Beirut night-life

Summer is here and the open air bars are in the hype again. (above is the sky bar opening night pic)

Everyone agrees that beirut is considered to be a reference in the night-life scene -

my expat-friends envy me for living in beyrouth all year round -

but lately I'm starting to get frustrated with it and here are the reasons :

1 - The reservation hassle : It is becoming harder and harder to get a table reserved in the trendy places. From june to september it becomes almost impossible to reserve.
It looks like the policy is : the harder it is to get a table, the trendier becomes the place !
Some hints and tips to improve your chances :
- Call from an international line number (preferably a european number , ultimately a Saudi one)
- Call yourself Jean-luc or Jean-louis and choose a reputable family name (Abella or Sursok)

- Take a superiority complex - attitude when talking to the manager (don't worry he will treat you the same way)

2- Door policy : Even if you have a reservation, the rude bouncer (or 'visagiste' like they like to call him) will give u hard time to get in!
For example he will make you wait 5 mins pretending he is looking for your name on the list
(this is normal knowing that he doesnt even hold a brevet degree) but given the size of his biceps you have to smile at him and be very polite (it is highly recommended NOT to piss him off!!!)

3- No one dances : Once inside (and you're glad to be among the happy few to pass the door),the trend is for definitely NOT to dance !!! You are allowed to make some small moves though and that is, if the place is not overcrowded! (Have you been to 'element' lately ?)
The main idea of the outing becomes : 'to see and to be seen' so get a spot with a nice view preferably where everyone can see you :)

4 -Lebanese girls attitude : overdressed, wedding style !! don't get me wrong I love classy Lebanese women, but this is way too much...

5- The recurrent "mistakes" in over-charging you on the bill (extra drinks , extra number of persons etc...)

6- Last but not least : the valet parking. you will wait 30 mins waiting for your car, unless you own a Ferrari (it will be parked at the door)

I am not complaining , it is still exciting to go out in Beirut, but I had to let loose !

Lebanese banks 101

We Lebanese, always brag about how great and solid our banking sector is, and how Lebanese banks managed to stay away from the global financial crisis.

But have you ever wondered why Lebanese banks are so profitable ?

Even though I'm definitely not a financial expert, here is my humble explanation :

1st - Lebanese banks (privately held) hold 80 % of the public Lebanese debt. This means that they are making huge money from the interests service, where the majority of the yearly state budget spending goes.

2nd - Lebanese banks are tightly governed by the central bank who prohibited them from speculating with high risk financial products (this is why Lebanon was spared from the financial crisis)

3rd and most importantly (and this is the core subject of this post) : they are suit-wearing thieves as they charge us, customers on every single transaction we make (from statement of account to phone bill payment to cheque deposit etc...)

But the most outrageous issue is 'the date de valeur' trick !!! let me explain :

Suppose you cash deposit 1000 usd to your account. They'll give you a 'date de valeur' of today +8 days. This means that the money wont be effectively available for use until 8 days have passed !!!

This means that if you did not have any money on your account before the deposit, you wont be able to withdraw any dime from your account until 8 days have passed !!

Even though you've just handed 1000 usd to the teller, she will tell you with a smile (yes they are very polite !!!) that you have nothing on your account!!!!

Bottom line: better keep the cash on you.

And I am not mentioning the mediocrity of their online services (if they exist)

I cant imagine what would a French consumer protection organisation would say about this illegal practice ?? Do you imagine 'UFC que choisir' working in Lebanon ????

Khay it feels so good to bad mouth them !!