The good things..

Dom reporting. There is a lot of grim news around in the Middle East (see Fi's bit below), and the Arab League initiative for Lebanon seems to be floundering - I am not sure if there is another initiative after that but there usually is - but there also doesn't seem to be an appetite for any violence. Probably the situation will stagger on for a while yet.

Anyway, I thought I would draw attention to some of the good things that have been going on here in the last month. Firstly the weather has been perfect - perfect that is for Brits who think that around zero degrees at night and 8 degrees but sunny by day is nice. The wind is from the north which means chilly but amazingly clear. In which other capital city can you sit outside in a warm sun by the sea and see a huge snowcapped mountain? OK maybe somewhere in south america? And Geneva is not a capital - neither is Lake Geneva a sea. And yes you can ski and it is brilliant to be able to drive 50 minutes up the mountain from your flat and be skiiing an hour after leaving the house. Fi has done a black run this year and I am still on the reds, but there is still time!
Next, the nightlife. The nightlife in Beirut is simply phenomenal and very tiring when you have to be at work at 8! We now have a new 'local' called Scotts which is about 2 minutes walk away and serves Murphys!. The main drags of Monot and Gemmayzeh are flourishing and new places are opening (and closing) every week as trends move on. Food here is also something special. Much as I love Syrian food (cherry kebabs yum), in Syria there is really only Syrian food - apart from the odd ropey Italian. But in Beirut you have Italian, Chinese, Japanese by the hundred, French, Steak, pick-your-own seafood, Parisian-style cafes, and a million franchises from Costa Coffee, Nandos, Starbucks, and....KFC (aaaargh) - all within 15 minutes walk. and of course the delicious Lebanese food too. One thing that is lacking is a really good Indian although there is a place called Maharajah which is OK. And it is all a fraction of the price of London.
Just before Xmas we went to Byblos for a seafood blowout which involves selecting fresh fish and having them cooked to order, then about half way through realising that seafood is quite filling but as you ordered it you have to finish...walk it off with a wander through the souk which is becoming slightly corporatised but in a very tasteful way (a bit lie rebuilt Central Beirut). A really nice half day out.

Although the economy here is suffering badly, it still managed 3% growth in 07 despite everything - way above all forecasts. That's more than western Europe but really it needs 8% to really create jobs. It seems the more people who emigrate to well paid jobs overseas the more money comes into the country to keep it afloat - a bizarre way to keep the country going but it keeps the wheels turning. But the brave investor is reaping rewards - like the guy who opened a microbrewery called 961 (after the dialling code for Lebanon) and is making pots of cash.

Finally it is still incredible to me how good the education is here. When 18 year old bar staff can speak 3 languages it puts us all to shame. No doubt we will really miss most of it when we go(with the exception of politicians, idiot drivers, potholes, too loud dance music in bars, lack of green space, and the symphony of car horns!).