Beirut I arrived at midnite at Beirut after the nightmare of going through different border officers to get my visa into the country. I took the 48 hours free visa. Lebanon is a very small country, and since I heard it was terribly expensive I decided to only stay two days to explore its capital. The taxi driver that took me from the bus station to the hotel ripped me off badly and charged me 5 euros for a 10 minutes ride. But like I said it was late at night and I did not feel like wandering around asking for directions. Since I only had two days, I decided to visit the country's number two attractions: the ancient temple of BaalBek and the natural grotto of Jeitta. I also spent an evening exploring Beirut and its surroundings. Beirut itself was known in the 70s as the Paris of the Middle East. In the 80s, the place became the center of a terrible war that completely destroyed the city. Now a days, there is little wreck left from those days, as moneyed constructors have gone berserker rebuilding the town up to its former glory. They say that Istanbul is the meeting point where east blends with west, but let me tell you this: I saw more west in one district of Beirut than in the whole Istanbul. It's amazing: American and European trendy chains elbow-melee each other for a piece of land in here. McDonalds is set next to Benetton, which is right next to Virgin music superstore, which is next to Gucci, and so on. The central district of Beirut make you believe that a spaceship had beamed up a piece of any european capital and placed it right in the Middle East. All around you see bars and outdoor terraces packed with people sipping cappuccinos at the price of 3 euros per shot, dressed in designer clothes and looking as smart and cool as it gets. Girls are all fit and tanned, and there is a general atmosphere of wealth and coolness. Parking lots are Mercedes and BMW's territory, and prices have been jacked up accordingly.

Beirut skyline	Just like any other european capital: trendy buildings and expensive bars
Couldn't resist to upload this picture hehehe. Sunset at Beirut.	There are still some buildings showing marks from the war, but as you can see the construction process is reaching them fast
Beirut had been till WWII a french colony, and locals have kept the culture somehow over time. They are all bilengual (french and arab), and you can even find small groceries (spelling?) run by old men selling french delicatessen. Delicatessen you pay the $@^# out of yourself for, of course. Seriously, Beirut is as opposed to the rest of the Middle East as it gets. I cannot figure out where the money comes from here (not petrol, Lebanon has little of it I hear). Skyscrappers are being built left and right, and glassy-high-tech-looking buildings make their way to top over the rest. Beirut is settled in an extremely fertile valley facing the Mediterranean, all guarded up by protecting mountains. This creates a micro-clima within the mountains set, and therefore the area is very very green, and the humidity is way over of that in Syria. I even got a cold the first night from the temperature difference between here and Damascus, which is only 250 kms away. I guess it's a similar phenomenon than in Marbella in the SE of Spain, but pushed to higher limits.
The beautiful and green surroundings of Beirut
And last, but not least, Beirut is home of some of the best nightclubs on this part of the hemisphere. Huge mega techno clubs where lebanese dance the night away at the pulse of colored lasers and 20 inches pumped-up speakers. Needless to say, drinks are 8 euros per shot. Ouch!
Baalbek Once upon a time a wonder of the ancient world until enemy civilizations and an earthquake in the XVIII century placed its envious grip on it, BaalBek was originally a Phoenician worshipping site to the God Baal. Unfortunately, the main temple (Jupiter's temple) is now a days a shadow of that once was, but from what's left you can picture on its mind the sheer size of this thing. There are some 22m high pillars remaining, and the platform base upon which the temple was erected is still there. Imagine how freaking huge this shit was, that there is another temple next by, Bacchus' temple -the God of wine- which was popularly nicknamed " Little Temple ". Please have a look at the picture below: this is the little temple , and please note that there are some humans standing next to it. Now, with that human-size reference, try to picture the size of that little temple, and now try to imagine the size of the big temple . I know, makes my head spin too!
The stairs leading to the Jupiter's Temple	The Little Temple
The beautiful inside of the Little Temple
Jeitta Grotto If I had to choose one place where I would like to die, that'd be the Jeitta Grotto. Well not really, it'd be the Wadi Rum desert in the southern Jordan, but I had not known about that one at that time. Jeitta Grotto is a natural cave with stalactites, stalagmites, inner lagoons, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a grotto. Now imagine the rightfully-claimed most stunning grotto on Planet Earth, and you are half way to picture how beautiful this grotto is. It's like taken from The Lords of the Rings or such a fantasy environment. The lights and shadows dance with each other here among vast inner spaces, with the ever-singing water drops leaking through the stone. This is a place that you've got to see with your own eyes, because my faulty english will do nothing but lower its splendor. Truly unbelievable. Entrance fee was an outrageous 13 euros, no discounts for filthy students such as myself. But what the hell, 13 euros for a once-in-a-lifetime natural spectacle? gimmie two of those please! Unfortunately, due to UNESCO's preservation rules, photo cameras are banned so I cannot show you any of this, but please hear my advice and open a new Explorer browser, go to Google.com and flip onto the pictures tab. Now type Jeitta Grotto Lebanon, and serve yourself. Watch it! you're messing your pants with your mouth-drippings!	This statue greets our way into Jeitta Grotto
Another PITA (pain in the ass) bus-ride from Beirut to Damascus, and then from Damascus to Amman, and there I was entering into a whole new territory: Jordan was awaiting ahead...

Jeitta Grotto, no doubt. An underground beauty not to be missed if nearby.
Beirut surroundings: greeny and exuberant, specially if we take into account that this is a Middle East country. Beirut is a fun city if you can afford it: lots of terraces, bars and clubs. The city's french feeling. Quite amusing.
Beirut is expensive as any European city. And once again pollution, noise, traffic, etc makes it to the Thumbs Down list.