Security forces in Beirut is finally removing the cement blocks that were set in place a few years ago due to security threats. People who work in Hamra know how badly positioned were these block due to the traffic they were causing everyday, so it is a relief to have them removed at last.
The funny thing though is that the former minister of interior (Nohad Machnouk) and the new one (Raya El Hassan) both claimed they ordered the blocks removal which really sounded childish (here and here).
Child beggars have increased around Beirut over the past few years and at times can be quite irritating due to their aggressive attitude. I personally usually just avoid giving them any money because I know they’re certainly part of a scheme that exploits children and I never want to end up supporting such thing.
This guy however roamed around Hamra during Christmas time and randomly gave toys to some of the kids he found there on the street.
Needless to say, the government definitely needs to address this issue because no kids deserve to grow up this way on the streets.
You’re so lucky if you live in Achrafieh or Hamra because Ogero announced two days ago that they started offering fiber connections there, and you can apply to the service by sending an email to thepeople@ogero.gov.lb.
I don’t imagine the procedure to be very straight forward because it certainly involves changing the wiring and Ogero didn’t provide any further explanation about that yet.
Anyway, while this is a big step forward for the residents in these two areas, you can’t but think about the big gap being created among the users of the same phone network, and you can clearly see it in the comments on Ogero’s page. Some can’t benefit from more than 1 or 2Mb connections and others can’t even have DSL installed at their premises, while others on the other hand are benefiting from open speed plans and now fiber connections…
And let’s not forget also the problems that need miracles to be fixed such as mine which has been trailing with IDM and Ogero for more than 5 months now. At some point I’m starting to think it will only be solved once I move to Beirut!
The solution for all of this is certainly an infrastructure overhaul, but given how slow our governments tend to be with fulfilling promises, I really hope we get to see this during our lifetime.
Following my post about Hadi’s retro games collection, I got some e-mail asking me if I knew about some shops with same offering around Beirut. I unfortunately don’t, but I thought of writing about this Yard Sale taking place at antwork’s garden in Hamra tomorrow since it will cater for retro lovers.
I know for sure there will be Gameboy handhelds and other old gaming consoles up for sale, in addition to vintage comic books, DVDs, vinyls and others.
The event is all organized by cool people from antwork, Heyoka, and Tell(tale), and will also include some fun activities like a Knefeh eating competition so make sure not to miss it if retro stuff is your thing.
The yard sale is running tomorrow from 11AM till 8PM and the entrance fee is 5,000L.L / pers.
Earlier last week, a friend told me that the organizers of BIAF (Beirut International Awards Festival) are planning to lay down the world’s longest red carpet as part of their 2-day event. The red carpet is expected to start somewhere in Hamra, then goes towards Achrafieh and all the way through downtown to Zaytouna Bay where the ceremony is taking place.
At first I was mainly concerned about the traffic jam this red carpet will be causing on a weekday. But after spotting parts of it on my way to work this morning, I think the traffic jam is absolutely not a problem compared to how hideous it looks!
The thing doesn’t qualify as a red carpet. It’s barely a piece of red cloth, and it seems that some genius decided to lay it down last night and cars eventually ended up tearing it down.
The end result is needless to say, bahdaleh. I wish all the money that was put into this silly attempt to make it into the Guinness Book was allocated for something more meaningful, like helping Rozine get that liver transplant maybe!
I just stumbled upon these car accident images on Yasa’s Facebook page. It took place in Hamra a while ago today.
Knowing how jammed the area is during the day, someone must have certainly been driving like crazy because it takes great effort to get 7 cars involved in an accident at a small intersection there.
Hoping no one got hurt!
Chicken sandwich lovers rejoice! I just learned today that Marrouche has reopened again but is now located in Manara near the International College instead of Sidani street in Hamra.
The best thing about this reopening is that they retained the same staff. The man on the right is actually the one who used to make the sandwiches in Hamra for as long as I can remember. And knowing that they have been operating since the 1920s, I really doubt they will be compromising the ingredients quality now, so I think we’ll be having the same awesome chicken garlic sandwiches just as before. But I’m not sure though if the sandwich price has increased or is still the same (7,000 L.L).
According to this photo by Amer Tabsh, Marrouche Hamra has been sealed with red wax today following a court order after going bankrupt.
The place has been serving one of the best chicken garlic sandwiches in Beirut for ages now and I just can’t understand how did it go bankrupt… I mean people remained loyal to Marrouche over time even though sandwiches were selling for a relatively high price (7,000L.L) because they were really tasty, yet for some reason it ended up getting sealed with red wax!
I really hope it re-opens again because Sidany Street in Hamra will never be the same without Marrouche, at least to me!
Update:
It turns out Marrouche’s owner, Maher Marrouche, is facing financial difficulties which somehow led to the closure of the restaurant.
This is insane! Check how the fans of Germany celebrated in Hamra following the win over Argentina in the world cup final last night!
On a side note, I’m a fan of Germany too and have been waiting for this moment for 24 years now! 😀
This woman is hilarious. I guess she was just requested to chose the word of the day and she ended up coming up with all of this!
