Baalbek

I have overspent my budget and am now eating beef jerkey for dinner.
Last night, I spent several hours smoking sheesha with a chef from Dubai, was tired and went to bed early.
Today, I woke up early to be fed by my hotel owner, this wiry guy missing teeth and cackling at my attempts to speak arabic. I walked around the souk as it was opening. Quiet -- as quiet as Tripoli gets-- except for the sounds of footsteps and doors slamming open, water being poured to clean the stone floors. Got Mom a present from the oldest soap shop in Lebanon (400+ years old), drank coffee in the stores interior. Walked around drinking fresh squeezed orange juice from an old water bottle.
Then I took a bus to Bcharre, up in the mountains. Fucking beautiful, the town is on the edge of the qaadisha valley, flanked by red rocky mountains. The real treat, though, is the Chour cedar reserve 20 km northeast. I had intended to only take a taxi to the cedars and then back to bcharre and then back to Beirut. However, I could also hire a car to take me to the cedars, and then up over the mountains to Baalbek for 70USD. Steep price, but the area was so fucking beautiful and I wanted to see the rest of it, the mountains and then watch as I descended into Baalbek. Plus, it meant that instead of over the next two days bussing for 6 hours I took a car for two. Hence why I am eating jerkey.
So, I got into the car with the driver and his wife, who shared their lunch with me -- potato and olive oil wrapped in a tortilla thing, and a big bag of apricots and cherries. The cedars smelled like Lake Tahoe almost, and it looked like the meadows around Mount Rainier. Little blue flowers and wheat.
Oh! and it turns out Lebanese women love me. Slight edit: those women are 14and in braces. These two girls insisted I give them my email, and then excused themselves because they had to go to animation class.
We trekked through the mountains, getting stopped by herds of goats. And then we descended into Baalbek, where we promptly got 2 flat tires (better than had it been in the mountains...).
Once I got to my hotel and bought a Hezbollah teeshirt (Baalbek is where Hezbollah is headquartered), I explored the ruins, including the biggest, best preserved temple to Jupiter and Dionysis in the world. I was several thousand years too late for the opium and wine filled orgies, but tomorrow I could go to a concert (Mika) on the steps of the temple to Jupiter. Too expensive though as I am eating jerky.
Just as I was missing home, or at least the friendliness of the people I met in Beirut, I ran into two Italians from the first hostel I stayed in while in Beirut. So, now, I'm off to watch the football game at a bar with them. Tomorrow to Beirut and see Azmi.