[rebel_yell2]

No, but I did get a Turkey sub at Subway for dinner. There is a Subway, McD's, BK and even a Hardee's just down the street. Of course Kabob-ji (the local favorite for Lebanese kebabs) is much better.

[Red Badger]

Buy a bhurka and start walking north till you get to the border........

[NonValueAdded]

Sounds like it is not as dire as I first thought - at the moment, anyway. So ... morphing the advice posted so far with your report on the local cuisine ... stock up on 5 days worth of subs from Subway and we'll see you on TV in a month or so talking about how the Subway diet got you through a war zone and a trimmer waistline at the same time. :)

As to your IMF mission in Lebanon, was it mainly loans for infrastructure and getting Lebanon back on its feet after a Syrian withdrawal (however phony that might be)? Will these attacks drive the Lebanese back into boy-Assad's hands?

[Michael81Dus]

I don´t know if you have practised it before, but make sure that you ALWAYS when leaving the hotel drive with reliable friends or use CHRISTIAN taxis. NEVER USE A TAXI THAT IS DRIVEN BY A MUSLIM, YOU NEVER KNOW!! Ask the concierge for reliable Christian taxis.

To FReepers who´re wondering: In Lebanon it´s quite usual for Christians to use Christian-only-taxis. It´s a security matter.

[warsaw44]

Reb,
How are the Lebanese you've spoken to taking all this? I have known more Lebanese than I can remember and found them to be very friendly, honest, fun but most of all loyal. Some of the best friends I have ever had.
Most of them I knew at BU when the Hariri foundation sent thousands of them abroad for education. They all started the school year in the second semester and there was apprehension among many of us as to what they'd be like. I ended up with one as my roommate - Mohammad Ali Munzer. I'm a lucky man to have known him. I do hope he is well, I have not heard from him in many years.
All of them were Muslim of every type and they all got along with everyone and among themselves. They went to great lengths to befriend the RA of the floor when they learned she had lobbied not to have any of them on her floor. The young lady was Jewish. By the time the school year ended she counted quite a few of the guys as her friends.
I recall how much they wanted to learn about America. How they wanted to experience everything the city had to offer and seemed to make friends with everyone they met. These men ( and a few ladies ) spent a huge amount of time on their studies and the pace at which they mastered English was astounding. Among themselves they chided each other if any spoke Arabic. ' Speak English, speak English ' they'd say and the fellow who was speaking Arabic always looked a bit embarrassed.
Brother, could they ever drink...these guys loved Heineken and always put me to shame in the consumption department. Many times these guys would insist on taking me to night clubs which I'd never have even considered going to - and this is only after being in the States for a few months.
Just about all of them had some type of military experience during the wars in their country. Some of them had huge gruesome scars on their bodies which you'd see when everyone was making the made scramble for the morning showers.
These guys were my first introduction to Islam. I was 19 years old and didn't know Islam from ice cream. As everything hits the fan over there I have been thinking about their families and the students who returned to Lebanon. I have high hopes for Lebanon. I haven't given up yet.