Grand Versailles (Executive) Beirut

... couple about mid 70s sat down across from me and the woman was attempting to erase decades by wearing a black miniskirt and spiked heels. One would think that after 70+ years of living, she would acquire some sense of decency but nope. Not her. <br><br>This beauty flying to Newcastle kept her legs spread wide open for 30 minutes and continued to scratch down there as she shifted back and forth in the chair. I guess she needed airing out or something ...

... one of Beirut&#8217;s several dilapidated and abandoned synagogues by police. It was a day of many photo deletions and frantic apologies. <br><br><br>On the other hand, I have never met a people so in love with life. I learned that lesson countless times with the many friends I met during my stay. But I learned it first after I just arrived in Lebanon. After settling into my hotel, I felt the inexorable pull of the ocean and meandered my way to the Corniche. Passing by the American ...

... comes infront of him from a laybye or somethin, vinny swerves to miss him and gets as mad as a hatter and chases they other guy (which we shall name baldy due to his lack of hair) until he is window to window with him and snarls at him to pull over which he does. Vinny then grabs this ****in huge stick with a knot of wood at the end which my dad would call a shalleighly (i dunno if its a word but imagine summat pretty menacing) and runs to baldys bus calling him out and ...

... used to drive an ambulance for the Red Cross during the civil war in Lebanon. I cant imagine the things he must have seen while he held that job. He also lost his brother (who was a soldier for Hezbollah) during one of the wars with Israel. Anyhow, he had quite a few interesting stories to tell us. What made it all work out was that although the guy spoke no English, he spoke perfect French. So we were able to communicate all day long. It made it so much more ...

... streets where I could have reached out either side of the taxi and shook people's hands. After 20 minutes stuck in the mouth of an alley (some people were trying to get into the airport and the streets could not take 2 cars!) the sreets became slightly wider and I started to notice more of my surroundings. We passed buildings where you could see where bullets had been fired into the concrete, another that had maybe been shelled (half the building was still standing) and lots ...

... to shoulder and dancing between the tables with everyone else. Apparently my moves were a bit rusty and, quote, terrible, so Laynni decided to shut me down. Not that her favourite dance is anything to brag about, the one where she approaches you with slow menacing thrusts of her pelvis, and either starts or ends with a involuntary shake much like a pee shiver. Unfortunately, Beirut was where we parted ways with the rest of the crew. Getting a chance to stay with Barry and Sheena ...

... returned with a hobble, announcing that she thought she'd broken her back. So, as Orphee stood there awkwardly, as if he'd just spent a night in a Turkish prison, and as Nancy lay on the ground unable to move for 30 minutes, I lost all stomach for the jump. I instead contented myself by watching the crazy locals diving from all sorts of high and precarious positions. Very impressive. With our return to Damascus imminent, we decided to gorge ourselves on one last fast ...

... the first thing I haven't liked at all. UGH! So sour! But, I tried it right? We set about getting the verses on the wall. I put John 3:16 inside the dove. Taped off lines, penciled if out and painted it on with the weird turpentine paint. Gave me a little headache and made me dizzy! We poured the extra paint down the toilet, which actually made me nauseous but what can you do? Daveput a verse from Hebrews around the cross and Ed ...

... white crossed wood and barbed wire barricades. Young, young men in mountain camouflage fatigues and cherry red berets man the barriers, so habituated to their automatic weapons that they use them for shoulder stretches and bicep curls. In deference to the prevailing peace the APCs on the street corners still have the covers on their turret guns. Downtown is being, via assistance from massive international debt write-off, completely restored (actually they're trying ...

... top of one of downtown Beirut's fairly exclusive hotels, the club is an ultra modern, open-roofed club where the rich, richer, and richest go to be seen. We pulled up to the valet parking just behind a shiny new Ferarri and in front of several Porches and Range Rovers. Once we made it up to the terrace, it was a visual buffet of beautiful people who know they're beautiful. The place even has a private pool and hottub on the 2nd level of the rooftop terrace that can be ...