Posted on 07/15/2006 9:13:30 AM PDT by WmShirerAdmirer
BEIRUT: Hundreds of Lebanese nationals and foreigners crowded into Beirut's bus depot Friday and bid for the last remaining seats on taxis and buses heading for the Syrian border as Israel intensified its air campaign against the country's infrastructure, leaving the main highway to Syria impassable.
Families camped in the filthy underpass of the Charles Helou terminal amid piles of suitcases, appliances, and other hastily collected belongings. A group of Syrian workers holding $14 bus tickets shoved each other as they fought their way onto one crowded vehicle. The men in front tried to squeeze their arms into the closing doors as the driver looked on helplessly.
"Everyone I know is going back to Syria," Mahmoud Hassan told The Daily Star as he waited for the bus to take him back to Aleppo after only six weeks working in Beirut.
Meanwhile, lost-looking Westerners and wealthy Gulf tourists were trying to haggle with the few available cab drivers left in the station and willing to make the now arduous journey from Beirut to Masnaa. Cabbies charged upward of $150 per person for the four-to-six-hour trip, which used to cost $10 and take about two hours on the Damascus Highway before it was cut by Israeli bombs.
Bassel Mourjan, a Lebanese-Canadian in his 20s, loaded a female visitor into a taxi packed with four other passengers en route to Syria and then Jordan, to catch a flight home to Canada.
"Yesterday we were here and drivers were charging $200 to Syria so we decided to wait it out, but things got worse last night and now there are no cars left so they're charging $250," he said before his wife tugged on his shirt, telling him to hurry.
"Sorry. We should go before Israel bombs us. I mean we're under a bridge," he said, pointing at the structure above him.
A Kuwaiti engineer in Lebanon for business and pleasure told The Daily Star that he also paid $150 for a seat to Damascus, though he'd heard the average rate for Gulf tourists was about $700-800 each, and even claimed to know someone who paid $1,000. http://www.dailystar.com.lb
"I wanted to finish work before I went back to Kuwait so I didn't leave yesterday, but now the situation is really bad and it doesn't seem like it will get better," said Hassan as he waited to depart from Charles Helou.
He seemed un-phased by the price-gouging going on around him, adding that "it's normal to pay more in a situation like this."
The operator of Alliance Taxi laughed when The Daily Star asked how much it would cost to get to Damascus, then said it was "impossible."
"There are no cars to take anyone to Syria anymore, and even if there was, no one is that crazy," he said over the phone. "They [the Israelis] are going to hit the highways more."
Comet Taxi had already gotten calls from five Lebanese citizens and two foreigners as of Friday morning offering at least $200 per seat, though it refused due to a long-standing policy of not traveling to Syria.
According to the president of the national Taxi Drivers Syndicate, passengers could find cars to take them to Syria for LL30,000-40,000 at Charles Helou as of Friday, and only private cars cost $300 - up from the usual LL50,000 rate - though he dismissed any accusations of profiteering.
"Now there are no cars, and no taxi drivers will dare go there. If someone finds a taxi he will charge a lot of money because he has to take a long and dangerous route, through Zahle, [and other villages that have been targeted by Israeli fire], then he will come back empty-handed because no one is going back to Beirut," Abdel-Amir Najdi said over the phone. "He has the right to charge a lot."
Where's Clark Howard when you need him?
"Mommy, he hit me back!!! Waaaaaaaaaaa"
Did rebel_yell2 get out?
Well at about 3 am last might our time he was stick stuck in his hotel and not to pleased with the Israelis at that moment for bombing every escape route out lol. On some of the lebanese blogs I heard thought that the US is trying to get our people out through cyprus. Or at least that is the plan they are working on
Man no wonder Beriut is so popular. 10 buckes for a two hour taxi ride that rocks
Ah,extortion during a crisis-it's the scumbag thing to do.Kind of like trying to buy plywood in Florida when a hurricane is due in 2 days.
Countries should be wary of taking Lebanese Muslim refugees. Gang rape is now referred to as "Leb Style" in Australia. Lebanese Christians, of course, have not brought these types of criminal problems with them.
i wouldnt call that extortion... a easy drive is now avoiding bombing and shelling... worth extra id say
I think the following is to his most recent post and he was still there.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1665196/posts?q=1&&page=601
Anyone who clears this test can be asked to quote a few bible verses. Anyone who riots over it can be assumed to be a Muzzie.
I wonder out of the American "Tourists" that are supposed caught there--how many are "Seasoned" world tourists--and how many are SEASONALLY-RETURNING Tourists?
How many "Rescued" Tourists will END UP BEING TERRORISTS AND UNDERCOVER TERRORISTS MERELY USING A PLOY TO MIX IN AND GET FREE RIDES TO A SAFE AREA? OR ISREAL? OR AMERICA??
How many of the American Citizens are Voting Democrat? or had for KERRY in 04'? or NOW for " Pull out our Troops!" and " END The MILITARY" Democrat Candidates?? Mmmmm??
Think KERRY would take steps to Save them? or shuffle the deal off to FRANCE or someone else?
IF Kerry (who was a Vietnam War Hero if you didn't know)
was President ( Gasp!) ---the terrorists would have ALREADY Kidnapped ALL American or foreigners KNOWING Kerry and hi slibbie clan would fork over Millions in blackmail monies!!
Your post is REALLY insulting and indicates your ignorance of world affairs. I have met dozens of expats who are stuck here and have been working with international organizations including USAID to help Lebanon. This is NOT a partisan issue so please turn down your rhetoric. Our lives are at stake over here and you want only to score partisan points. Take it over to a Cindy Sheehan thread. Innocent people are losing their lives here. (Of course, so are a lot of Hizbollah terrorists.)
Lets hope that they take Israel up on their 3 demands. The people of Lebanon and Israel don't deserve this.
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