Day 27

A view of Lake Qaroun at 6 AM this morning.

We crossed over from Aitanite to the environs of the town of Qaroun via the dam’s retaining wall. The fields of wheat and flowers are shoulder high.

We came upon a valley, nestled between 2 hills that had many different crops juxtaposed: olives, grapevines, wheat, almonds and potatoes. Joseph Karam told me that the grapes here are the best edible grapes in the country. We stopped briefly at Kawkaba for water and refreshments. Our exhausting 24km trek ended with a 1000 m uphill to the historic town of Rashaya.

This is where the president and prime minister were imprisoned before the independence.

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