We were curious to visit this troubled country that has featured heavily on the news for most of our childhood and teenage years. We had heard good stuff about Lebanon but for us it was unfortunately a very mixed bag. We’ve travelled around very poor countries, countries suffering from food shortages or trade embargos, police states, dictatorships. However, there is something in the air in Lebanon that makes you feel low all the time. It’s a country where the difference between rich and poor is enormous, at times even disturbing. Most poor people – street vendors, bus drivers and passengers – we met were very nice while the wealthier people were typically indifferent and sometimes even rude.