Marble Tower Hotel Beirut

(SIM) Beirut is one of those cities that subliminally slips under your skin; it's an itch that has to be scratched, every corner has you eager to explore it further, and every conversation leaves you with just one more question that has to answered! The city has a resounding pulse that remains unperturbed by its troublesome past. It's vibrant, alive and chic, yet it's rich in a history that is ever present.

Beirut is a city of contrasts, the desolate war-torn ...

... but still a bit nipply. We were on our way to the caves but Chuck’s car was having some issues, so we took it in to a local repair shop and he needed to get his oil changed. No 10 minutes here, it took a good hour or so. Anyway, all cars in this auto shop were either BMW’s or Mercedes, it’s sick! And there are a lot of kids that are driving some nice ass cars that they can’t even comprehend the value of cash… oh well, wish I had that problem…lol ...

... I got to the Bain Militaire. So I did this and someone pointed me in the right direction. Next door to the military retreat was the private club I was looking for. Unfortunately, it took me about another 45 minutes to find them. I was looking for them on the beach but they were relaxing by a beautiful pool. I joined them as soon as I found them. I really enjoyed the afternoon. I needed some down time. I am in a phase where I don't want to do any ...

Thursday, June 19, 2008 The first leg of my vacation was definitely the worst: I left my friend Andrew's apartment where I was staying at around 6:30 AM and left Amman, Jordan at about 7:00 by service taxi. I arrived at the Syrian border probably by around 8:30, my taxi cab driver and the other passengers left me rideless at around 10, and I left the border with another taxi driver (after sadly telling the Syrian border guards about my dire situation and them ...

... considering all the troubles the country has been subjected to. Our hotel is in the Hamra district, right across from the entrance of the American University of Beirut which is called the Harvard of the Middle East, and that also adds to the aura of urbanity. Lebanon used to be called the Switzerland of the Middle East, and Beirut was called the Paris of the Middle East. That was said more often before their civil war which went on and off and on and ...

... technique worked like a charm except for the fact that i was only able to get a visa for 48 hours. I tried to negotiate some extra days, but the guy was a bit like the soup nazi and stated firmly "You have 48 hours!!!". I did not pursue the matter further and said to myself that i'll make the best of the next 2 days. Once the bus entered Lebanon, I thought it would be wise to start ...

... per Dave's request, and I tried to play it with some of the younger students whose English is not as good yet. Let's just say it didn't go over so well! Oh well, we tried. Back to Hamara and NEST for postcards from a bookstore. Ed and I walked down to Bliss Street and checked out the American University of Beirut campus. I got a crepe and we walked back in the rain, managing to miss our turn and having to walk an extra 2 blocks in a downpour!

... geography this smaller temple was extremely well preserved. With the exception of a few crumbled sections and a few missing roof panels, the temple to the most hedonistic of gods had definitely stood the test of time. Original paint is still evident on many of the temple's interior walls and the level of detail preserved in the temple's carved stone walls is amazing. Somehow, even the structure's acoustics have been well maintained because several vocal performances have ...

... guns! ive seen the american university of beirut campus - its set on a hill, so great views out over the med, and also visited the national museum, which houses some great artefacts, many of which survived the civil war in tact, due to the forethought of the curators. yesterday i went to the jeita grotto, a really amazing series of caverns - absolutely enormous, with enormous numbers of stalactites and stalagmites. it was really incredible. we ...