Seeking Refuge In Istanbul

7th May (Wed): I arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport from Amsterdam @ 2230hrs, waiting to catch the last leg of my flight back to Beirut. Dreading the tons of emails and reports I have to clear at work the next day since my 2 weeks long vacation to Netherlands & Belgium. As SOMETHING & I approached the departure gate, waiting in line for the security check, we noticed that the departure screen states that our flight to Beirut has been CANCELLED. We then headed to the transit desk to find out what happened. As we approached the transit desk, we saw close to 20 or more people crowding around the counter, demanding to fly to Beirut the same night. Later did we learn that the Beirut airport as well as roads leading in & out of the airport has been closed and there was no way anyone was gonna get to Beirut that night. After 2~3 hrs of waiting around for luggages and hotel arrangements at the airport, the 'refugees' heading to Beirut were finally placed in RAMADA Hotel at Istanbul Old City to spend the night while waiting out the situation in Beirut.

Anti-government rioters burn tyres on the main road leading to Beirut's international airport May 7, 2008. Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition blocked main roads in Beirut with burning barricades.

(Source: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

8th May (Thu): Situation in Beirut only got worse. Most of my expat colleagues together with their families were being evacuated to Syria at around 1800hrs. However, 2 of my colleagues (a 63yr old Jap & a 37yr old Colombian) were left behind. Both colleagues were staying in Hamra (also the area I'm residing in), in fact, the Colombian stays in the same apartment as me. On the night of 8th May, this Colombian colleague went to a pub near our apartment and later heard gunshots and bombs outside. The shootings and bombings lasted the whole night as my colleague and the rest of the people in the pub stayed behind locked doors until the next morning.

Lebanese soldiers patrol Hamra Street, a normally vibrant commercial strip in a mainly Sunni area during clashes in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 9, 2008. Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized nearly all of the Lebanese capital's Muslim sector from Sunni foes loyal to the U.S.-backed government on Friday following the country's worst sectarian clashes since the bloody 15-year civil war.
(Source: AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, we were advised by the airlines that the Beirut airport was still closed and we either stay one more night at the hotel and see what happens the next day, or we could fly to another destination of our choice or head back to where we came from which was Amsterdam in our case. SOMETHING & I chose to stay in Istanbul for another night since we could continue our vacation in Istanbul in a way, but really, we weren't quite in the mood and spent most of our time watching the news and smsing colleagues in Beirut, worried abt their safety.



9th May (Fri): My Colombian colleague was being accompanied back to the apartment by the pub's staffs... though there were losta men with arms along the streets, they were allowed to pass without much trouble. But when my colleague arrived at the apartment, he was quickly guided to the underground gym where the rest of the tenants were taking refuge.
Apparently, the owner was afraid the random shootings in the streets could get thru the windows and hurt someone, therefore, everyone was brought to the basement. In the evening, when the shootings and bombings along Hamra finally subsided, my colleague hitched a ride from a random american girl he met at the apartment and made their way across the borders to Syria. He has now safely arrived at our office in Syria. His episode made me wonder what would have happened if I didn't go on a vacation or if I had arrived back in Beirut a day earlier... the same could have happened to me... *shudder*

A Shiite opposition gunman fires a rocket propelled grenade during clashes with pro-government supporters in a street in Beirut. Hezbollah fighters, their guns blazing, have seized control of west Beirut after three days of street battles with pro-government foes pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war.

(Source: AFP)

Back in Istanbul, all the 'refugees' had to make a decision as to where they wanna go cos the airlines will only pay for 2 nights accomodation max. From then, we had to make our choice; whether we wanna stay in Istanbul, or fly to somewhere else. Several Lebanese on this flight chose to fly to Jordan, take a coach to Syria, then try to enter Lebanon from there. I guess these people had something to return to in Lebanon.

For SOMETHING, myself & some of the other foreigners who were heading to Beirut for vacation, we chose to stay in Istanbul. SOMETHING & I are lucky that we have a distributor in Turkey as well. So we called up the Turkey office yesterday and they made all the necessary arrangements for us. Only problem was that F1 is here for the weekends and the hotels are extremely packed. But our distributor managed to book 2 rooms for the same hotel we are staying at till Monday, then they will probably shift us to a better hotel (althou, the current hotel is really not too shabby).

Our current plans is to stay in Istanbul till further notice from the company. I suppose we'll eventually either head to Syria where the rest of the expats are, or fly to Algeria and continue working from there till things get better in Lebanon.

For now, I guess I've to live with a pair of jeans, 5 tees, a pair of sneakers and no laptop till I'm able to return to Beirut (a place I once call home).

Meanwhile, all of you back home treasure the ever so secure Singapore... cos really... nothing beats going home knowing you & your loved ones are safe.

XOXO