Habtoor Grand Hotel Convention Center And Spa Beirut

... public transportation; there is no way to walk around; it's just miles and miles and miles of highrise hell. The few sidewalks that do exist are a foot and a half high and every 15 feet or so you have to step up or down. Doing a stairmaster workout in the humidity was not my idea of fun and honestly the city was just absolutely filthy and unappealing so I cut my losses and decided to move on.

So this is the Paris of the Middle East? Whatever. At ...

... or something, when Bashir woke him up and asked him to serve Ariel Sharon, who was bringing Israeli troops to Beirut! It was incredibly interesting and one of the few political conversations I had here. His brothers have been in the USA for the last 20 years or so and started a hummus company in New Hampshire but he can't bring himself to leave Lebanon, despite his hatred for political insecurity and love for Disney World.
The next day was more of the same - I visited some ...

... HUMMER driving down a narrow street), going out drinking (and recovering the next day), taking a trip to Shatilla, a palestinian refugee camp here in Beirut, where we had an awesome time, were shown around, given coffee and nargileh and were blown right away by these amazing Palestinians who were so welcoming and generous and wanted to show and tell us so much....what else? We went on a day trip north to Ehden, which is up in the mountains and looked around the lovely churches it ...

... well. At about 7 pm, we jumped into a small city bus on its way to the refugee camp. I really did not know what to expect. I had images of a massive open field with makeshift tents everywhere and Palestinian people struggling to get by with their daily lives. When we got to Shatillia, I quickly realized that my image of a refugee camp was totally wrong. It was actually a neighborhood - a very run down one. Old and poorly maintained buildings defined the area. I could probably ...

... and the gıant Brıtısh bloke by the name of Tom, went out for a nıght on the town. These clubs were somethıng else. We trıed to get ınto one on the rooftop, but reservatıon only was the story of the nıght! They couldn't even be entıced by 'We are foreıgners wıth alot of money to blow'. The clubs are exclusıve just lıke LA. Fınally after talkıng to 3 or 4, we came to a ...

... friendly kids offering to do it for me - I'd already had enough of a day without some kid on a scooter making off with all my clothes) and started walking. We walked for about 15 minutes, then crossed a patch of road covered in smouldering ash. It looked like someone had been burning matteresses, since there were little metal wires all mixed in with the ash. We walked about another 10 minutes with the kids darting in and around us on scooters, or walking alongside us and chatting ...

... pariah state, our collective bellies were shamefully craving staple Western junk. We started out with Nando's then headed to Starbuck's for coffee and dessert - Western **** has never tasted so good! Bellies full, we took a taxi to the extensively redeveloped downtown area. Once there, it really became apparent for the first time that Beirut is still feeling the effects of last year's war between Israel and Hizbullah. Though the Israeli bombing campaign targeted Hizbullah ...

The Greeks called it Heliopolis, originaly called Baalbek but either way Lebanon's number one historic attraction had a lot to live upto. I'm still to be convinced if visiting Baalbek on a day trip from Beirut was a good idea, I had intended to stay the night after partying in Beirut Thursday night. But that was my Naivety thinking that the Lebanon would be working to a Muslim working week rather than a Christian Saturday and Sunday break. So with ...

Just a quick note from a smokey internet cafe in lebanon. the sights here become increasingly more beautiful as days pass. I will for sure have many pictures to post once I return to addis. We were supposed to go to Baalbek today but for unforseen reasons couldn't venture out of the city. It's better maybe to take a chill day and stock up on all western goods I won't be able to get in Addis. i do miss "home ...

... experience. You seem to take your life in your hands. As far as I can work out, the general principle seems to be - if you can get in front, the it's the car behind's responsibility not to hit you. This applies at roundabouts, junctions, crossroads, and even to pedestrians, who appear not to be thought of very highly. And traffic lights? I never saw any cars stop for red lights. Many accelerated straight through them. Crossing roads really is just a case of being brave enough to ...