Warning

Accused of all evils – abject poverty, religious fundamentalism, radicalism, terrorism, anti-Semitism – Southern Lebanon should be avoided. The Canadian department of Foreign Affairs advises against “all travel to the south of the Litani River, especially the areas near the border with Israel, and to the city of Sidon (also referred to as Saida) and its surroundings”. Accordingly, when I left for Saida, I expected to find myself in the middle of bearded men land with suspicious stares. I made sure not to go alone, to be accompanied by at least one men and I even put my personal alarm in my pocket. If someone was to come to close, I was ready to trigger it, even if its shrieking sound would render me and those around deaf.

Well, days later, I can still enjoy the peaceful sound of the sea. During my daytrip to Saida I never felt threatened or truly out of place. Of course, I was fascinated by the many portraits of Iman Moghniyé that decorate the highway; one of which bares an odd resemblance to the über-commercialized and symbolic rendering of the Che. And yes, I was taken aback by the few barefoot children persistently begging for money. But most of all, I was charmed by the old Souk; its welcoming and lively atmosphere, its small artisan shops, its labyrinth-like streets, its unsanitary displays of meat; the smiles of the shopkeepers, the smells of falafels and loukoums. Under the arched pathways, barely lit even in the middle of the days, I forgot about the warning and enjoyed myself, straying from the group at times to take a picture and venturing in some hidden corners.

I never found the South the Canadian embassy and its homologues warn against. Of course, I only stayed in the more tourist-oriented part of the city. But I’ve learned that the warnings should always be taken with a grain of salt. They should not determine your decision to explore or not an area. Had I listened to them, not only would I have not gone to Saida, but I also would not have embarked on a 2 month stay in the country. They should not be entirely disregarded, since they can prepare you to expect the worst and push you to take a few precautionary measures. And they should be amended: they don’t even warn you about the number one danger in the country: cars.