the drive up to tripoli was quite stunning - the sea was deep blue and the sky completely clear, not a cloud in the sky. the only thing bothering was the heat. i realize why I feel so much hotter here than in syria. humidity. beirut and tripoli are all coastal cities and thus the air is a lot wetter. I imagine when summer proper arrives, it will be akin to hong kong. its hard to believe in winter it snows here!

I spent the afternoon walking in and through various souks - the gold souk, soap souk, copper souk etc. there were two pieces I wanted to buy in the copper souk - a brass vase and a mini shisha (sooo cute, and is actually practical!), but the owner wouldnt reduce the price and i walked away....regretably! bummer.. annoying. i think my mum would have appreciatd the vase since she loves flowers.

other than standard kebabs, ive been indulging in smooth delicious hommus (sometimes with mince meat topping). ive always enjoyed lebanese food, but now having tasted it right from the native land, I am hooked. i like it because its such a varied cuisine. normally skeptical about foreign sweets (indian sweets for starters), I am a lot more liberal with middle eastern sweets - probably because they incorporate so much nuts in it - almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts etc. yum yum