Beirut – Yes it’s safe, yes it’s worth seeing!

501places — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:16:00 +0000

When we told friends and family we were going to Beirut, we got a mix of concern, raised eyebrows and that look of “why? are you actually paying to go there?” Some probably eyed up our £260 flat screen TV and wondered if this would come their way when we were officially declared gone for good.

Beirut is a city of sharp contrasts. OK, there are many buildings bearing the scars of many years of war. Tanks, barbed wire and military checkpoints are located around the city. But once you look beyond that, you see a beautiful city, rich with a unique multi-cultural heritage, and with a very modern downtown. Walking along the Corniche (the waterfront promenade), I could have easily been in Nice or even Santa Monica. The Lebanese people meanwhile were so warm and welcoming that it was hard to imagine the turmoil the city and its people had recently suffered.

(April 2009)

Dancing on a Volcano – Kilauea, Hawaii

501places — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:54:00 +0000

It’s quite strange to keep lifting your feet and checking the soles of your hiking boots every few moments to make sure they are not melting. But then nothing is normal standing on a volcano.

If we had a stick, we would have poked the lava flowing less than a metre from our feet. It would have burnt instantly. But then we have already been warned to keep away from trees on the lava fields as they could explode without warning. Standing there, without another soul in sight, was one of those moments I knew we had to savour as it would be a lifetime highlight.

(January 2001)

501 Places

Beirut – Yes it’s safe, yes it’s worth seeing!

Dancing on a Volcano – Kilauea, Hawaii