My latest walk in the wilderness (randonnee) to Majdal Tarshish (province of Meten, Lebanon)
Posted on: October 26, 2025
It is a Thursday in mid-October. Wonderful weather. Sunny, dry and a refreshing wind at 1300 m altitude in the wilderness.
Doudou picked me up at 8 as usual. It was a 40 minutes’ drive. We parked the car by a shop for safety of any vandalization of the car. On our way back we purchase produce from the land in that shop: tomato, large lettuce (almost as tall as tiny trees), apple…
We walked half a mile on the main road and took a side path, climbing back to the side road. We walked again for about 300 meters, and I decided for a loop instead of backtracking on the same trail.
Thus, we climbed a rather steep trail amid the high cliffs. Doudou was patient as usual and allowed me to take short breathing breaks. We reached a flat large and long platform. We met with a goat herder with his son Sale7. They were handling 450 goats and 10 dogs..
These goats were to end their journey at the “Triangle” water retainer (a location where 3 trails biforked). The water retainer as two others were almost dry. The goats descended a steep and dangerous ravine in the deep square, surrounded on all side by high cliffs. I guess the dogs did not attempt this dangerous descent and the shepherd was looking from a high place.
This location is called Fouwar Dara or Houwara Dara. A team of speliologue discovered this deep grotto, the second deepest water reservoir in Lebanon. The coloring reaching Fawar Antellias, more than 40 km downstream.
Not surprisingly, a quarrel was functioning very close to that grotto. This is the pseudo State of unlawful Lebanon.
Another grotto called Katteen Azaar was discovered in Aintoura (in the same region). The story is that a bird hunter was following the trail of a bird and stumbled on the grotto. The team of speliologue around did not have their required equipment. The next day they entered this majestic grotto. Also, the coloring reach Fawar Antellias but no connection was discovered between these two webs of underwater currents.
After watching the entrance of the grotto, we moved on to the Triangle location. We met with three bird hunters with no dogs, shooting from their parked cars and trucks. I did not see any flying bird, but there was plenty of shooting. I guess these lazy hunters will not venture in the bushes to retrieve any sad and sore bird.
We walked an agricultural road and witnessed vast lands producing parsley, lettuce and green beans…
We stopped at Hawi pizzeria in Dhour Chweir and ordered to go 3 mankoush. Doudou met an old friend at this pizzeria the sculptor Tabsharani from Chweir with an atelier in Khonshara. This sculptor had a long white beard like Santa Claus (Papa Noel).
We drove to the bakery, a mile on the road to Klay3aat. This bakery has special bread “sage” that is soft and does not mold even outside the fridge for a week and the crust is also soft.
I arrived at 1:30 loaded with many foodstuffs that should last me a week. I had a nap of 2 hours. had a quick light lunch and then drove with my sister to visit my brother Ghassan who lost his wife Diane 5 days ago.
Adonis Diaries 
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