Sofitel Gabriel Beyrouth Beirut

... a cigarette three intense minutes after everything had been consummated. Now here's the weird thing...when they were done not two minutes later several people came to their door. Being nosy, I peeked out the peephole, and it looked like their parents. Now if that isn't disturbing I don't know what is.

This sex palace is the Beau Rivage Hotel which means beautiful shores. I came to find out that the hotel had been closed for a few years and reopened ...

... issues. Since most Lebanese are reluctant to discuss politics and instead are focused on living their lives, especially when at a restaurant or a bar, I only got to pierce the surface of the national psyche.
After checking into my hotel I decided to take a walk around the downtown without my guidebook. The first thing I noticed is the infamous Holiday Inn Tower, a massive skyscraper that dominates the skyline. Finished at the outbreak of the civil war, the hotel never had ...

... fella that was tryin to do well for himself i just have a bit of a thing about middle aged fellas in dorms, it creeps me out a bit. I hope thats not what these you sprites think about me when i check in, i aint gettin any younger.... So, i left Lebanon after only a few days as i couldnt really afford it, i enjoyed seein all the fit middle aged women joggin along the seafront and the quality scenery but if youy dont have a social circle there its hard to enjoy its quality nightlife.

... exciting. I was told that the tanks were patrolling the area since 2006 and that all of the soldiers were from Spain. My driver told me that the people in the area don't like the UN soldiers as they think they are cooperating with the Israelis. On our way back to Beirut, the taxi driver had to stop to pick up his 14 month old daughter. I couldn't believe it when he drove the last 45 minutes with his daughter in his lap. They definitely don't think child ...

... 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 ...

... were the rockstars. They played drums and kept entertaining people. We were all tired and sunburnt when came back to hotel, slept very early. And woke up with the excitement of the ride. We went to Mount Lebanon to get the bikes and there was another opening ceremony and yummy food. I am trying to keep myself away from eating too much. I was excited and a little bit scared before starting cycling as it was 43 kilometres long and I am not the fittest person ...

... thankfully straight-forward. We had worried that, with only one border-crossing left open after the recent fighting in Lebanon, we might get held up in long queues. However, having gotten across to the Lebanese side with minimal fuss, I sat back in my ample seat (the Damascus-Beirut taxis are giant American cars from the 60s, 70s and 80s), and savoured my new surroundings. It was a fascinating drive from the border to Beirut. In a purely geographic sense, the route ...

... contest AND the paper chain contest and had a decent discussion, too. (That part was in English.) Pretty cool kids and I really enjoyed talking with one of the girls who is a very talented artist and budding musician. Before everyone arrived, Ed and I walked down the road and I found a dollar store to buy my coffee cup set. Lord knows what I'll do with it, but I have it. Maher drove us back to NEST and we all had to say goodbye. What a great guy!

... shoes getting on with making a better life for their kids. It's a pleasant place to poke around on a sunny day. The relocated Roman columns provide a nice photo op against the azure Mediterranean. The city site overlooks the pretty harbour where you can have a relaxed meal, where families come to fish from the crusader sea walls and tiny fishing boats still drag in catches of sardines and mullet ... just regular folks getting on with their lives as they have for 5,000 years.

... ancient Roman temples at Baalbeck and lunching along the river in Zahlé; this weekend we're off to Damascus where we'll spend some time visiting ancient mosques and shopping in the old souq. I'm not really sure what I expected Lebanon to be before I came here. This country has been in the news so much over the past few months and the image of Martyr's Square filled with thousands of people waving flags and shouting "Syria Out!" has been etched in so many people's ...