As the bus crossed the Syrian border, a looming McDonald's billboard greeted me. Ah, Lebanon. Gateway to the West.

Lebanon was not in my original plan. I didn't think I had time, and was not swayed by the nightlife. But I did want to try the food.

My happiness varied daily based on my treatment by the locals. My overall impression: bad. Very bad. Would I return? Hell no.

But there were good moments:

Jeita Grotto
This cave system is one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen, although I am very inexperienced with caves. Pricey at 18,150LL, and the first part is silly...rather than walking to the upper grotto, you take a 500m cable car ride. The view isn't even good. But walking through the beautifully-lit cave is magical, as is the slow boat ride through the lower grotto's gorgeous green lake. Jeita's bizarre drippy salt formations are beautiful and eerie. I explored it with a sweet middle-aged couple from Bahrain, who enjoyed Lebanon but raved about Syria—no surprise.

Cameras are not allowed, so view photos at the official website.

Baalbek
After cramming many ancient sites into a short period of time, Baalbek still impressed me. The complex Roman and Phoenician ruins provides an excellent skeleton for imagining the site in its heyday. The carvings are exquisite, and the setting peaceful.

Tony Baddour
Another Hospitality club find! He was the kindest man I met in a sojourn filled with bad men. Generous to a fault, he did everything he could to show me the good side of his country.

The food
A pleasant break from Middle Eastern food, I could eat delicious crepes every day if I so chose. Chicken shwarmas were super-moist and heavily studded with garlic. Pastries, stickily sweet. And that ice cream! A gooey cross between Syrian and Turkish versions, generally sold by "how many flavors do you want to cram into that cup?"

I did enjoy people-watching in Beirut. The clothing in particular is trashily fascinating. The Lebanese women who believe they're hot stuff go for mesh or fishnet over exposed midriffs, white capris, platform shoes, and dark exposed roots. Lebanon's guidebook cliché is that it's "legendary for the beauty of its women." This beauty is severely diminished by the lack of style and class presented. And speaking of beauty, which countries are legendary for the beauty of the men?

I regret that I took few photos, but my extreme unhappiness took away most of my desire to document the trip.

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