Well, I finally made it over to Lebanon. Most other foreigners who have been here more than two or three months have gone to Lebanon. They call Beirut the Pearl of the East, and now I know why. It is much prettier than any of the other countries I have seen in this region, probably because it is on the ocean. Anyway, I had last Thursday off from work because it was Labor day in the Middle East, so I took the opportunity to go. I originally wanted to go through Syria, because it is cheaper than flying, plus it would be neat to at least see Syria. However, going through Syria requires waiting at least six hours at the border to get a Visa, and I didn't feel like I had that kind of time to waste, so I just bought a plane ticket. The plane ride is all of about 40 minutes long from Amman to Beirut...hard to imagine I flew across three countries in that period of time. When I arrived I went and found the hostel which a friend recommended in the old city of Beirut. It was a nice hostel, and only 7$ a night. Right after I hitched a bus down to Saida (aka Sidon) and hung out there for a few hours then hitched another bus down to Soor (aka Tyre) and stayed until dark then caught a minibus back to Beirut. Tyre and Sidon are pretty incredible. The modern cities are built around the ancient ruins of the old cities and they are all right on the ocean front. Here are a couple pictures, but they hardly do it justice.
This is in Sidon. The ruined castle was a Crusader castle from around 1100 AD.
This is in Sidon. The ruined castle was a Crusader castle from around 1100 AD.
This is part of Tyre. This part used to be the island stronghold, which Alexander built a bridge to in order to destroy it. The ruins you see are Roman
This is the Hippodrome in Tyre. It is the largest known Roman hippodrome in the world, almost 500m long.The next day I want to the American University of Beirut and talked to the Physics department chair about the possibility of working or studying there (AUB is considered the best school in the Middle East) and after he found out my GPA and GRE score and that I graduated from UAF (which he knew of the Physics program there) said that my chances are pretty good. Not that I am going to go to AUB, but it is nice to know that its possible. After that I met up with bro. Abdou Issa, father of Silas Issa. We spent the evening together and had a really good time.
Saturday I met up with a friend who I had met in Jordan during the UN training course who works with an organization for the protection of nature in Lebanon, and we went with a small group of school kids to eastern Lebanon. It is a really pretty area.
Sunday I spent all day with the bro Issa and the church. It was very encouraging to see them and talk to them. I was even able to give a small lesson. After the service Bro Issa found out that I knew a little about music and had me go over to their song leaders house to tell him everything I knew about reading music and about leading music. I don't know a whole lot, but it was much more than he knew, and it seemed to generally help him. Thanks to Dawson, Rebekah, and Heather for teaching me the little that I know. 
This is me with bro Issa and his wife (on the left) and his sister's family (on the right)
This is me with bro Issa and his wife (on the left) and his sister's family (on the right)I guess that is all for now. Until the next time. By the way I come back to Alaska the 30th of May...time just goes to fast. I hope you guys have the weather all ready for me :)
