Lebanese taxi
Location: near Faitroun, Mount Lebanon – Lebanon, Middle East
Cruising uphill in a sturdy Russian mini-jeep at about 70 km/h, when you suddenly realize there’s an old (!) guy hanging on the outside of the car, giving himself a lift to the next village… Well, the elderly human is notoriously weak on foot and especially in mountainous regions like central Lebanon this can be quite enduring. So let’s get smart! Not so weak arms they seem to have, though!
Because the “taxi” is always just a random car passing by, the “passenger” usually won’t know where his ride is going, hoping for the driver to slow down somewhere convenient for him to jump off. The Maronite driver on the other hand isn’t at the mercy of fate for he is protected by the grace of sweet Mother Mary and/or has other (more worldly) measures close at hand to “cut off” unwanted passengers… Actually, she’s looking right at it.
Charge: jeep surf from Rayfoun to Faitroun (4.5km steady uphill), one way:
a warm smile and a big Thank You from old Aaziz, “the man of stone”.
