Phoenicia Intercontinental Beirut

... yes, Beirut!) late last night and I needed to find my way into town. Nonexistent public transportation options made me face the music and look for a cab. Being ripped off by a taxi driver was the last thing I needed at 11pm. Of course all the nonlegit taxi drivers hit everyone up as soon as they come through the doors from baggage claim into the terminal. I had already done my research and knew that a taxi should cost no more than $8-$12 and to pick up a ...

... guardrail. Posses of over-testosteroned men slunk in their plastic chairs smoking shisha while jamming to the bumping bass of their fancy cars. Old men cast long fishing lines over the cliff while daredevil teenagers cast themselves over the rail, diving into the water meters below. And then above the din rang a wholly familiar sound, one that I had not heard since my childhood, but one that still had the same uplifting effect. It was an ice cream truck. <br><br><br>Everyday ...

... his dues he goes to the door and has a good old arguement then tell em to **** off cos hes obviously shiittin it. He quickly jumped in his seat and tried to speed off wi baldy hangin on for dear life the poor swine. Enraged, baldy swings his weapon and clumps it down on vinnys shoulder who then sees red again and has a fight with his mrs to get his big stick. Im sat there about 2 feet away from the action trying to supress a smirk, i didnt feel intimadated at all, it was truly ...

... who was wearing only boxer shorts and an undershirt (aka wife beater). I didn't blame him as it was so hot in his office. The first place we went to was a small city called Saida. It was nothing special. Kimo and I went to visit some castle and then walked around the main souq. The only thing worth mentioning was that when we stopped at a tiny bakery the owner was very proud to show us photos of famous people eating at his place. The only person I ...

... see the Mediterranian Sea reflecting the moon and the lights along the shore and it just looked magnificent. On the other side were the mountains rising steeply up in sharp contrast to the still sea. What was not magnificent was my car. It was not in the best mechanical shape, the brakes were squealing every time the driver touched the pedals and every time we went over a bump there was an alarming metal on metal shriek. Rawda texted to ask if I knew where I was and I could ...

... why one particular street corner always had at least twenty soldiers standing there eating grilled cheese and ice cream. After that it was back to Syria, this time to the pleasant coastal city of Lattakia. It had a good vibe and elaborate corniche which was, however, completely cut off from the ocean by a giant port full of immense, smoke-belching freighters. It was like building your picture window to face into your neighbour's laundry room. Before that we were yet again awed and ...

... back, I'd say that Beirut is my favourite Middle East city so far and definitely somewhere I'd like to spend more time. It's just so fascinating. It's always been considered the bridge between Europe and the Middle East. This really shows through both in the culture, the politics and the architecture, and feels as though the city is at once both a triumph of integration and a collection of contradictions. The heavily-rebuilt downtown area, once the focal-point of the ...

... on a very bumpy road driving through El Aabde towards Minyara. This area is much poorer that what we've seen in Beirut. All Muslim. On this trip, we've seen lots of security checks, but they're not threatening. It's hard for me to distinguish between police, military, security, etc. I've seen a couple of parked tanks, but you seen that in the US near armories. The guns make me uncomfortable but they are not threatening and I have done ...

... civil war is ancient history. Five times a day the call of the muezzin rolls out over the city but on Sunday morning all you can hear are the church bells pealing. Sharp suited men and shabby ones cross the road from church to mosque to embrace and greet each other. Palpable reminders of enmity remain on every street but, ravages aside, this is where regular folks live, hoping for a decent house, a good job, a better life for their kids and they just want to get ...

... a fairly fancy resort located in Byblos just north of Beirut which has a reputation for being tres snob. It was great! We lounged on the grass all afternoon, watching the botoxed, the tummy-tucked, the nose-jobbed, the worked-out, and the boob-jobbed strutting their stuff. Wearing stiletto heels in the sand is an impressive skill that many a Lebanese lady has acquired. I guess I just couldn't get enough of hanging out with the richies, because I went back to the same ...