hi from ambaba saida lebanon [View Full Entry]

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Wir stehen früh auf und klappern das Stadtzentrum von Beirut ab, wobei unser Vormittag der Stadt sicherlich nicht gerecht wird. Die Stadt bietet so viele Kontraste, dass es fast erschreckend ist: Neben der wirklich hübsch wiederaufgebauten Innenstadt (die an Paris erinnern soll, ob ihrer Verschnörkelung bisweilen aber auch Disneyland genannt wird) sieht man Flüchtlingszelte. Neben pompöser Moschee eine ebenso pompöse Kirche (Frohe Ostern übrigens!). Man bekommt in jedem Laden Alkohol! Eins ist aber sicher, als wir ins Service-Taxi nach Damaskus steigen: Ich komme wieder. Zu Damaskus will ich an dieser Stelle nicht allzu viel verlieren, ebenso zur „sportlichen“ Fahrweise des Taxifahrers [View Full Entry]

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From the moment I stepped into Beirut International Airport, I knew that Lebanon was going to be a very different travel destination. Armed military and police scoured the arrivals hall and I had to pass three passport checks in order to enter the country - and on each occasion every page of my passport was checked twice - once forwards and once backwards. The immediate impression of Beirut is the perpetual state of traffic gridlock, but away from families and friends strolling the Mediterranean-flanked Corniche, and the buzz of students congregated around the cheap eateries outside the American University of Beirut, [View Full Entry]

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Who knew a country 3/4 the size of Connecticut would have so much to offer? We did. That is why Emily and I spent our February Eid break in beautiful Lebanon, home to Beirut, or the "Paris of the Middle East" as many say. While flying in it was surreal enough to see the snow tipped mountains pop up out of the sandy brown Arabian Peninsula. Snowboarding on those mountains with amazing views of the Syrian Jabal an Nusayriyah range to the east and the Mediterranean to the west was over the top. It was not the record snowfall pristine CO [View Full Entry]

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some pics [View Full Entry]

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Saabumine oli suhteliselt valutu. Peale ristküsitlust eelmise aasta Iraanis käigu kohta ja kolmandat korda üle küsimist:'' Kas sa tõesti tahad ikka Süüriasse minna?'', lõi piirivalvur templi passi, hüüdes tagantjärgi: ''Eks sa ise tead!''. Kuna viisa ankeedile mul küllakutsuja/hotellibroneeringu kohale midagi kirjutada ei olnud, siis õnneks kell kolm öösel unise peaga ei pannud ta tähele, et olin sinna suvalised tähed ritta pannud. Millegipärast pääsesin ka 40$-sest mitmekordse sisenemisega viisamaksust... Püsimatu nagu ma olen, võtsin kohe öösel suuna pealinna Beirutisse, mis ööpäeva ringselt on täidetud sõdurite ja erinevate sõjatehnikaga. Tänavad olid surmvaiksed ja nagu järjekordset läbiotsimist läbiviinud sõduri jutust välja võis lugeda, siis [View Full Entry]

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Yousef, Omar, Aarti (an American girl we met in Damascus) and I managed to get a share taxi in Beirut for probably the best deal we could ever get --400 Syrian Lira per person, which is roughly about $8. It's still a considerable about, being that we are in the Middle East, the land of oil!!! A Lebanese man also joined our taxi, and he turned out to be one of those friendly grandfatherly types. He didn't speak English, so Omar and Yousef pretty much did all the talking with him, but at one point, he turned to Omar and said, [View Full Entry]

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Once known as the Paris of the Middle East, Beirut was long considered the most liberal and "laissez-faire" city in the region - the "joie de vivre" is evident. Without a map telling me that I was in the Middle East, I could be at any coastal city in Southern Europe. Despite the recent troubles the country has been facing, and the political instability which adds to the uncertainties about the future, Lebanon is a country with a lot to offer. Due to its unique geographical position at the western edge of the Arab world and the eastern edge of Europe... [View Full Entry]

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The kids and I took a trip down memory lane (for me at any rate). We saw where I used to live/school/swim/eat.... It was a short 5 day trip but the first of many Im sure. [View Full Entry]

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I was reading the French news today, while listening to the lebanese news on tv, and the way things are portrayed is a little different, not to say completely different. I have been around since it all started 3 days ago, and it doesn't look like it is going to stop we all agree on that. Every lebanese, and visitors for that matters, are holding their breath while waiting to see what the government will decide on doing in the whole situation. The majority wants to get rid of Fatah Al-Islam once and for all, no matter what this may cause. [View Full Entry]

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