Blogs from Beirut, Lebanon, Middle East - page 8

I have just finished writing a very long paper for my master’s pertaining to the expansion of human rights. Work while on vacation, I have reached the level of being a true profession in making my life sometimes truly annoying. While it was pleasant the day before to read and research the ideas for the paper on the rocky and colorful coast of the Mediterranean on the Corniche in Beirut, I have decided that after e-mailing this paper to my professor, it is time to have a day that only Beirut can offer. With this request I ask of Beirut, it delivers, and it delivers well. This day is what vacation is supposed to be about, meeting new people, learning more about the world, being awed in moments that words cannot explain and of course, getting ... read more

Last week we had yet another week off from school for Eid Al-Adha, the day commemorating Ibrahim's (known in the Bible as Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son for God. According to Muslim tradition, God placed a ram in place of his son when Ibrahim showed his intention to carry out God's command. For me, all this meant was that I had another week to travel before I set off for Pakistan. I had decided that I wanted to visit Lebanon. My friend Christina, upon getting word of this, decided that she wanted to go with me. So last Thursday, after our last class, we headed straight from campus to the airport and set off for the expensive, yet very short, flight to Rafiq Hariri airport. As some of you will remember, I visited Israel last ... read more

Okay, I'm cheating on this blog because I live here. Ashrafieh has converted from a posh district of the city to a large construction site. Literally, it's nearly every block that has a new apartment building coming up. What's happening? At about 6am, small groups of Syrian construction workers start walking up the hill from Sodeco to various construction sites around the district. Each one in almost business-suit long pants, carrying his lunch in a plastic bag, heads for the buildings. By 7am, pumps are pumping, engines are humming, hammers are pounding, metal is clanging, dirt is flying. My once quiet apartment on a cul-de-sac away from the honking horns is now 2.5 meters away from a new building going up. All this continues through until 5-6pm, depending on which construction site it is. For me, ... read more

We had a very short, but sweet (!), trip to Lebanon. After Syria, Lebanon felt very modern. For example, we hadn't seen a Starbucks, McDonalds (or any chain store) or a "cool" area of town. In Lebanon all was different and we felt like we were in a very Western city. Still, there is a very sad side to Lebanon, which also is very apparent. In Beirut there are traces of the war that stand out prominently against the most beautiful and modern areas of town (especially - see the hotel pic - how much has changed in the past couple of years). Not taking any "sides", I just find it sad. In particular because I have two very lovely friends from Beirut, who I have known for years. My personal connections bring the situation, perhaps, ... read more

Countdown to start of trip The start On 12 September I embark from Manchester airport to Beirut (via Frankfurt) on my Middle Eastern tour. my plan is to visit the following places: Beirut - Lebanon Aleppo - Syria Hama - Syria Crak du Chevaliers - Syria Palmyra - Syria Damascus - Syria Wadi Rum - Jordan Petra - Jordan Aqaba - Jordan Jerusalem - Israel Tel Aviv - Israel to return to sunny Manchester ... read more