Blogs from Beirut, Lebanon, Middle East - page 4

This morning we visited our fourth Refugee Camp. We were told today that all these camps were constructed on land one kilometer by one kilometer. Originally established in 1948 the intention was that they would be there for three years and house between six and eight thousand people. Even now the UN mandate must be renewed every three years. The UN pays for 100 administration staff and at every renewal the budget is reduced. The balance of the budget comes from voluntary contributions from the members. I have been told that last year Canada declined to contribute. The big local concern about these camps is that those who had the talent ,wherewithal or ambition to leave have already done so. The rest have given up hope of a legitimate life and are increasingly turning to crime. ... read more

Lebanon, one of the smallest Middle Eastern countries – smaller than the state of Connecticut – is one of those crazy creations that emerged out of the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire post-WWI, a result of the wranglings of the British and French over the territory between Anatolia in the north and the Arabian Peninsula to the south. One look at a map will show just what an odd jigsaw puzzle this region is. That weird wedge wedged into Jordan? That is often termed “Winston’s Hiccup” due to the most likely apocryphal story that the map was drawn on a dinner napkin by Winston Churchill – who then felt his dinner a bit too well. Lebanon, at least from a geographical perspective, also seems an odd gouge out of the coast, a bite into Syria. Why ... read more

Just bought a roundtrip ticket for Beirut, Lebanon leaving August 30th and returning December 16th! AHHHHHH! ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Beirut! I’m now in Lebanon, my 62nd country after having already ticked off my 61st a couple of days ago when landing in Damascus, Syria – I guess I can go home now (!). Only joking, I still have another 15 days of amazing travel left in this region and am looking forward to it very much, if it’ll be anything like these last 3 days which have been just great! Touched down in Damascus on Sunday evening, and was met at the airport by a pre-booked taxi taking me to the hotel I booked in the centre of town. A very strange thing it is indeed, having experienced it before in both Caracas and Nairobi, arriving in a new city, new country, late in the evening and having to go straight ... read more

This is the last entry of our Christmas holidays. Seems that a lot of you have enjoyed our entries so far as I have never had so many hits in a month, and we are only the 18th! Thanks a lot. Sorry for those who thought it was a little too much, rest assured, I'm not blogging anymore for the next three weeks. I'm writing this entry from the cold of Shanghai...where it is actually snowing...wow, I'm so happy that we have moved in warm Bangkok a year and a half ago! Back to Bangkok for the weekend! Next week we will also celebrate a birthday at home...Leslie has now being living with us for the last 4 years...wow, time pass by so fast...do we get older, yes, slightly, but he is now a teenager, and ... read more