After lunch, Bechara asked us if we'd like to spend the afternoon seeing some more of the city and countryside, and we agreed without hesitation. Rarely is any traveler presented with an opportunity for an extensive free tour, accompanied with an expert tour guide, in an air conditioned BMW. To have Bechara shepherd us around and give us insight into his country was a rare treat, and something I hope to be able to reciprocate someday in whatever corner of the world I'm in. We piled into Bechara's car and took off south down Beirut's coastline, gazing at the beautiful Mediterranean on our right and a cityscape on our left that quickly changed. Within a few minutes we found ourselves at La Raouche, or "the rock", a natural landmark along the coastline that's also sometimes called the "pigeons' rock." We stopped and took a few pictures. "La Raouche" also refers to the upscale neighborhood alongside this area of the coastline, and you can see why it's hot property. What a view... Within a minute after getting out of the car we were asked by multiple people if we wanted to take boat ride around the caves down by the water, but we didn't have time. We took a few hurried pictures and then piled back in Bechara's car.
As we drove away, Bechara reminded us of a print ad LB/Beirut had done a few years ago for Crest, in which the agency had actually filled this iconic landmark to create an image dramatizing Crest's cavity fighting power. Below is the piece he was talking about:
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