5 Annoying Things About Living Outside Beirut (In The Mountains)

We all love the mountains—they’re the perfect weekend escape during the hot summer months and a relaxing place to be when you are fed up with the chaos of Beirut. But when you are actually living in the mountains and having to commute into the city every day, it’s a different story– annoying on a good day, a nightmare on a bad. Here are the five most aggravating things about living outside the capital:

Image by Mehr Shafiei

1. Fewer Food Delivery Options

I start with this one because as someone who orders food all the time, having fewer delivery options is like watching The Bachelor with only one contestant. It gets boring, really quick.

2. Where did the sidewalks go?

Some mountain towns have no sidewalks! I guess it doesn’t matter if you only drive, but if you are a lowly pedestrian, a simple morning walk along the street can feel like walking a tightrope over a busy intersection.

3. Internet speed is the worst

If you think Internet is slow in Beirut, just come to the mountain towns. It’s slow. So, so slow. Its slower than the lines during a sale at H&M.

4. Crazy Driving

Living in the mountains is like living in the Wild Wild West—it seems anything goes with respect to traffic laws. You know you are in the mountains when you can’t find any speed bumps, fewer street lights, fewer stop signs, and bigger potholes.

5. When the wadi becomes a garbage dump

Yes, its true. When you live in the mountains you might have to get used to your neighbor just throwing their sewage down the street. It’s especially bad in the winter.