Summary

Arriving in Lebanon, Friedman is surprised "that getting here had been so easy" (193). Walking around Beirut, he finds that it is "possible at times to sense [...] the old cosmopolitan Middle East" where people of all different backgrounds and religions mingled together congenially. He visits popular tourist spots, writing "these experiences will not be unique to anyone who has visited Lebanon, something I urge you to do if you can--it's a country that deserves a better history than it has had and a better future than the one that seems in store" (195). Friedman joins a hiking group of mostly Lebanese people, who warn him to avoid the south of the country because "the Israelis could strike at any time" (196). More than one of his fellow hikers give Friedman their contact info and offer him places to stay across the country; he is...