Best Western Beirut

... ll reach out to those I meet along the way instead of living in my own little tourist bubble. I'll communicate with the locals as best I can and maybe learn something from them. I won't be afraid to abandon plans and I won't be too upset when plans change ...

Post redundancy I decided the best way to spend my hard earned crust was to spend a few months travelling the world seeing all the places I wanted to see but had not yet visited.

... of the poster. One man answered that he didn't like the influence the west had over his country. I can't tell you how much western junk food products packages I see on the streets of Alex and other Muslim countries I've visited. They may hate the west and ...

... dark and rocky shoreline.   Feeling hungry once more, we headed to McDonalds for a late lunch. Again, the allure of Western junk food after a five-month exile was too strong to resist. Unsurprisingly the food was absolutely awful, but, as I sat ...

... The Downtown is a true downtown in the New York meaning of the word. Tall modern skyscrapers that mix Eastern and Western influences and wide, well-planned roads flowing between them... Was this city more developed then Istanbul? Although it may as ...

... - Arabic, English and French. The food is excellent and varied with a nice blend of French flavors, mixed in with tastes for western palates and of course Lebanese food that leans heavily on fresh meze, cheeses and kebabs. Combine them and it made for an ...

... .... Stared at the most pathetic rotisserie of meat that has every posed as a shawerma stand anywhere in the world. I come from Western Canada, which is about as far as one can get from the land of Shawerma, and yet no self respecting Lebanese restaurant ...

... the slightest interruption. Day Two: Beirut. The self-proclaimed Europe of the Middle East. It's certainly more modern and "Western" then anywhere else we've been lately (except possibly parts of Amman), especially if you consider construction sites ...

... we went before. When arriving in Beirut we started with walking around through the city and founded out that it is a really western Arab nation in the middle of all the more conservative countries. The people seem to care less about religion and are more ...

... got some space. I'm hoping to spend sometime reading in the fav cafe "De Prague" probably one of the best most alternative and friendly places here in Beirut. Off to Addis tomorrow afternoon for a long haul on Yemania airlines. Ciao till ...

... a taxi or bus driver you should also beep at anyone – repeat anyone – who might possibly need a lift. Western tourists are the most obvious target, but best to beep at 10 second intervals just to be sure. No need to slow down in bad weather ...

... best two parts of Syria were Palymera (ruins, massive place in the desert) and the border!! We're now in Beirut and the place is crazy. Very western, been shopping etc. Last night, headed into town with Ben (Bad Boy stayed at home...having been to the ...

... impressive roman ruins in the Middle East. Modern day Baalbek is a seat of Hezbollah and is somewhat renowned for anti-western politics. It is difficult to ignore the reminders of Hezbollah - the yellow and green flags (complete with machine gun ...

... without talking and glance at themselves in the windows. I know I'm generalizing, but sheeesh! Perhaps this is my response to a more western culture after being in the real Middle East for several weeks? Naaa. In any case, it was the right decision to ...

... of going home was beginning. Luckily, the return home would be a gradual progression from Exotic Syria to Modern Lebanon to Western London and finally to my homeland, Canada. -- First impressions "PLEASE!!!!" I begged the border police as they ...

... of Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk, with an apres-ski scene that's among the best in the world. www.aspensnowmass.com. Beirut, Lebanon Still the Mediterranean's most dynamic and dysfunctional city, Beirut is full of boutique ...

... just a little about the complications in Lebanons younger history, but haven't been really skilled about the deeper background. As a western-world-guy the modern picture of Lebanon didn't fit to this martialism - especially from the disturbing point of ...

... in the 2nd century B.C., but instead of being situated in the desert was located in the cool, grassy foothills of the western mountains. From Apamea, my driver chaefurred me in his 1965 Mercedes up the mountains to the Castle of Saladin. Perched on a ...

... stories but never saw a local man grab a western woman until tonight. It really disgusts me how they treat western women.   Both Anna and Mary were going to Beirut tomorrow. I decided to stay another day just so I could catch up on my blog. I would ...

... was time to put the backpacks down and increase the budget a little (but no more than Turkey); we were ready to indulge in a little Western life. We parked up in the cheapest place we could find and explored the city. Spent a lot of time walking (like for ...