Don’t let the name fool you. Le Gray Hotel in Beirut pops with color at every turn. I spent a sunny afternoon at the hotel enjoying a delicious lunch with the hotel’s Public Relations manager and getting a peek at what the hotel has to offer. Truly a lovely afternoon! Towels await on the pool’s lounge chairsOften… Read more
Yesterday I was faced with a Sunday of nothing to do. My plans for a trip to a local beach fell through at the last minute so I was looking at a beautiful sunny day with no plans. My new roommate threw out the idea of trying Walk Beirut – a walking tour of the city… Read more
OK – I think I may be obsessed. While I should be blown over by the ruins, beautiful architecture and natural wonders of Beirut, instead I’m secretly enthralled about the whole taxi game here. Maybe its because I hail from Los Angeles where I probably take a taxi about twice a month at best. It is… Read more
Last week I was lucky enough to have a stay at the Four Seasons here in Beirut. In my previous post I wrote about the lovely hotel and the best night sleep I’ve had since I’ve been in this city, but of course I didn’t stay locked in my room the whole time (though honestly that… Read more
I began the day in a bit of a tizzy. First a hectic, fast paced Arabic class that left my brain spinning, then emails to return, and following up on leads for a room to rent in Beirut that i need to secure by the end of the month. By the time I stepped into the… Read more
I have been in Lebanon for nearly two weeks and each day I take an average of 3 rides in a taxi. That means I’ve been in about 40 different taxis and I can safely say that I have gotten the same question from 39 of those 40 taxi drivers: “Where are you from”. Sometimes it… Read more
People travel around the world for many reasons. To find themselves, to lose themselves, to find someone, to find something, to make a difference. All valid reasons (and all reasons I’ve adopted at one point or another). For me, one reoccurring theme is to take myself out of my comfort zone and to try new things… Read more
On a whim, I visited a friend in Beirut back in 2010. I knew little about the city other than the fact that it often seemed to be linked to war and fighting when it was mentioned in U.S. news reports. But with a little research, I realized things were much safer than they had been… Read more
A quick pick-me-up in VancouverIs it weird that I will travel thousands of miles, spend the better part of a day on a plane and likely drop a decent wad of cash only to end up in a foreign country to do…nothing? Well, not exactly “nothing” but pretty darned close to it. No matter where I… Read more
Pep Talk: OK, Nailah! The calendar has turned, it’s a new year, your travel year, so let’s get to it! If operation *escape the cubicle* is truly going to come together, I need to start taking action. I’ve taken two steps in the right direction in the last two days. I decided on an Arabic language… Read more