Ejected from Beruit after a superior Shawerma Snadwich (horizontal layers Lamb or Chicken on a verticle skewer with a thick layer of fat at the top and layers of tomatoes or spices interspersed. Heat is applied along the verticle length of the skewer on one side, the skewer turns for even crisping and all the juices drip down to refresh the meat below with flavor) from a curley-mustached man at the Cola Bus Stand. Napped most of the way and awoke near the end to find us barrelling down a road FILLED with oil drum checkposts and on both sides high snow-covered mountain ridges (the Lebannon and Anti-Lebannon ranges).

Baalbeck’s ruins jumped up tall and impressive on the left (this is the largest temple in the Roman Empire of 2000 years ago, was the site of one of the earliest Christian Churches and was pereserved within the walls of a subsequent Moslem fort on the same spot and it has been a site of exploration from European vandals since the 1850s). We quickly found a cosy place for $ 5 USD (Hotel Shumaan) and took a long walk around the acropolis perimeter, through the countryside and up to the Army Fort hilltop overlooking all before returning to the dead town below where the most eventful things that happened were either people either sullen or strangely unfreindly, friendly and talkative, or stupid and annoying playing with us on the street or yelling from passing cars.

Baalbeck is a shia town (the smaller of the two main sects of Islam, Shias follow a different chain of command after Mohammad’s death, and their worship tends to be more hypnotic and passionate) and this manifests itself:

- A large Iranian grocery store, Irans’’s flag flown proudly
- This is the world headquarters of thee Hizbollah and this afternoon they held a large rally ending with hundreds of black-clad commandos running yelling down the street.
- On our walk we came across a capturedd Israili Army tank atop a shattered concrete star of David.
- Posters showing pictures of Mullah Naasrullah, leader of the Hizbollah, looking like an Iranian Ayatollah are everywhere.
- Posters for the Intifada (the popularr uprising against Israeli settlements and hegemony in the area) showing bloody hands holding stones or grenades and making the victory sign are everywhere.
- Hypnotic mantras over the loudspeakerrs at call-to-prayer time (instead of the traditional call to prayer script).

During my email session I learned more about Mom and Dad’s emotions regarding me current life: more disappointment and fear. Seems they need to hear I will marry and multiply some day.

I feel myself growing bored with Lebannon – the most exciting idea I have being to walk over the snowy 12 Kilometer of mountain top cutting us off from The Cedars tomorrow. Seems I will have to leave Seon Su behind since I feel she would endanger herself if she came. As usual, she is warming to me but I havn’t the interest or patience to follow up on that bronco-busting exercise.