What’s Like to Ride a Taxi in Beirut

All drivers almost have the same background and similar past. They all were millionaires in Gulf/Africa/Europe and decided to settle down in Lebanon years after. They all have the most bizarre adventures and will love nothing more than to share the details of how he and his Russian girlfriend at the time eloped to Cyprus.

 

They have families that they love, and will never hesitate to show you photos of their grandchildren. This is all, of course, while negotiating that you need to pay them more than 2,000 LPB for a 10 mins ride from Martyr Square to Gemmayze.

There is a lot of things to enjoy in Lebanon, and Taxi drivers’ opinions on the country are one of them. 3ammo always has this theory that will blow your mind on how Lebanon can overcome its economic crisis and bloom like the 60’s all over again.

@oldbeiruthlebanonembedded via  

 

They wake up early in the morning and listen to all the news forecasts on the radio, alongside interviews with analysts and politicians. Taxi drivers have all the information needed to make Lebanon as greater as ever, yet they choose the humble life of driving in the crowded streets of Beirut.

I always say that if we want a good parliament in Lebanon that knows what’s best for Lebanese, we should elect taxi drivers. They are, after all, the voice of the nation.

Via REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

 

Your ride with a service only gets better the longer your destination is. For people who are not used to getting in a taxi, they will think that the driver is a secret FBI agent that gathers information about the passengers only to send them to the mothership up space for later examination. This is, however, mostly false.

Via Batrouni

Taxi drivers ask a lot of questions only because they are the most curious Lebanese people and because they probably know your jeddo (grandpa) and would like to check up on his health. You will never-EVER-ride with a driver who does not at least know half of your family tree and probably worked in the oil industry with your great grandfather back in the golden days.

 

Not only are our drivers economic activists and long-lost forgotten brothers of our father’s, but also the best matchmakers in town, Khattabeen. They always know the perfect Ibn or Bint Al Halal for you, and might even slide you a little piece of paper with the Ibn or Bint Al Halal’s number in case you ever wanted a good wife or husband.

Spoiler alert: the Ibn or Bint Al Halal is probably their own son or daughter.

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