Al Bustan Beirut

Any
plans I may have had to blog about how Beirut is a place that has
divorced itself from its past were quickly left to the same fate as
the first abandoned and bullet scared building we saw. This was sill
only in the hills behind the city itself but the signs of the bloody
civil war were still all too evident. But at the same time yo can't
help but be drawn into gazing at the many beautiful new homes on
green hills falling ...

... the road on either side, but most belonged to Hezbollah and Amal, another Shi’ite party. Corroborating the extremist position, a minority of the posters depicted martyrs and suicide martyrs who have died fighting (and terrorizing) Israel. These signs are easily recognizable by their sun-faded colors and pictures of grim men and sometimes teenagers staring blankly into the divine distance. But the vast majority of Hezbollah posters - and almost all of the new ones recently ...

... cavern.  I read that during the Civil War, the caverns were used to store ammo but it was cleared out and then opened to the public in 1995. Back in the car, we headed to Faraya.  This is "the" place to ski!  I was happy to see snow and we could see it all the way up the mountains as we twisted and turned to get there.  We took, basically, a one way road to get up to the ski area-what a zoo that was.  It seemed like there ...

... We were 4 open minded guys so we listened. He was actually a very interesting guy and it was obvious that he was highly intelligent. We ended up having 2 separate conversations with the guy that lasted about 30-45 minutes each. All of us were engaged in the conversation but none of us really agreed with some of the major points he the man was trying to "teach" us. He did give us a tip though. He said Armageddon was fast approaching. He predicted that we ...

... way of knowing at the start how trying it was going to get. I'd booked a transfer to Amman airport from the hotel to make life easier and was joined by a very cute Yeman-based Canadian guy which was a lovely start to the day. The transfer driver asked where we were going and when I told him Lebanon, he asked if I watched the news. I reassured him I was staying in the north of Lebanon, all of the problems were in the south, near the Israel border. He didn't seem to like my answer ...

... and I guess didn't think to ask, learned that 3 of the 4 pools were closed, along with the beach, apparently in order to create a peaceful working environment for the two guys at the far end disinterestedly pushing sand around with a sifter, Hilary was charged something like $14 for towels and water (towels!) and breakfast turned into an Abbott and Costello sketch complete with hijinks, misunderstandings and bumbling waiters. The capper was the armed guard who didn't want to let us ...

... through the eerie ghost-town that was the downtown area; but this was Gemmayzeh - nightlife central - at peak time on a Friday night. Undeterred, however, we hit up a few bars along the strip and went about our personal missions of drunken fun. All in all we had a really fun night out (mainly thanks to each others' company), but we couldn't help feeling like we'd missed out on the true Beirut nightlife experience, and were left to wonder just how long it will take ...

... a bit too fast and jump out of their cars only to throw the keys at the valet. Obnoxious. Then they sit outside without talking and glance at themselves in the windows. I know I'm generalizing, but sheeesh! Perhaps this is my response to a more western culture after being in the real Middle East for several weeks? Naaa. In any case, it was the right decision to take the free 48-hour visa and head back to Damascus, which I'll do ...

... to visit Baalbek. You climb quickly above Beirut through hillsides covered with high rise apartments and plastic greenhouses growing the endlessly needed tomatoes. Only twenty minutes outside Beirut (or two hours by bus) you have climbed as high as the winter ski fields. The temperature is balmy now in the middle of the day but the snow is still inches deep on the ground although brilliant red Flanders poppies are beginning to break through the crusted earth. Down ...

... dryers 3.Live out of a suitcase of all the wrong clothes. (Not dressy enough) 4.Mix culture shock, jet lag and time change with meeting your fiances family for the first time.. 5.And get terribly sick your first week. Follow all of these steps, and you too can achieve being out of your element! Haha : )