I am finally back to make a post following a rather unique 10 days in Lebanon.  After hiking for 2 days on the Lebanon Mountain Trail with local guides, I began to hear stories of trouble in the country and received text message warnings from home. Hezbollah had taken over west Beirut and fighting was spreading to other parts of the country including Tripoli and Halba, which I had passed through on May 6.  I continued the hike for 3 more days with other local guides and then with Chadi Ghajar, coordinator for the northern part of the trail, and Joseph Karem, founder of ECODIT.  While hiking through beautiful mountain country reports came in of fighting in Tripoli, Beirut, the hills above Beirut, and the Chouf mountains.  Upon arrival in the Maronite Christian town of Bcharre, Chadi and Joseph had to leave.  After considering the idea of continuing to hike with a guide who might not speak english, in a country on the verge of civil war, I decided that getting out of the country might be a better idea.  With the help of my friend Ron Schlicher, the US ambassador to Cyprus, I attempted to escape by private yacht, but unfortunately the plan fell through because I could not get the proper passport stamp in time.  The bus ride to Beirut from Bacharre was a bit tense due to knowing that there was fighting around the country. The bus deposited me on the edge of Beirut next to a tank and a group of Lebanese troops. I stayed in the Gabriel Hotel in east Beirut, a nice hotel quite a bit beyond my normal budget.  When I checked in the staff asked if I was press.  Next day the fighting stopped and in another day I received a call from the American embassy informing me that the main border crossing to Syria was going to open in the morning and that I could get a seat on an early bus by calling a certain phone number.  That night about 11:15, following an announcement by the government rescinding the statements that had angered Hezbollah, there was celebratory gunfire all over the city.  Some tracers were rising about 2 blocks from the hotel, plus lots of machine gun fire and distant booms which may have been rpg’s.  My hopes of getting out were dashed until the hotel reception told me that it was just Hezbollah having fun. Next morning made it out of Lebanon and was given a Syrian visa immediately at the border.

Damascus is great, extremely friendly people, good food, no shooting!