Beirut

Oct 28 2007

After climbing Leban highest peak which is basically a easy hike, but looses some of appeal when a SUV pulls up on top also. Yes the path to the top is a dirt road now. The only compensation for having a SUV show up was one of the beautiful girls in it want to get picture with me so she hugged me for the picture. Did sleep on the ridge that divided both valleys catching a great sunset and sunrise. The sleeping bag did a good job at not over heating with me keeping the mummy bag opening just large enough for my nose as there was 30 mph winds and near freezing temperatures. Winds did not subside all night so I bundle up in my light pile jacket and rain jacket and hurried off the pass in the morning. Hitching a ride with a driver off the pass and just said hello to him. This got me driven almost to Tripoli without discussion. While I was taking off my coats and trying to put them in the pack, several security groups descended on me and once they viewed my American passport they were happy. Also was doing as quick change of the shit as I was noticing its smell. Oh I had changed plans and wanted to visit the ruins at Byblos.

Got to Byblos after the bus dropped me off two miles passed the town ( so I got to hike a little bit more). Driver forgot to let me off and I noticed the ruins as we passed. Being dropped off late did allow me to get a picture of this billboard. I keep seeing this bill board on all the highways and was curious on what it said like (i.e. want to see the world we got a opportunity for you)

The ruin at Byblos is a collection 9000 years of history all mixed together. There was the group that liked small block and the ones who liked big blocks. Some were stack up hill sides, while others where stacked in upright walls. There were even some who like round columns. There were the group how put their dead is nice stone boxes at the bottom of 40 ft pits. Also a obelisk temple. Then of course there was a Crusader Castle in the middle of all this. Byblos also has Pepe the Pirate who is on in his age, but he had many of the sixties and seventies famous come to his hopping night club. So I stopped into the Fishing Club for my first beer of this trip. It was a good Lebanese beer.

Micro bus dropped me off in Beirut and I was lost again. Caught a taxi who could figure out generally where the hotel was. Dropped off 5 blocks from the hotel. With the help of some nice ladies along the way I was able to find it after a half hour or so. How nice it is to get a hot shower when you really need one and the cloth laundered. Found when I was directed to hang my cloth out on the roof that it had a full size lighted billboard on it with a few beds under it. These did look like some people were using them. Glad I had a dorm room and not the bright lights. About Beirut, in one night Peter O'Toole hanging out with Omar Sharif lost a years wages at the tables. A few bits of news worthy things happened since then. Did see a few pox marked buildings and one twenty story building with some quite noticeable divots. But it is dark and I will see more in the daylight. Killing a little time before the clubs open. Takes a while to get the camera just start up now with all the impact modulation I do to it to motivated it to work. Lost telephoto feature completely today.

Love and Kisses

Steve