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. The palace itself is a mix of traditional Arab and Italian, as the architects were Italian, and the materials from which it was built are from all over - Syria, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon. I had a guide who used a very strange mixture of French and English to show me around. I saw courtyards, reception rooms, the tomb of a princess, private meeting rooms, hammams (Turkish style bathhouse) and wandered round the huge grounds, in which is a huge collection of Byzantine mosaics, many of them still in excellent condition. One night I went out with a couple of the people I'd met in the hostel, and their Lebanese friends. That night, a bomb had been found in a taxi on a main road - fortunately before it exploded. The downtown area was really quiet, but I still saw cars entering car parks being thoroughly checked for bombs. Another day I visited the town of Tyr (Sour in Arabic), about 50miles south of Beirut. Had a really enjoyable couple of hours there. When I got on the bus, a young guy asked me where I was going, and asked if he could join me. I said of course, so he spent the next few hours acting as my tour guide! We went for a walk along the Corniche, and after lunch strolled round the souq. Then we visited the archaeological site of Al-Bass, which was really fabulous. There is a long colonnaded road which passes through a Roman necropolis, containing scores of sarcophagi, some stone and others marble. Some are as old as the 2nd century BC while others date from the 6th century AD. It was very relaxing wandering around amongst the tombs, in the sunshine. There is a huge arch which was rebuilt which would have signified the gateway to the town. And beyond the arch, the really amazing site of the world's largest and best preserved Roman hippodrome. Admittedly now it has been partly reconstructed but that didn't detract from the spectacle. It would have been used for chariot races and you can even still see the 'metae' which marked each end of the course, where chariots often collided or overturned. These turns were probably the most exciting part of the races!!! Despite the modern high rise buildings along one side of the hippodrome, it was almost possible to close your eyes and imagine the chariots racing and the roars of the crowds watching! As I was wandering round the hippodrome, which is really incredible, my 'guide' asked if, on my return to England, I could send him information on getting a visa to work in England. I told him I didn't know how. At this point, he told me his friend had chatted to an American girl on the internet, who came to Lebanon and they got married, so he was able to go to the States. I almost ran down the steps of the arena in my haste to cut short that conversation!! On Easter Sunday, I said I would go to church with one of the girls in the room. We wandered round trying to find a service, but most seemed to be in the evening, so we gave up on that and instead went for a coffee. We went to a French style patisserie. Outside, there were three guys who looked like something out of the movies - wearing dark suits, dark glasses, constantly looking around and speaking into earpieces. We sat on the terrace, and although we were in the heart of downtown Beirut, there was very little traffic and few people around due to a bomb blast the previous night. The men continued patrolling the café, and after we'd been there about 20 minutes, suddenly, two HUGE, black and incredibly conspicuous vehicles (no idea what they were, I've never seen anything like them before) with mirrored windows arrived and out got a few passengers. We were most disappointed not to recognise and of them as they walked right past us and into the café. A few more security people appeared, all looking equally noticeable. Apparently it was the American ambassador, who was meeting a friend for breakfast. It was hard to believe the amount of security required - there were maybe ten people standing around, walking through the terrace, looking over anyone who walked nearby. To me it was all very over the top - I'm sure they wouldn't all have been necessary had the ambassador (or whoever it was) chosen to travel in a rather less striking vehicle. Everyone who passed stopped to stare - not in the slightest bit discreet. Anyway, after that brush with dignitaries, I headed off to Saida, a small port south of Beirut. It is over 6000 years old and was a wealthy Phoenician city. I visited the Crusader Sea Castle which was built in 1228 on a small island about 80metres offshore. From the roof of one of the two towers there are great views across the old city and the fishing harbour. The souqs of Saida were really amazing. I had a great time wandering through them, accompanied by young kids saying hello and asking me to take their photos. Some of the products on sale looked extremely unappetising to say the least. As well as the animal carcasses hanging there, I saw offal and entrails and tables of animal (sheep?) heads, skinned, but still with their eyes. Definitely not a sight for the faint hearted!! As I wandered, I was invited in to play pool or table football with some kids. Despite my protests, they were very insistent so I was called upon to show off my lack of skill in both these events. And in fact, the tables were turned somewhat, as some Lebanese guy insisted on taking my photo! The guy who was supervising these kids was really friendly, and invited me to drink coffee with him. I was really relaxing, he was a very kind host, and he seemed to know most of the people walking past. He took me to the Museum of Soap, housed in a 13th century stone building which, in the 19th century was converted for use as a soap factory. It was really interesting, although Saida is not the centre of the traditional soap making industry in Lebanon. And then he took me to see the Khan al-Franj, a huge, traditional inn, for merchants and travellers in the 19th century. Although he didn't speak much English, he was very enthusiastic about showing me around. And introducing me top various people he knew on the way, including the people he worked with at a fish market, and his wife's sisters and mother!! I really am so taken with the friendliness of the local people. I'm sure I've experienced it elsewhere, but then, I've always had a feeling (possibly unjustified) that there was some ulterior motive for their kindness. Here I don't feel that at all, I think they are just incredibly open and generous, and wanting to ensure that tourists are having a good time. Everyone offers help, from taxi drivers to stall holders in the souq, to the person you sit next to on the bus. They want to invite you to their house for coffee, chat to you (even if you don't speak a common language), take you where you're going, just to make sure you are happy in their country. Everywhere you go, even if noone speaks English, they all manage to say "hello, welcome to Lebanon", and often "first time in Lebanon?" Of course they predict your answer: "very good!" It's really amazing, and probably one of the things I'll remember most about the country. I really am having a great time here. Good weather - warm and sunny with blue skies, delicious food (so much better than I was expecting from the little I've tried at home), interesting sightseeing and incredibly friendly locals. What more could I want from a holiday?!