Regency Palace Hotel Jounieh

... us to take the road back to town, in the hope that we'd catch a ride along the way. Maybe the dehydration was starting to have an effect, because to their surprise we decided to take the goat track short-cut up a nearby sun-beaten rock face back to town. Despite being a bit of a grind we definitely cut some time off the return journey, and the views on the way up were staggering. As we saw the houses of Bcharre appear above us we began to feel (in the ...

... to have rented a cabana in its section, so even though we rented a cabana for the beach area, we were not able to go into any pools. We were told that there was one free pool up the stairs and near the grass but the water in the pool wasn't the best feeling and looked dirty. It seemed everything at Ede Sands now needed a reservation, and each section of the resort now was charging all sorts of fees. When I went to Ede back in Summer of 2004, the poolside that now costs ...

Wednesday 13/8 got dropped off by domi. They went to Eres. Painted . Addie was a bit sick so we ordered in from Chase in Kaslik. They had a killer onion soup!! Sanded both bedrooms, beth and Addie did tons of cleaning, and Chris was applying the base coat to Bethany/Eli's room.Bethany prepared the downstairs bedroom for Alyona's mother and her daughter Alina. We ...

... of him. Lebanon on the other hand, has a large Christian population (30%) and an interesting mix of leaders representing various branches of Islam and Christianity. Inevitably this creates problems. However as a result of this diversity the Lebanese are more Westernised, open-minded and in touch with the modern world, eg they understand the concept of boyfriend and girlfriend, but lack the charming Syrian innocence we had grown to love. Nevertheless the Lebanese were ...

... Please find me a taxi, I'm getting quite concerned" (or "sod this, I'm going for a vodka sunrise" for that matter). I'm absolutely fine here, and none of the violence or problems are near where I am. Basically, the only problem will be if the airport is closed when I am trying to get out next week! And, of course, getting TO the airport in the first place... Below's some not-alarming-at-all advice from the Australian Embassy about what's happening ...

... Lebanon is "forget the rules". Everything you ever learned about driving a motor vehicle simply does not apply here. Everything you ever taught your kids about crossing the road is simply not appropriate. Driving is on the right side of the road, unless the vehicles in front of you are not fast enough, in which case one should drive on the left. The horn is used liberally because no one uses their mirrors. Traffic lights exist, but in the entire city of Beirut I never saw one that ...

... glue there eyes to the skies in expectation. The targets seem to be very specific. Somneone has just told us that the price to get out of the country is 500 dollars in stark contrast to the 10 dollars it cost to get here. We will try to head up north tomorrow and appreciate your prayers and well wishes. I dont feel in any direct danger and hope no one worries too much. Look foward to hearing from you soon... Love and blessings from the beseiged city of Beiruit...

Lebanon Day One: Lost in Beirut I didn't have time to think before Lebanon, the day of my departure passed by quickly between the naps and the complicated logistics of leaving Egypt. I remember the EgyptAir receptionist who wouldn't process my e-ticket until she had grilled me about hotel reservations, my financial security, and whether or not I actually had anyone meeting me in the country. She had helped two people who were behind me before her manager finally said I was ...

Bit of an estimate that, the bus dropped me a couple of blacks in from the port in Tripoli and whilst Cedars ski resort sits at 2,800 metres above sea level, I had taken the LONG walk down to Bcharre to catch this mini bus. But even so, it's good value! The qadisha valley is the Maronite Christian heartlands and bcharre, the right wing Phalange parties head quarter. So the oppersit of hezoballa's baalbek i guess. It's also a stunning patch of ...

... high school bathroom. Other than the fact that there was a tube in my mouth, it was like smoking a cigarette - a berry-flavored one. Nicotine flooded my brain, sped up my heart rate and made my head spin. But this was just the beginning. Lebanese tradition demanded that smoking narguileh go on for an entire afternoon. I passed Hadi the hose, took a sip of my coffee and decided it wasn't such a bad country after all. For more information, visit www.wendydale.com.