Peace breaks out in Lebanon.

We're back in Beirut, Lebanon this weekend to attend a wedding. If you want to skip to the photos, they're here. We were in Beirut in January 08 when the political situation was very tense and the feeling of threat and apprehension in the air was almost palpable. In the past six month the political landscape has changed completely as on 25th May, after 18 previous attempts, the Lebanese Parliament elected a President, General Michel Suleiman, and, for the moment anyway, peace has broken out in Lebanon. The airport at Beirut was the first place where the change in atmosphere was noticeably different to January. I remarked to the guy from the hotel who picked us up last night that in January there was 'nobody home' at the airport, he laughed and said that in January 'there was nobody home in all of Lebanon....." In January the airport was deserted with just a few armed soldiers around and our greeter then was extremely keen to get us, and himself no doubt, away from the airport which is seen as a prime target and to our hotel. By contrast, last night Rafic Hariri airport was busy, there was a crowd of people waiting to greet arriving passengers, the coffee shops and souvenir stalls were open, taxis were lined up outside for potential passengers and people are more relaxed. On the way to the hotel from the airport we passed the remains of the huge piles of earth that had been used to block access to the airport in the wave of trouble last month, and while the military is still a visible presence in the city, the tanks and APCs are located only on strategic corners and outside public buildings in January they were everywhere. The soldiers now seem more relaxed where before every soldier we saw was literally on a war footing with his finger on the trigger.

We flew in to Beirut on Middle East Airlines, the Lebanese national airline, which was fine, smooth trip, though an hour late leaving Dubai which meant we arrived in our hotel in Beirut well past 1am. Today we went to the Beirut National Museum an absolute 'must see' with exhibits covering Lebanon's history from the bronze age. We also watched a very interesting video on how the museum encased many of the large statues in concrete to protect them during the civil war in the '90s. From there we went out to the antique area in search of a large decorated platter to hang in our foyer. Found exactly what we, ok I, was after and after another wonderful bit of bargaining by Colin we got it for just over a third of the price originally quoted. Then headed to Monoprix the large shopping mall in Ashrifye to buy music CDs from the Virgin shop there then back to the hotel for a rest before heading out tonight to the wedding at the Sheraton. The wedding officially starts at 7:30pm which means nobody will be there until 9pm - I'm finally getting my head around "Middle East time" - I have the glitzy dress, the clutch purse with fake jewels all over it, the bling, the ultra high heels and the hairdo so I'm prepared :-)

Baalbeck and beyond

The Temple of Bacchus, Balbeck, Lebanon

Today was an early start for a trip to Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley. The Bekaa Valley isn't really a valley, its more of a plateau between high ranges of mountains and has been the corridor used for travel between Syria and the coast for thousands of years. The drive took about an hour and a half and passed through many areas that had been seriously damaged by both the retreating Syrians 3 years ago and aerial bombing by the Israelis last year. So sad, Lebanon is such a beautiful country but throughout history it's suffered constant pummelling from other countries/groups with their own agendas. There are lots of photos here.

The ruins at Baalbeck are extensive and some are still in remarkably good condition. Wajdee took us first to the Roman quarry to see where the stones for the construction of Baalbeck were cut. In the quarry is a huge block of stone that had been hewn and prepared to be one of the pillars in the Temple of Jupiter but was never used. The stone, which measures 21,5m x 4m x 4.5m, is estimated to weigh around 2,000 tons and is the largest cut stone in the world.

The Bekaa Valley is best known as the stronghold of Hezbollah (Party of God) and everywhere along the road Hezbollah flags hang from houses and shops. The whole area is very conservative and their politics are still anti-West which could explain the cool reception we received. Wajdee dropped us at the entrance to the Roman ruins and we were immediately beseiged by guys selling Hezbollah tee-shirts, flags and Hassan Nasrullah pillowcases.

The town of Baalbeck dates back to 3,000 years BC and was named for Baal, a particularly unpleasant god whose followers regularly sacrificed their own children to honour him. After the invasion by Alexander the Great the name of the town was changed to Heliopolis (City of the Sun). The Romans founded a colony in Baalbeck around 64BC and construction of the temples commenced shortly afterwards. After the Romans came Christianity and in order to stop the pagan rites that still continued in the area, many parts of the temples were destroyed and the biggest columns were sent to Istanbul to be part of the Aya Sophia. The Muslims invaded in 748 and I surprised to learn that the Mongols got to Baalbeck in 1400. The Mongol Mob certainly got around (a Kiwi pun there). The largest temples at Baalbeck were dedicated to Bachus and Jupiter and their worship ceremonies involved sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll or back then sex, wine and oud music. The Temple of Jupiter at Baalbeck was built on foundations over 300m long. The columns in the temple are apparently the largest in the world though only six now remain. Due to the enormous size of the columns and foundation stones it was once believed that the building had been constructed by giants. The remaining arches and columns are spectacular. It was very cold and the water that had gathered in depressions in the ruins had frozen solid.

Over to the Temple of Bacchus which is very well preserved and really only lacks a roof. Many of the carvings are still intact with several friezes of Roman gods and goddesses clearly visible and in good condition. Originally the temple's interior would have been painted in full colour which would have been quite a sight.

We spent a couple of hours wandering round the ruins, and spent a few minutes standing on the magnificent stairs leading up to the Temple of Bacchus listening to a particularly heartfelt call to prayer and soaking up the atmosphere.

From Baalbeck we drove over to Aanjar a small town which was founded by Armernian refugees fleeing from Turkey in 1918. The historic ruins in the town date to the very earliest years of Islam and were built by the Umayyads (the guys who built the Grand Mosque in Damascus, Syria) but is laid out in the same style as a typical Roman town. The major difference between the ruins in Aanjar and the other ruins we saw in Lebanon is the stonework. In Aanjar the walls are built with alternating layers of blocks and narrow bricks which is a Byzantine anti-earthquake method of construction. With the snow topped Anti-Lebanon mountains (that's their name alright) in the background, tall trees and a park like backdrop it was a lovely place to be.

We had a late lunch then headed back to Beirut. We had a few hours to spare so we headed off to the movies to see "Michael Clayton" the George Clooney movie. English sound track but subtitles in Arabic and French. Wajdee picked us up again and we headed out to Beirut Airport for our Air Arabia flight back to to Sharjah.

Jeita Grottto and Sidon

Crusader Sea Castle at Saida (Sidon)in Lebanon

Today we headed up to the Jeita Grotto which is a series of huge underground caverns unlike anything I've ever seen. On the way out we went through an area that suffered serious damage during the Israeli bombings in June last year. There was considerable damage to the buildings and highways and several bridges which had been destroyed included one huge bridge over a valley. A long section of the bridge is still on the side of the valley rather like the pictures of fallen bridges after an earthquake. Until the bridge is rebuilt, all road traffic has to follow the old road that twists and turns down one side of the valley and then up the other side. There are lots of photos here.

There is gondola ride up to the first cavern and we shared with a guy from Qatar and a young couple from Jordan. There is a complete ban on photography we had to leave our cameras in a secure locker. We then walked down a short tunnel and into the main cavern which is huge. The sheer size is mind boggling as are the stalagmites and stalactites inside. THere is a concrete pathway which takes you round the cave with various platforms including one platform where I could see through a hole in the cavern floor and down to the water in the lower cavern which was hundreds of feet below. The lighting was very effective making some of the formations seem translucent. There were formations that looked like lace, others like coral and some resembled cake mix that had been poured in folds down the side of the cave. The walk round the cave took about 40 minutes, then we caught the train down to the second cavern. The train was actually a row of carriages being pulled by Massey Ferguson which was disguised as a train, fooled all the kids anyway. In the second cavern we had to leave our cameras again, then we got into small boats which glide out onto the water which half fills the cave. The motors are electric so there is silence except for the 'shwish' of the water. The trip out and back takes about 10 minutes and is breathtaking.

In the after Wajdee drove us down to Saida which is the ancient city mentioned in the Bible is Sidon. There is a crusader castle called a Sea Castle which was built right on a small island just off the seafront and linked to the mainland by a stone bridge. The tide laps against the castle walls. We took some some good photos - once the soldiers allowed us on the beach front to take them. Then we went off to Wajdee's favourite bakery where we sampled sanioura the local delicacy which is like a sweet shortbread. Another heart stopping drive through Beirut traffic, the police who are supposed to be directing traffic just wave their arms in the air while complete chaos goes on around them. There are no traffic lights so all intersections are a test of wills, cars just seem to drive straight at each other and its a case of who blinks first. No wonder most cars have dents and scrapes all over them. I also know that double yellow lines here mean, well, absolutely nothing.

Tomorrow we head out to the Bekka Valley to see the ruins at Baalbeck and then to Anjar.

First day in Beirut

The remains of an apartment block opposite our hotel in Achrafiye, Beirut, Note the shell hole at the front of the top floor wall.

Arrived in Beirut this morning after an early morning flight from Sharjah on Air Arabia which is sort of like Virgin Blue but no alcohol and they broadcast a pre take off prayer for a safe flight. We flew in to Beirut over the ski fields in the mountains behind the city which looked beautiful.

In Beirut there's a lot of damage still evident from both the Civil War and the fighting last year. A huge road bridge we passed on the way from the airport has been reduced to a massive pile of rubble by Israeli bombing and many buildings are pockmarked with bullet holes.. The apartment block across the road from our hotel has shell holes in it and has been burnt out. There's a palpable feeling of tension around the place, armed soldiers on every corner, large anti bomb bollards outside all major buildings and handbag checks at all shopping malls. Unlike Yemen, there is a real impression that "something" could happen at any time.

This afternoon we had a wander around the hotel area, I was amazed by the number of people I heard speaking French, I think I heard more French than Arabic. Don't know if that will be the same in other parts of Lebanon. There are lots of book shops around the area and the majority of books for sale were in French. On the lighter side, the people are almost without exception, immaculately dressed, and all the women have fabulous hair. Even the old lady I saw who was wandering along talking to herself loudly was wearing a snappy combo of red jacket, black pants and high heels. It took me about 15 minutes of being surrounded by all this sartorial fabulousness before I thought "Man, I have got to get my hair done". Which I did, had a great cut too, cost less then Dubai and now I no longer feel like the scruffiest girl in school.

Off tomorrow to Byblos up the coast.