Road Safety Education in Schools

Kindly click on image for larger size. For interested schools, or if you're a teacher and think the school you teach in might be interested in educating their kids on road safety, call 03/702422 or visit www.yasa.org

Lebanon, good or bad change?

Yesterday while I was driving to work, I had my car's sun roof open, and there was a pickup in front of me throwing diesel from its exhaust, I couldn't breathe anymore! And this made me realize that it has been a couple of weeks since breathing for me has been hard and not quite joyable anymore! We are not breathing oxygen alone, I am not sure what kind of mutant we might become due to this so much pollution in the air, but I know it's bad. We need a solution badly!



There has been some more installation of traffic lights along Jdeideh to Dekwaneh Highway, and amazingly people are respecting it. Maybe not 100%, but a good 85% or so. I love this, us, the Lebanese people, the unorganized chaotic rebellious people, are respecting those lights, and why? Because if we don't, while everybody else is, we die... Or if we don't die, we get a ticket.



This is the end of April, May is usually a great month in Lebanon, the best weather, because it's not too hot or humid, and it's not cold, it's perfect. But what happens to the Tourism in Lebanon? Are tourists going to come to Lebanon this year? I've heard that many countries have warned their citizens from coming to Lebanon, this was a couple of months ago, I am not sure if this is the case. The reason why they are spreading this warning, is because they fear of another war in Lebanon.

War in Lebanon? No way Hosey! 12 days ago, it was April 13, the commemoration of the civil war that erupted in 1975. A war that no body wants, but everybody fears.
But the real war that scares most of the Lebanese, is July 2006's daughter. Will she give birth this summer? I surely hope not. It is definitely the case that Israel has been on their toes lately, especially since Mughnieh was assassinated last winter. However, will they attack? Will Hezbollah do another operation that would tick the Israelis off and bring them to war? I guess not, there is this thing we call surprise, and if they do attack, it won't be a surprise, and one of the best elements of war (not that I encourage it), but in the Art of war, when you want to win something, you ought to surprise your enemy and give it to them when they least expect it.

Alas with the presidential elections, nothing yet. And I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but we hardly notice this emptiness. The real deal is that our life-long complexe insecure leaders finally agree on something, because this is very pathetic. Yes we know, it's not just about Lebanon, but it's also a regional thing, but enough is enough, I sometimes feel while Lebanon was on the top in the middle east, the Switzerland of the east, the paris of the arabs, all those things that are happening to it, only blooms and improves other countries such as UAE, Qatar or Jordan. While we dig deep and sink, they rise and fly. Who's fault is this?

Beirut Freeze

Today, while walking in CityMall Geant in Jdeideh, a huge mall in the eastern Beirut Suburbs, suddenly a big number of people froze for a couple of minutes, not moving at all! I researched the subject and found many video clips on YouTube and that such a thing also happened abroad in other cities in the world such as London, Paris, Edhinburg...

I don't know what that movement is or how such a thing is organized or what the purpose of it is, but it surely is pretty exciting and interesting to look at. I will see if anything is posted soon on youtube.com, I will post a link to it.

This was done in London, on February 16, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PupR5V9aE2s

Where to go when you visit Lebanon - Site 5: Adventure

It's been really a long time since I chose a place to visit in Lebanon and told you about it. (See top right of the blog for the whole list of places to visit in Lebanon).

Well this time, it's not just one place, it is many places at the same time, the key here is not the location, but what you will be doing in this location.

For all adventure lovers out there, Lebanon is a great place to do a lot of different kind of activites, and they are so many. Getting closer to nature is possible in Lebanon, and highly recommended for the great reserves we have and the beautiful scenery you will see.




First of all, there are the classic getting-to-know mountains, such as Rappelling, Climbing, Hiking, Rope Courses (walking on ropes and stuff), caving!





If you got some good sense of direction, wind knowledge and feel like you want to get the stress out, Archery and Tyro are just the things to do! And if it is not things you want to shoot at, but people, then Paintball it is! We have many ready-locations that you can go and play paintball in! Rent your suit, your gun and your paint bullets and "FIRE IN THE HOLE".

If you feel like going from one place to another at a high speed, you can always go on ATVs, or if you feel like you want to really go back in time, horseback riding is very thrilling. And if you are feeling like working those legs, than you should just go biking! Beautiful.





I aready mentioned in a previous post "Where to go when you visit Lebanon - Site 4: Skiing", but of course it is not only skiing that you can do, you can also snowboard, snowshoe, ride a jetski... But that is only during one season (From January to March)

Feel like flying? There are trained monitors who can help you paraglide over the hills of Lebanon!



If you just want to walk your energy off, reach your limits and see what you an handle, there are many valleys you can go to, but I highly recommend taking a long walk in the valley of ANNOUBIN, which is location in the North.

The typical activity which of course is an amazing experience which I personally had the pleasure and opportunity to excercise for over 13 years is Camping. We have great locations, also made especially for installing that tent and preparing that beautiful fire camp to grill some potatoes in.

Finally, if you are a water person, we have those great rivers you can go to and go some rafting, canoeing and if it is not the rivers you want to swim in, you can go to our cost long beach from the North to the South of Lebanon and do some diving, skinautique, voilier...







These are three websites I can think of at this moment, if you want more info you can always contact me and I will help you search for other organizers.

http://www.lebanese-adventure.com/
http://www.blue-carrot.com/
http://www.lareserve.com.lb/
http://www.pine-land.com/