OK – I think I may be obsessed. While I should be blown over by the ruins, beautiful architecture and natural wonders of Beirut, instead I’m secretly enthralled about the whole taxi game here.  Maybe its because I hail from Los Angeles where I probably take a taxi about twice a month at best. It is not just a stereotype that most Angelinos are attached to their cars. Unless I’m going to the airport or planning a big party night out, I normally wouldn’t ever have need for a taxi.

But here in Beirut you not only get a lift to another part of town for at most about $3.75 (usually its less than $2.00 and if I spoke Arabic, I’m sure I could do even cheaper than that), you also get Arabic class, Personal Interviews and Anger Management courses and sometimes even a gift.

I’ve mentioned this in earlier posts, but as it has become a part of my daily life, I had to dedicate a full post to them.  If you can divorce yourself from the actual events of hailing, haggling and hunting for the right cab and instead observe the situation from a “fly on the windshield” vantage point, it is all fairly entertaining as you just never know what to expect.  For example, this morning the very first taxi I asked took me to one part of town and I paid the base price (2000 Lebanese Pounds)….coming home it took me 20 minutes to find a taxi and almost all of them tried to charge me double. But I held out. I’m no longer the naïve tourist who pays full taxi price for a shared ride.

So you want to venture out in Beirut further than your two feet will take you? Let the games begin.  First you have to decide where to catch the cab. If I walk 5 minutes in one direction vs. the other, I can improve my chances of getting a cab and getting a decent fare.  Once I’m on the right street, I normally have to stand IN the street (risking life and limb) to shout out where I want to go to every passing cab. If they are not going where I want to go they drive off without a word. Occassionaly with a disapproving glance, other times with a “tsk” sound and a shake of their head as if I’ve just insulted them by choosing a destination outside of the route that only they know.  And for the record you never really give an address…or even a cross street. Its usually I want to go to this neighborhood near this random landmark (grocery store, public park, and this week I directed a cab driver to an apparently famous local bakery…which is no longer even in service).

Cab secured, now its time to haggle. For most places I go, I use a Service taxi, meaning they can pick up other passengers along the way. I forgot once and said Taxi instead of Service and ended up paying about 5 times as much.  I believe the base fare is 2000 Lebanese pounds, though I’m sure some folks can negotiate even better (if you can, do you provide tutorials to visiting tourists??).  

Although I think it is probably understood, I always confirm “service” to make sure the driver knows I will be paying the lowest fare.  Sometimes they will counter with “service-ein” or double service charge (4000 Lebanese pounds) if they think the destination is far enough away – or if they think I am gullible enough to pay (I usually am).  Sometimes they like to agree to one price while you’re standing in the street and then chance it on you once you are their prisoner in the cab. This usually ends up in a lot of yelling and hand gestures until an agreement is reached or until you exit the taxi in disgust.

Now that all the up front work is done, sit back and enjoy the rest of the entertainment along the way. Sometimes its from the drivers, as they ask you all sorts of questions about your nationality, line of work and marital status. Other times its from the other passengers (had an interesting conversation with two women from Ethiopia about how much they wanted to leave Beirut and immigrate to the US) or other drivers (I’m definitely picking up a lot of words and gestures I cannot use in polite company).

Here’s a few “experiences”I’ve had with taxi’s over the last few days:

I’ve noticed that the older and more beat up the car, the older and more beat up the driver is as well. These drivers are older, angrier and will not put up with any shit. Imagine how well-mannered the driver of this cab was:

Yesterday I hailed a cab and when the driver pulled up there were 3 other passengers AND the driver was holding a baby on his lap. YES, the driver. First of all, that guy would have been pulled over and arrested for driving without a baby seat in the US. But I was more curious about who that child belonged to. Did the driver have a “take your kid to work day” and was driving around all day with a child on his lap? Or did one of the three passengers feel it was safest to let their baby-sit with the strange driver?  I was kind of relieved when the driver was not going where I wanted to go.

And sometimes, out of the blue, a driver, for no reason other than just general friendliness, gives you a small flower and makes your day!