Le Bristol Beirut

... city to check out here in Damascus. It's ok Beirut was a bust...I am more interested in Syria and I am getting a great reception everywhere I turn. Except at that van office of course. But you can't say that is a Syrian problem..I've traveled the globe and taxis will try to rip anyone and everyone off. That is about all that is consistent across the world and that is why I avoid them whenever I can. I will report back later what I find in this loud, crowded, vibrant city.

... should really re-think their decision; honestly, the people are very friendly and easy going. After lunch I went back to the hotel and waited for Ahmed and Chuck to come back from the Bank. I waited for 2 hours for them until I finally just gave in and figured I'd better get a cab if I wanted to see anything cultural. So I got a cab ride in a Mercedes and went to check out two places, Harissa and the Geitta cave. Holy ****! The first place was the cave, wow is ...

... vertus) et le doute. Car honnêtement, le charme de cet incroyable îlot de richesse au milieu d'un moyen orient aux accents plutôt ruraux, trouve assez rapidement les limites propres à tout édifice artificiel massif. Un bloc de béton, tout aussi agréable qu'il soit, est un bloc de béton. La critique est facile, et je ne m ...

... were going to join me. I am looking forward to it. Before I went to bed, I thought about what a crazy night it was. First I went to the Palestinian Refugee Camp where I saw so many people living in some pretty horrible conditions. Immediately after that, I went out to a bar that was less than 10 kms away from the camp. Here, you saw the other extreme - people who could afford to buy expensive drinks, drive fancy cars and wear designer clothes. There was something wrong with that. Dino Vagabond

... drinks there and then headed to a club called Crystal. It was nice but we only stayed there for one drink. After that we went to BO18 and then later in the night, or early in the morning, we stopped by Silicon but also didn't stay there too long. It was a nice club-hopping night, as I had wanted to check out as many different places in Beirut as possible. The next day LuAyy and I wanted to go to Je'itta Grotto, which is two supposedly ...

... exception to the rule]. It's ****ed up to say so, but it's the idea of killing all these cool, vibrant, young people that made the tragedy of Lebanon real to me. I think that, unfortunately, people instinctually care more deeply about the lives of those they can identify with. And I can identify with these rich, Western-styled kids. You know, except for the cool part. They don't want any part of a civil war, but here they are, on the brink, dancing.

... carnage with a destroyed bridge on my left, a destroyed apartment block on my right and the burnt-out wreck of an exploded car in front of me. It was certainly the most memorable shisha-smoking session I've ever had. Eventually, after about two hours they escorted us to a main street and put us in a taxi back to the civilisation of the north. As we left they said simply, and without a trace of irony, "we hope you liked south Beirut"! And with that we headed back to the hotel.

... similar looking notes), the same goes for the car number plates, again most the countries have almost identical plates. Now Lebanon has a natty "EU-esk" blue strip on the left! All coincidence? I don't know. The following day I passed through what was the "green line" which remains significantly more harrowing. Along this road almost every building was at least pot-holes with bullet and mortar wounds, many of these buildings still ...

... and slopes made it hard for Steven to concentrate on his meal, but true to form, Naji once again proved that the Lebanese people very much deserve their favorable culinary reputation. In addition to a scrumptious buffet replete with all the splendors of our previous Lebanese meals, this particular restaurant boasted a very large selection of traditional deserts. As we watched the last skiers gracefully swish down the nearby piste we learned to appreciate the subtle sweetness ...

well, here i am on the road again, even if only on holiday this time. this is my first foray into the middle east, and its certainly a very exciting time to be in lebanon. i arrived on saturday, and have spent my first few days in beirut, pounding the pavement - ive covered a lot of distance! one of the first sites i saw was the former holiday inn, one of the most visible reminders of the the civil war which lasted for seventeen years from 1975. its ...