a car passed, but unfortunately it already had a wife and 2 kids plus the driver. So while we tried to igure out who will take the ride the wife in the car told her husband to take her home and to take us to Bscharre only about 30min away. So we got our ride to the hotel. Lebanese can be enchanting people, very generous. The next day it was time to leave. So we pedaled down the valley and then on towards Agfa Cave. Unfortunately it was soon uphill again and well I broke my chain and that had to be fixed..  Then after a the sunshine turning into some clouds and some more shooting all around us (In Lebanon millions of birds lose their lives every year and the hunters are lazy bastards, I do not appreciate their sport) we suddenly saw a big Cedar forrest. We stopped and were informed that there are various trail. Off course we went on on foot to explore.
If Phillipe Mary or Marco read this go back to Tandourine Cedar forrest, it is worth it!
It was spendid! The place to be! We also bought the best Apricot Jam we ever tasted in our lives (Sorry Mami it must be the extra sun the fruit gets in Lebanon).
Then we went on and on and on, it was hilly and high up and there was no Hotel or good campsite. At 4pm it is getting dark, so we asked at a house to be informed that they do not have water and they are on the way to Beirut. He sent us up into the mountains but after 500m we turned around as it was to steep and no sign of no houses and some privacy (and we are heeding the warning not to camp without permision in Lebanon) So we went on and when we asked for Water a car stopped beside us and May and her french friends stopped. She was offering us help ad trying to reach a friend of hers who unfortunately was not at her mountain home and therefore they could not solve our problems. But thank you a lot May, we appreciate your intentions. By the way we are at the coast, but well and with no further trouble, if I need something I let you know, I promise!
Well by the time we got on it was dark and we had to deal with the crazy Lebanese drivers. The area was very poblated with big weekend villas so no hiding possible and we did not want to cause a security incident. We were stuffed, but suddenly I saw some guys and I asked Carlos to aaske them if they know a place where we can out the tent, they did. They were Syrians building a house and they put us in one of the unfinished rooms, gave us dinner, candles and a lovely evening. Thank you Saabh and colleagues you were real livesafer.
The next morning we visited Barraa. A SInk hole 280m deep and with 3 natural Arches as promised by Nicholas. It was spectacular. We then decided not to go to AgfaCave but to turn back to the coast. On the way down Carlos decided that we should give our bikes a good wash which we did at the petrolstation in Tandourine. When Carlos inflated his fron tire there was a big explosion leaving me deaft. His Rim exploded from the brake war it did not withstand the preasure anymore.
Great being in the middle of the mountains! Well the mecanic took ou his phone and started asking his friends if they would have a wheel for us, and they did. An hour later we got a new fron wheel, I would not normally look at a wheel like that twice but it brought us to the coast albeit the tyre did not fit well and Carlos had a bump every turn of the wheel which spoilt the first 20km of downhill. The canyon we decended was spectacular. The coast was great. Only that we were at the wrong spot. We had to follow the coast for another 10km until the camping so highly recommended by May and others. But we did not get there, we were stopped by a pickup truck.  We met Cesar , 7 times Lebanese Cycling champion and partaker of the Moscow olympics! He gave us direction and invited us to his home that evening for dinner. But first he made sure we got to the camping safe! Bert and Gilbert (Wife and Son) were a delight to meet. we had a very nice traditional lebanese dinner and a good chat (only that I was sooo tired, please forgive me). The next morning Cesar wanted to take us to the shop in Jouniyah to get another wheel (one I would look at), unfortunately his truck was brocken and he tried to figure out a solution, so at the end we decided to spend the day at the sea, rocky beach of Amrit and to let Cesar sort out the truck. The next morning Cesar took us to the Trek shop which had a good wheel ready for us with a special very generous price reduction (Thank you Cesar you are the best) and then we went on to Beirut to the Volvo shop. Beirut was very interesting! Traffic is crazy.
In the evening Cesar went night fishing, Bert, Carlos and me sat on the rocks and waited for him to bring back the catch, and it was a good one (5kg)! Today we are going to eat it. I like Bert a lot, she has a very good calm energy! So I am very much looking forward to our dinner.
But before we have dinner Cesar took us back to Beirut early in the morning. We were in Downtown, the Museeum and Gemaizeh. We like Beirut a lot! I wish I would have an unlimited budget and I could go shopping. But to tell you the truth you would find most of the shops in the west end or on the Champ Elysee in Paris, just not as nicely done!
It is a very funny place, on one hand the buildings show the bullets from the 80 civil war on the other hand they are restoring them like crazy in a very nice style, also building ultra modern houses at the seefront. They are keeping the cars out of downtown which makes it a nice Coffee area with many places to sit, drink and eat, but then you have the tanks standing ready the military controlling every car entering the parkings with sniffer dogs etc. It must hurt to be lebanese and have a country which any moment can burn up with violence, while everybody really just tries to live.

But Beirut is enchanting.

A short status of our being:
One of the expensive Exped matress has an error and canot be used anymore, we cannot get a replacement as there is no dealer so we had to buy a cheap (bad replacement)
One Bicycle Rim exploded, replaced
One Front Rack brocken,not replace or fixable.
Carlos Furunkle healed (the bumps must have helped)
Barbaras Cycling shorts getting to big and causing skinn rush (Helped by Comped blister plaster and a week  rest)
Skin dry but very very brown (only legs and arms but we will be working on the overal body including back and belly at the end of the trip)
KM done so far 1600.

State of mind:
Carlos wants to get on the bike, Barbara is less keen on it but will be playing along as any good arab wife following her man with the head down!