Been having an eventful time since the last entry. Have travelled over a lot of the country. Its not very big - maybe around 220 x 85km, and so basing myself in Beirut has made it very easy for me to get about, and see the sights all round the country. I visited the Palace of Beiteddine which was built in the late 18th century. It's a really interesting place, which can be seen from across the valley as you approach it, rather like something out of a fairy story....

well, have had an interesting few days. was wandering past the place des martyrs the other night, where demonstrations have previously taken place, and realised there was something going on. as the guys i was with had big cameras, they were mistaken for being press, so we were given the full story: monday was mothers day here and tuesday childrens day, and so they were combined and 1001 children had gathered to commemorate hariri's assassination. they had laid 10...

well, here i am on the road again, even if only on holiday this time. this is my first foray into the middle east, and its certainly a very exciting time to be in lebanon. i arrived on saturday, and have spent my first few days in beirut, pounding the pavement - ive covered a lot of distance! one of the first sites i saw was the former holiday inn, one of the most visible reminders of the the civil war which lasted for seventeen years from 1975. its amazing to se...

off to singapore!! for those who know me, youll know how much i dislike flying, but in fact i really enjoyed the flight from hong kong to singapore, mainly as there was a huge thunder and lightning storm not far out of singapore - ive never seen anything like it. the clouds were all being lit up from below, in loads of places by the lightning - it was an amazing natural light show! when i arrived in singapore, it was actually several degrees cooler than hk, proba...

Heading home:(