The main thing The Idiot noticed when he MedTrekked through different countries on the Mediterranean Sea was the state of the seaside and beaches. A stroll from Syria to Gaza along the waterfront in Lebanon and Israel five years ago this month illustrated one notable coastal contrast that differentiates the two countries.
Although the seashore is generally flat and easy-to-walk in both countries, the beaches in Lebanon are generally more dirty and polluted than those in Israel.
Garbage and trash are virtually everywhere on the Mediterranean seaside in Lebanon.
Typical beach garbage found all over Lebanon’s Mediterranean seaside.
Squalid living conditions, like these ramshackle homes primarily for refugees in Ouzai south of Beirut, are not uncommon on the coast of Lebanon.
The MedTrek towards the Lebanon/Syria border on a rural beach. (Photo: Maurice)
A stretch of clean coast in Lebanon between Tripoli and Enfeh.
A delicious beach south of Tyre, Lebanon.
Israeli beaches, in contrast, look almost pristine in comparison.
A stretch of beach in northern Israel south of Netanya.
A shipwreck south of Haifa is the largest piece of garbage seen on a beach in Israel.
One reason that beaches in Israel are cleaner than those in Lebanon is because there numerous containers for plastic and glass.
Bathers on a beach in Israel.
Communal tents and long talks were the mode on Israel’s beaches during the Feast of the Tabernacles (Sukkot) holidays this autumn.
A piece of furniture on a beach near Ashdod, Israel.
Naturally security precautions are obvious on beaches in both countries.
A not-too-serious fence on a beach in Israel on the MedTrek towards Gaza. (Photo: Michael Knipe)
A serious fence stretching into the Mediterranean indicated a military firing range in Israel that closed the coast to MedTrekkers for seven kilometers.
Military facilities frequently make it difficult to walk on the coast in Lebanon.
Is this lookout near Beirut, Lebanon, meant to make MedTrekkers feel secure?
Read more about The Idiot’s 20-year walk around the Mediterranean Sea in The Idiot and the Odyssey trilogy of travel narratives available on amazon.
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