Rafting. This guy was the less helpfull I have ever seen on a boat. The most funny too...

It all began with a 10’s shots contest. I loosed.

Gilbert is the co-owner of the Lakay, one of the best bar of Gemmayzeh, a place I have explored with Pierre, a French journalist who had already spent one month in Beirut. We met Omar, his roommate, friend and business partner this same evening.

I was already hanging around with a group of nightlife-travelers, mostly French, as Sylvain and Adeline, the Parisian/Portuguese Maria, but also Huida from Argentina and Richard, Armenian/British documentaries-maker. Each of those people deserved a Portrait, but well, lets be reasonable, once. No more 3 pages articles anymore.

Shade stop next to a phenician ruin

This shots contest was just the opening of an amazing week end. Lets do it short, but with those two Lebanese guys, you are welcome everywhere, everything is just possible. Except sleeping. Behind the closed doors of the bar, Lakay became a dance floor. Rising sun? “ »Let’s go to a private beach. “Tired of the swimming pool?” Back to the bar, till it’s closed, then nightclub, VIPs of course. One time. Twice. “Ready for rafting?” (Rafting? Drunk and out of sleep since three days?) Of Course We Are!

Beirut’s nights are impressive. Ours were unbelievable. Cause its didn’t stop with sunrise.

As it was too dark to take good images in this place, I just "borrowed" this one on Facebook... Pity work

As sharing nights in discos is not the best place to talk, I know them little to little. They don’t have a car, but easily borrow ones. They manage a company , Skyline Extreme Sports: paragliding, diving, caving,… A friendly business linked to the bar, also. But still, Omar gets three jobs to pay bills. He won’t complain. Always laughing, he is the only one able to sing and dance after 72’s hours partying, when we can barely found enough neurons to order our bodies to stand up. Speaking about dancers, take a look to Gilbert. See him in action must be the best attraction of the bar. Flying from a table to an other one, speaking to  customers, chatting with girls, checking lights, playlists… Those two have more energy than a nuclear reactor, and believe me, Beirut needs it.

Between two counters, we spent few time to their flat. In Hamra, the most expensive streets of Lebanon. But here they share the same room… Here night goes on… quietly. Drinking last vodkas. Smoking some “Lebanese tobacco” (don’t misunderstand: this is legal. But special.). Joking about anything. Talking friendly. Gilbert is singing scouts songs, in French. Christian Cross on a necklace. “Don’t speak about politics, man”.

A French affliction…

Nobody needs it here.

* by “Brother”, understand -in Lebanon- two guys involved in a tight connection. A tight tight one. Ok, directly involved in a man/man relationship. I swear this title is just a joke.