Shiny new passport (check), properly broken in carry-on luggage (check), a few new tunes added to my Flight Plan playlist on my iPod (check)…its time to roll! I haven’t left the country since (gasp!) February and according to my 2013 travel plan I am well overdue for a journey.  So off I go tomorrow for a trip to…Beirut.  This visit will be quick and if I calculate it out, I’ll probably spend more time in airports and airplanes than in my actual destination, but sometimes the journey is just as much a part of the trip as the destination (I feel like I may be paraphrasing an ancient Chinese saying here).

One of my favorite views in Beirut

Of course I’d love to stay longer than just a weekend in Beirut, but work and other overseas trips later this month mean I have to keep this one brief.  I realize it may sound utterly ridiculous to some folks that I’d travel this far for such a short amount of time. Actually if I think about it hard enough it sounds pretty absurd to me too, but that’s the kind of traveler I am. Every trip may not make sense…I mean how many people think of vacationing in Lebanon at all (yes, I’m aware that its right next door to waring Syria), but the freedom to go, to get up and find myself in a vastly different environment often wins out over logic.

So how will I spend my 2.5 days in Beirut? With any luck I’ll spend it laughing with friends I met during my last two visits, strolling around familiar neighborhoods while likely discovering something in places I thought I knew so well, singing Happy Birthday to my dear friend, eating at my favorite restaurants, drinking Mexican beers, dancing to both traditional and club music until late into the night then soaking up some rays at the beach.  All before I find myself heading back to the airport on Sunday. Just a little Lebanon “fix”until I can return again for a longer stint to see even more of what Beirut and Lebanon have to offer.

 

Sunset at the Corniche in Beirut

 

But first an entirely empty carry-on lays open on the floor mocking me. Unsurprisingly, I have yet to start packing for my flight leaving tomorrow.  Some things never change.

While I’m on the road, check out my Twitter feed and this blog’s Facebook Page for pictures and updates from my travels.