South Lebanon

Lebanon is a small country yet differs dramatically from one region to the next. Here in the south it's hotter, less developed, and has a relaxed Mediterranean feel similar to the Greek islands (due to the proximity to Israel, however, there is a heavy military presence as well as numerous UN personnel in this region). Tyre, known as Sor in Arabic, is a large port town with a pleasant boardwalk area along the Mediterranean and also several large ancient Roman sites. I didn't have any luck finding a hotel room in Tyre, so ended up paying an old Lebanese woman some money to sleep in a spare room in her house. As it turns out, she spends much of her time in the little alcove just outside my room, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, visiting with neighbors, even sleeping there at night. Having someone just outside my door is a bit hard to get used to, though on the positive side it's like having a security guard on duty around the clock.