Apple Orchards, Bekaa Valley and Baalbek

Up early to catch 6am bus to Tripoli well that is what time they told me first bus leaves. No one at bus terminal 5 at Charles Heloue except shady looking Syrians who kept wanting to shine my suede shoes. Eventually left at 7.15am. Got to Tripoli and met up with Zac and we drove the long and winding roads over Mount Lebanon mountains and into the Bekaa Valley and down to Baalbek.

High in the mountains the apples were ripe in the orchards and so close to the narrow roads you could pick them from the moving car. Fresh apples and cider were sold on the side of the road. The scenery was breathtaking and the mountain air was cool, crisp and sweet so we picked up some smelly hitch hicking farmers for some added local colour and flavour.

Baalbeck was incredible, with extremely impressive and outsized Roman ruins of the once mighty city of Heliopolis. We toured the complex in the late in the afternoon so to enjoy the beautiful light from the setting sun. No one one around so it seemed obligatory to take a few Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden style pics for a private collection. We stayed in a faded grandeur hotel where the water rarely worked and the majordommo kept wandering in and out of our room wanting to know if he could do anything to make our stay more comfortable.

Drove to Zahle for dinner and a promenade.