Sylvia's Journal

I had gotten up early to write about my dreams but got sidetracked by a computer that did not work. It still doesn’t and it took me awhile to adjust to that new reality and get myself settled in front of Axel’s.

The dreams were probably inspired by Ahmed Rachid’s book Descent into Chaos. I have arrived at the place where reading has become stressful – the incompetencies and unenlightened self-interests, pure greed and stupidity have added up to the current reality I live in – can there be more descent, one wonders. Yes, there are another 150 pages to go and the book ends before I moved to Kabul – the bottom is not in sight for the reader, and for me, I wonder, are we at the bottom yet or is there more stupidity to come? Obama can only undo so much.

Yesterday Axel and I took a service (a more or less fixed route and fixed fare taxi) to Achrafiye where the kids are lodged. We brought them croissants and some basic food supplies and then set out on our two hour walk across town, to the tip of Ras Beirut where Alistair and Birgit were sitting in the sun by the water, reading the time away till lunch.

We walked to the part of Beirut that was a nomansland when we lived here. Now it is dominated by an enormous mosque built by the slain leader Hariri, with next to it a large arrangements of white plastic tents with countless portraits of the hero and a few of his slain bodyguards.

The new city that has sprung up over the rubble and debris of many civilizations, destroyed by the same forces that are at work in Afghanistan. It produced something vanilla that could be South Boston or any other city in the world. Fancy but lifeless.

We were all drawn down to the water and the Corniche and ended up walking the entire length of it, my third visit in as many days, but now during daytime, on a holiday. Everyone else was there too.

The reward for our long walk was the lunch I had fantasized about since we left Beirut and that can only be had here: overlooking the water, a mezze, cool white Lebanese wine, and fresh fish that came straight out of the water. I could have done without the small glass of arak and the pieces of halwa dipped in molasses or tahini.

We ate for hours and then swam in the saltwater pool. By the time we got home, at around 6 PM I was still full and so tired from this day of walking and vacationing that I tumbled right into bed for an 11 hour sleep.