Mayflower Beirut

... I can say I have been, but there are definitely better places out there. I thought about heading out to the countryside to see if this barren landscape holds any surprises but decided against it. Beirut is perfectly safe but I didn't want to accidentally wander into any hot zones, especially near Israel. <br><br>Every inch of the earth next to any roadway is piled high with plastic bags, litter and anything else people can toss out of a building or a moving ...

... 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.<br> 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 ...

... He told me that he has been going to the Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut for the last few days to take photos. I didn't even realize there was a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut. There are actually two of them. He explained that he was going to the Shatillia Refugee Camp tonight with one of the guys managing the hostel who was going to help him buy a nargilla (aka sheesha). I asked if I could join them and they said yes. Kimo found out about our adventure and decided to come ...

... Not fun. Our tax&#305; dr&#305;ver pulled over for a food stop en route, P&#305;erre bought the dr&#305;ver a beer. heh Now that's a good &#305;dea! Fortunately h&#305;s dr&#305;v&#305;ng was not effected, &#305;t was as &#305;nsane and crazy as &#305;t had been before. After f&#305;nd&#305;ng our hotel, N&#305;kolas went to the beach w&#305;th Magg&#305;e and Doug, the 2 Canad&#305;ans who arr&#305;ved a day earl&#305;er. My personal m&#305;ss&#305 ...

... were so happy just by our presence. I took lots of photos. Many people were in tears. Even though we didnt see much of the camp, we could feel people's energy. There is some kind of black out in the city' many stores are closed/ Local people say there is some 'political problem', they can't explain what exactly the problem is, we don't question much. Everywhere is full of soldiers, some roads are closed. But they let us pass, they let us take photos, no problem ...

... the humidity in Beirut was quite oppressive - we headed on out in search of lunch. As we walked down Sharia al-Hamra (Red Street), one of the main strips in Beirut, we were bombarded by Western franchises; every other shop seemed to be a McDonald's or a Starbuck's or a Burger King. Ordinarily my heart would sink at seeing such brands, as, outside of their natural Western environment, they usually indicate the erosion of indigenous culture; but, after almost five months in ...

... you can't do it in a day trip, I really wish I'd stayed the night! One thing that really stood out during my 2.5 hours each way trip (using 6 modes of transport. Don't ask!!!) was that even in these rural and historically militant area's, the place is every bit as riddled with churches as it is mosques. I thought it was a french installed christain minorety which ran the country, but having seen all these churches, i don't know about the minority part?

... say that it has been one of the highlights of our adventure, for in Lebanon we learned the difference between traveling and vacationing. To be fair to the country - indeed, to be fair to the other amazing places we have been so far - much of our enthusiasm can be directly attributed to our Lebanese host, Naji. From the time he received us at the Beirut airport to the time he re-deposited us there 5 days later, Steven's brother's college pal Naji made our experience in his ...

... to them, so more often than not, the bus will reverse at full speed, on the motorway!!! I am truly amazed I didn't see more accidents. Anyway, the bus ride to Tripoli was not very enjoyable. The driver spent much of the journey using his mobile phone, either to send messages, or to talk (and at time shout) to people - which of course involved much gesticulation. He also chain smoked, so frequently his hands were not on the wheel. And at one point he took his hands completely off the ...