ASÍ ES LA VIDA EN EL LÍBANO: El mejor país de medio oriente?

¡Locos! 🇱🇧✨ En este video llegamos al Líbano, un país lleno de contrastes, historia milenaria y una mezcla cultural que nos dejó en shock. Muchos lo consideran el mejor país del Medio Oriente… ¿pero cómo es realmente vivir aquí? 😱🌍

Recorremos sus calles, probamos su increíble comida, exploramos sus paisajes y además, entrevistamos a una libanesa-venezolana, quien nos contó en primera persona cómo es crecer entre dos culturas, y cómo se vive el día a día en este país que ha enfrentado crisis, guerras y aún así sigue en pie con orgullo y corazón. 🏛️🍲🇱🇧🇻🇪

💬 Cuéntanos en los comentarios: ¿Conocías esta cara del Líbano? ¿Te gustaría visitar este país?

📍 Suscríbete, activa la campanita y acompáñanos en esta aventura única por una de las joyas ocultas del Medio Oriente. 🌍🔥

#Líbano #VidaEnLíbano #LibanesaVenezolana #ViajarAlLíbano #DosLocosDeViaje #MedioOrienteSinFiltros

From a beautiful white pebble beach with women in bikinis. I welcome you to another Middle Eastern country . You might think no, but if it’s a bikini, it’s obviously not the Middle East. And yes, travelers. I am in none other than Lebanon. I’ve had the opportunity on this trip to visit Iraq, Iran, Syria, and now Lebanon. But I’ve also previously had the chance to visit the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, and none of the countries I mentioned above bear a hint of resemblance to this one. I’m totally surprised, and I arrived last night. Today I’ve spent two hours touring this country, which is very small, by the way, so in just a few minutes you can go from the sea to the mountains to the city. You can do everything. That’s what I’m going to try to do. I hadn’t planned on coming to this country, so I’m only going to be here for two days, but I’m going to give it a good taste. Venezuelan followers who live here contacted me and said, look, I’m going to take you on a tour of the best of my country in the shortest time possible. These are Lebanese communities that moved to Venezuela a long time ago, and because of the situation in Venezuela, they returned to Lebanon. So, get ready, travelers, and join me on this tour of this tiny Middle Eastern country. Meet Kristel. She’s a travel freak. How are you, Kristel? Great. How are you, Emmanuel? Happy to have you here in Lebanon. Thank you. Thank you so much for writing to me and for taking the time to give us this tour. How long have you been living here in Lebanon? We’ve been here in Lebanon for almost 15 years, 15 years, but I was born in Venezuela, and my parents are Lebanese. And what motivated you to come to Lebanon after, well, 15 years. Well, the situation in Venezuela was already a bit bad, it was already dangerous, and my dad decided to close everything down there and move us to Lebanon because we’re , well, he has Lebanese family, so it was the best option for us to be here. Well, that’s while we’re traveling around this country. You’re going to have more questions about what life is like here. So get ready for everything that’s coming. You’re going to be surprised. You know that, like in most Muslim countries, people greet each other with Salah Malek, but here in Lebanon, a large part of the population is Christian. And they tell me that before being Christian or before being Muslim , they’re Lebanese, so they greet each other differently; they greet each other in three languages. Can you explain that to me? Christian? Well, basically we say, “Oh, what a fax.” I mean, “Hello, how are you?” Fine, fine. We have a mix of English, French, and Arabic because it’s in Arabic and Arabic. So it would be English, Arabic, and French. And well, it’s a mix of all the cultures we have here in Lebanon and all that. I think the beauty of this country is that there was a lot of French influence, a lot of French influence. It’s even Lebanon’s second language. So it’s a super strong language and a very strong influence. And how do they speak English? English too, but not as much as French, given the amount of French influence we have. How amazing. Well, we continue touring Andalusia. Where… Look at this. How interesting. Well, you know this is a country where there’s a lot of religious tourism, and we’re standing outside a church called Nossa Senhora de Peña . Yes, as you’re guessing, it’s in Portuguese. And that’s because Brazil is where there are the most Lebanese in the world, even more than in Lebanon itself. Can you believe that? There are about 8 million Lebanese in Brazil, while here in Lebanon there are only about 6 million inhabitants. And I think that number includes some Syrians and some Palestinians who have had to come here because of the wars in their countries. So you come in, look how beautiful the number of little flowers there are everywhere. We now have Jesus, and over here we have the little chapel where we also have… We have the image of Saint Charbel, one of Lebanon’s main saints. There’s the Virgin Jesus. How beautiful! Help More! We give her the card. Hello? It’s not. It is. No, no. I just left a fossil museum that surprised me a lot because there are stones that they collected from the mountains here in Lebanon and then cut them in half. And you could see sharks, manta rays, octopuses. But it’s impressive that these stones. Well, these fossils have been around for so long and are so well preserved. Nowadays they also sell souvenirs with smaller pieces and such, but I think it’s wonderful that this place exists here. This country has so much history. This image can exemplify a little how these fossils were found. There they go hammering and then the stones had like the figurines of the little fish that remained there, well, petrified because this. A. Quantity. In the middle of the highway, there are these little street vendors called Nahuel in Arabic, and in Spanish, the literal translation is, “Pass it to me.” So, if you get out of the car, they’ll come and help you. They’ll bring you water, coffee, candy. So, come in, show me, Omar, don’t leave. Cris, where did you bring me? I brought you the best place for Arabic sweets in the world. Not just in Lebanon, in the world. Okay, okay. Let’s try some things I think you’ll love, and we’ll go to the kitchen so you can see the whole process and also try some typical dishes from this part of Lebanon, which is a city super-famous for its cuisine. What’s the name of the garden? De Giro, that toaster , these. Tamales. I’ll check them out. When I arrive, one of the moments I enjoy most about traveling is trying the typical food. Besides, you know I’m a huge fan of Arabic food. Right now, we’re going to try a variation on my favorite dish. If you’ve seen the Syrian series, you’ll know it’s guarana or vine leaves. Here, they also make a version called Mal Food with cabbage leaves, but basically, the concept is the same: take the leaf and stuff it with rice and meat, then boil it with lemon, salt, and spices. It’s divine. Let’s try Mal Food. Look at it here, a little roll. Mmm. And it’s so good. And also, look at the little pieces of meat. But look how soft this is. I mean, it falls apart with a fork. I think I could dedicate myself to making only food videos, because it’s truly divine. You don’t know how much I enjoy trying traditional food. Another thing that just arrived is some Arabic meat pizzas that are super traditional, and here we have both versions. This is the most traditional one, which is like a regular wheat dough, and this one is like a puff pastry. I don’t know if you can taste how crunchy it is here, and the most interesting thing about this minced meat is that it’s complemented with a pomegranate sauce. Look at it, here we’re going to pour it on, and this is eaten with your hands, I imagine. Or with a utensil. Okay, let’s try it. Like this. Mmm. Mmm. This is so good. And the amount of meat in it is considerable. It’s very good. Now I’m going to try the puff pastry one. Of course, more pomegranate sauce. And let’s see. Look at this delight. A. A. A. This is a ten out of ten. Kristel, what do we have here? Here we have a dish called Face. It usually has many versions. We have eggplant, chickpea, sardine, shrimp, and, well, you can modify it to whatever you want, but it’s so specific. It’s eggplant. And it’s a dish that consists of yogurt, pine nuts, uh, oil, garlic, and obviously eggplant. The most important thing. So try it and let us know. How does this look? I mean, my mouth is already watering, but… It’s no good. I’ve never tried this before in my life. I mean, not everyone knows about it. I’m telling you, I come from an Arab family, and everything you see here, I ‘ve already tried. Pizza, Guaraní, evil, gossip. I’ve never tried this before. I mean, all the creams, the smoke, the slime, I’ve already fallen in love with it. I’ve even tried it, and I even made it, and it’s delicious. But what you told me about, a frying pan, right? Oh my God, and you can accompany it with a little bit of bread , and like a dip that’s like a piece of bread. What are we going to do there? Like a mini sandwich here with bread and inside. You? How good, this one has like a tomato sauce. It looks like yogurt. The eggplant is very present. No, no. How delicious. Well, if you come to Lebanon. Citizen. A Lebanese restaurant. Good. The pâté is top-notch. Like someone who didn’t want it. Look what the big one arrived. This is my favorite dish in the whole world. Not just Arab food, but from all over the world. And they had told us they didn’t have it. When we arrived, I don’t know if they prepared it right away, but it was quite warm, and while we were eating, everyone else arrived with the simple Guaraní: grape leaves with rice and ground beef inside, but with spices, lemon salt , and a peculiarity that makes it my favorite dish. And here I’m going to disappoint some Arabs who enjoy traditional cuisine: as you can see, here they add lamb, they also make it with beef. In my house, the meat inside is made with beef, but they put layers of pork chop on it. It’s not very common in Arab countries, especially in Muslim-majority countries, because here there is a large Christian community, to eat pork. But well, in Venezuela they know that they eat a lot of pork , and I don’t know if this is a recipe from my family or if the Arabs who moved to Venezuela started it this way, but it’s like my favorite way to eat guarana. Now, if you’re going to talk and try it, bon appétit. Thank you. Wow, it’s so good. And look at this little bit of fat because that’s what gives guarana its flavor. A no is worth it. Ugh, this is so good. The little bit of meat stops. The bread. They don’t want to give us the bill; they’re inviting us, but they brought too much food, too much food. But this is the kindness and generosity of the Lebanese people. Is this your great, your great self? I tell you, I think this has happened to me a lot in various Middle Eastern countries. And no, no, it’s just that if a lady in her little house in the middle of a town shares her food with you or whatever, it’s even a restaurant with as much history as this one has, dating back to 1800, almost 200 years, I’d say. And they come here. Obviously, they also appreciate you showing their place around, but they won’t let you pay. I mean, they won’t let you pay no matter how much you insist. And it’s not just the restaurants, this one here isn’t letting me pay anything either. But if you’re our guest, we can’t. No, no, no, no, but I just don’t like that. I don’t like it, I don’t like being invited, but the truth is, I really appreciate it, I really value it and I’m grateful. Thank you. And obviously, we couldn’t stop delighting in the Arabic sweets. Look at the quantity they brought me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat all of this, and this is just a sampling, obviously the portions. For example, this Kun F, one of the most traditional here, is the size of an entire plate, but anyway, they brought me a little bit here to try . It’s like a sweet pastry with pistachios on top and inside it has either cheese or a custard called hasta. And that custard is like the most famous one here in Tripoli. Very good. That’s good, because it’s not so cloying. Oh, look, you have to add this syrup. Oh, look, no wonder you don’t have to add this syrup if you haven’t already. What are we going to do? How about the syrup? Sugar? Okay. Yeah. Things changed there, it got a little sweeter. Obviously. But no, no, it’s the same. Spectacular. Let’s try this one now that has a little pistachio. Well, a little bit, quite a bit of pistachio. Oh, I liked this pistachio one better than the traditional one. It has a slightly more intense flavor. I don’t even know what to try with a fairly traditional baklava. Here they tell me that unlike in Turkey, in Turkey they add honey like they do with baklava when they make it, while here they add a sugar syrup. The guy told me, “I can’t tell you that it’s the healthiest. What is a little lighter is not as sweet as in Turkey, so we’ll see.” Indeed. I mean, it’s divine. It’s not that sweet. But, well, not at all healthy, obviously. How’s this? This was exactly what we were seeing them preparing for us in there. For those two reasons, I don’t know what. Wow. But everything is too good and I don’t know if it’s for me. I can finish all this now because they’re also giving me the cold shoulder. There are still many things to try, but I love it. I love gastronomy. I think it’s time to continue exploring Lebanon. Look at this place, the paradise of the Eagles , the amount of Hellow Eagles. Wow, wow! This is the Disney of the Arabs. Now, Samantha. It’s such a flavor. We started hitting the streets here in Tripoli to work off some food and see a little bit of what life is like, what the dynamics are like. They tell me that this city or this little town, well Tripoli is like the busiest, is mostly Muslim, where you can get the most. Like, street markets, street vendors. But it’s interesting, you can find some good pieces later, all for five bucks or something like that. Also the Costa Rican eye with lemon, shorts, bags. Look at Prada, all kinds of tights. Look at Prato, they don’t sell Prada here, they sell it cheap here. Help. More. It called me. I’ve seen several gold shops here, and they told me that gold is cheaper in Lebanon than in practically any other country in the world. And correct me if I’m wrong in the comments below. Thank God Valery didn’t come on this trip because otherwise we would have come back with negative balances. No, I’m lying, I’m lying, I would have loved for her to come. But anyway, let’s see if we can get something good, nice for your brother. Cris: In a few words, how would you describe life in Lebanon? Well, life in Lebanon is truly a very relaxed life. It’s a very easy life because you have all the services. I mean, everything arrives super fast. The people are very friendly, I mean, they’re always there to help you. You can do a thousand things in one—I mean, you can visit like ten cities in one day. So this is also something beautiful. You have the best part of Lebanon, which is the beach , and at the same time, in half an hour, you have a mountain where you can ski. So, I mean, this freedom, this diversity that we have, doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world; it’s something that truly makes this country very proud. And well, obviously the mix of cultures, the mix of people, uh, the food, obviously everything. And well, I don’t know, I mean, I would describe it as the best country in the world, I think. I read that they called it the Paris of the Middle East, but you also told me they called it the Switzerland of the Middle East. Why do you think it has that nickname? Of course. Well, because of. Because of our modernity and really, because, as I told you, the, uh, The diversity of cultures. So we have many Christians, but we also have many Muslims. But this mix, this combination, makes the country super- developed, super-civilized, and super-modern. That’s why they call it the Swiss, the Medellín. And if cultural and religious diversity is so great that there are eighteen religious sects present in this country today , it’s in fact written in the Constitution that the president must be a Maronite Christian. The prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim , and then the speaker of Parliament must be a Shiite Muslim, just as there’s a consensus among what in our countries would be the different political parties. Here, obviously, religion greatly influences politics, and for everyone to agree , for everyone to have a vote, for everyone to have a little bit of an opinion, there are the three main ones. But if you ask me today about the other 15 sects, after the three I just mentioned, they also hold positions in the government, but well, lesser positions because they’re religious minorities in the country, but their opinions are taken into account. Wow, a Turkish bath since 1023, that’s more than a thousand years ago. Hey, look how cool this guy is, throwing towels or whatever. I mean, that’s it. We already showed you this experience when we were in Turkey. But basically, you sit and relax while another person comes and bathes you, but they scrub you, like, they take it off. I think all the natural layer of fat that the skin has, well, they completely remove it, and the bath is a bit intense, but it’s a different, fun experience. Here they let us in on what a Turkish bath is. Look, they lay you down there, they massage you, then you sit over here , and with all that water and that punch bowl, they throw the water on you, really hard, and then they scrub you. Look how beautiful this part up here is, and this whole bathroom has like steam coming from the floor, and it’s like, let’s say, a steam sauna. Look, you sit right here. I think the camera is going to fog up at any moment , and there was like a station for each person , and in the same year they can be bathing ten or 15 people at the same time. And look at this. How funny. The man sells coffee with sugar and without sugar. But one is extremely sweet, and the other, well, obviously, has no sugar. Then he asks you if you want it sweet, medium-sweet, or without sugar. And if you ask for it medium-sweet, what he does is mix half and half of each. This one, like in this case. Look, there it’s medium-sweet, a little bitter, and a little sweet. And well, let’s see how my… Well, this isn’t bitter, it’s the following. I mean, it’s like a little bit of coffee in the bitterness and not a little bit of bitterness in the coffee. Because. And here, look at the squid, the little fish, more fish over here, 50 meters away. In the other corridor was the gold market, which, by the way, a curious fact is that most of the gold in Lebanon is 21 karats, not 18 or 24 as I knew it before, but 21. And here, well, look, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish. Here, they eat more beef, of course, lamb, the most eaten. And they even tell me that you can get pork in some places, not in this neighborhood, which is Muslim, but in Beirut, because the shrimp, all the sardines, the salmon around here have Arabic bread. We can go on. I feel like I’m in Catia; there are motorcycles coming here, reason going there. Just now, a kid was doing a wheelie over there. Look at the cars. Literally, people, look, look, look, look, look, he’s doing wheelies. Gosh, this is pretty exotic for a Muslim area specifically, but hey, anything goes in the houses on the street. It’s just that in this religion, you have to be pretty covered up. Like a little bread with cheese, right? With Caesar, with cheese and sesame. And there’s a charcoal grill there. A little bit. The coals to get it hot. And of course, there’s like a little lid that serves as a griddle to flatten it. Where did we come from now? Right now, we’re in Patrón, which is a coastal city. We’re very well-known for its beaches, its restaurants, for its authenticity. I mean, the streets are super old but at the same time very well-maintained, and so they have that modern touch known for the shopping, the food, the beaches , and the little resorts, and right now it’s super trendy for parties too. Well, this is one of the cities that ‘s super trendy right now, so everyone wants to come here. They have a lot of activities, a lot of restaurants , and well, and right now everyone wants to invest in Trump because you have the best of everything: you have the beach and you have the mountains here 15 minutes away. So people are really into this topic. Speaking of investment, Cris talked a little bit about the country’s economy. How much?
A minimum wage, how much money do you need to live well? It’s easy for someone who maybe has a job or no education to, I don’t know, support a family, etc. Of course, of course. Well, the minimum wage right now is approximately $400, $300, or $400 , and these are, let’s call them, Blue Color jobs, more or less. And this, well, everything starts to rise depending on the degree they have, the experience they have, and well, the education obviously and the experience, as I already mentioned, and they can start, they can continue to rise up to about $1,502,000. So that’s why so many people have left Lebanon, because obviously they can’t or can’t start a family, they can’t invest much if they don’t have a foothold abroad or some, uh, source from abroad. So people like to have, like, one foot in and one foot out because of the instability in the country, and more or less how much money is needed to live? How much does rent cost in Beirut, for example? Approximately between $1,000 and $2,000. Okay. So, you can’t live in Beirut on a minimum wage. It’s very difficult. Of course, exactly. Right now, little by little. Well, the situation is improving. We already have a president, which is something we haven’t had for about three years, although this is also attracting many initiatives from abroad that are investing heavily in the country and are going to start giving out clown loans. So that’s going to help. The bank is going to help someone, The State, I mean, everything that has to do with, uh, property, real estate investment, real estate. Well, since we’re in the middle of a graduation, I thought it was a wedding, but it is a graduation. Well, let them invite us to the party. I’m sure they’ll put a small amount at that party, but what can they afford? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Haha, Cris, are we still talking about money? More or less. How much could I spend on rent? Maybe outside of Beirut, rent outside of Beirut can go down a little more to around $800, but almost a quarter. Okay, so it’s still super difficult. One thing you need to know about Lebanon is that many people, uh, have houses from their grandparents, from their parents , and this all stays within the family, so that helps a lot for people who don’t have a house yet, but the family does have one, of course, and roughly how much would you spend on food? Well, supermarkets, I think you can survive well on about $400 a month just for supermarkets. It might be a little less clear, except for some luxury items and for restaurants and things like that, you need to increase the budget a little more, but you can spend approximately $600-$800 on restaurants and bars alone. Cris, and just now you mentioned something to me about having had three years without a president. Can you explain a little more about that? Of course, since the country’s situation was a bit bad, the president is chosen by Parliament here, so Parliament has to reach a quorum or an anonymous decision so they can, uh, so we can have a president. Obviously, with outside pressure, too. Thank God, this year they were able to reach an agreement, and well, we already have a president, and we see many improvements for this year. Thank God, God willing, amen, amen. And walking through the streets, we ran into the president. What’s his name? His name is Joseph Font, and he’s, of course, a Maronite Christian. Maronite? Of course. It was him. He was the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces. Okay, okay. Look at this little plaque on one of the walls in the plaza where there’s a before-and-after photo. Now, look, it’s even nicer than that after-dinner bar because, as you can see, it has little tables, more flowers, trees , and this neighborhood is called the diaspora. It’s basically Lebanese families. Well, they’ve already emigrated and lived abroad, and they sort of contributed to rebuilding this neighborhood. So yes, there are Lebanese, Russians, Lebanese, Americans, etc., etc. From a rather hidden and simple place on one of the corners of this place. What do you eat? Divine? You’re going to try the chocolate brioche with excitement. So, they cut it for us right now, they chopped it so we could all share it, but please look at the chocolate and if you can. I mean, I wish you could taste how soft it is. Kristel, you’re perfect for a Lebanese blogger. Yes, yes, yes, I should. Okay, but first, bon appetit, right? Hahaha. Okay. Mmm. It’s spongy. I mean, super, super soft. Mmm. And it’s not so cloying. Divine. It has, like, the perfect chocolate. It seems a little like a panettone to me, but obviously sweeter and warmer. No, it’s not that cold, room temperature, like I don’t know how panettone is , but it’s divine. Enjoy your meal, Sartén Sucre, hahaha. Look at the spectacular view from this church! Me. I must admit I’m really surprised by the beauty of Lebanon. Yeah. I expected it to be a spectacular country. Especially because in the rest of the Middle Eastern countries I’ve visited, everyone talks about it. No, we go to Lebanon to party, we go on vacation to Lebanon if we want to ski, if we want to go to the beach, if we want to relax. Lebanon is our country. Despite the recent conflicts it’s gone through historically, it’s been a good vacation country in the Middle East, but I didn’t imagine seeing such beauty and, above all, such authenticity. You go to countries, for example, like the United Arab Emirates, and it’s true that it’s a lot of luxury, but it’s like a generic, exaggerated luxury. Here, just like in Iran, those who watched that series really seem to me to appreciate the number of flowers, the structure, the design, not the most luxurious or the most hippie, but rather its own particular style, and that truly fascinates me. We’ve already visited three towns today, and they all have their own particular charm. This visit to Lebanon was really short for me, but it’s an excuse to come back. And of course, with little Cris. We’re almost at the end of this tour, and I still have a couple of questions for you. The first is, what do you like most about living in Lebanon? The kindness of the people, 100%. The warmth of the people. I love that, the generosity and all that. Well, look, I want to emphasize this here, since you mention it, because I totally agree with you, not only here in Lebanon, but in the Middle East. The people are super kind and are willing to give you even what they don’t have, but especially with you, I mean, you and your father. The kindness of the Lebanese blends with the kindness of the Venezuelans , and it truly is a wonderful combination. I am very grateful for the visit and for everyone who has shown me this today. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible. Of course. Now I value it greatly. Is there anything you don’t like or would change about life in Lebanon? Yes, well, unfortunately, I would change it. I mean, the politics, because it’s very complicated and they really aren’t helping us, but rather setting the country back. And we want to move forward, and we want it to be a country that everyone can visit and see not just the bad, but all the good. Don’t you miss Venezuela? Cris. But I love Venezuela too. There’s nothing like Venezuela. Yes, yes, I love Venezuela, and… And well, I have the… I mean, I am blessed to live between the two most beautiful countries in the world , which are Venezuela and Lebanon. Honestly, so, well, thank you for that, and thank you for your time and for coming with us and seeing Lebanon through our eyes. Well, thank you again for watching this video and for bringing us here, because the Lord was quite hidden here, but He was present all day. He was the pioneer, wasn’t he? Alex, the historian, I mean, he knows a lot about these countries , and I’m truly grateful, Jorge Aprender. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Your visit again. Of course. Many Latin Americans are waiting for you here. Amen. Amen. Amen.