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Adrian (my soon-to-be ex-boss) chose Damascus as the venue for his final Regional Meeting. No powerpoints, reports…or paper for that matter. It was basically a grand send-off weekend party for The Gane. No problem here. The toughest part was trying to pretend I was drinking as much as everyone else without actually doing so. The fact that DB was there definitely didn’t help - the man drinks like a fish.

Damascus holds a viable claim to being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. The city, particularly all within the old city walls, was simply stunning. The photos speak for themselves. Syrians are so hospitable, they seem to constantly worry and want to make sure you’re having a great time every single minute…which can become a little difficult for both sides. One really has to appreciate that they carry the best of intentions. I’ve been so spoiled by them it makes me wonder how I will be able to handle the reverse culture shock when I get kicked back to take-it-or-leave-it Hong Kong.

Having said that, the Syrian Arab Repulic is an authoritarian regime accused by the US of harboring former Iraqi leadership and terrorists, allowing resistance fighters to flow from its border into Iraq, and is right up there on the suspect list for assassinations committed on Lebanese leadership. Yummy.

Walked around the Umayyad Mosque (my first time in ANY mosque, believe it or not), and struck up an interesting conversation with a visiting Iranian on the shrine of John the Baptist as well as must-see places in Persia. All went well until he started talking about Zionism, at which point I appropriately (for my sake) interrupted with "So, are there many of my fellow Chinese living in Iran?"

Along with the boss, I got kicked off the flight home, so we spent the night dining at a hilltop restaurant overlooking Damascus. We drove out of Syria the next day, passing through Lebanese vineyards in the Bekaa Valley and flew out of Beirut. Well worth the offloading.

Now here in the office I sit…the king-bitch of Bahrain and offline Middle East…for a month.

I wasn’t about to miss the Christmas spirit just because I’m in the Middle East. Cathay’s resident ‘leng jai’ Eddie flew over to check out the former (and current?) warzone of Lebanon with me. He also has the honor of being the guest photographer for this posting, so that explains why everything looks much better this time (yes I know, photos will be up once I get the CD from Eddie).

THE PEOPLE - Over the past decade and a half, they’ve seen death, destruction and suffering, but the sight of an oriental still seems a little foreign to them. They don’t seem to be shy about starting conversations though. I’ve experienced many kinds of greetings, the most common of which I’ve listed below, in order of frequency:

1) "Konichiwa!"

2) "Japan number one!"

3) "Yalah ("let’s go" in Arabic) SUSHI!"

4) "Ni hao!" (combined with hands clasped together while bowing)

5) "Hey China/Yao Ming/Jackie Chan!" (combined with martial arts poses and/or kung-fu screams)

Once you see past what seems to be rudeness or ignorance, you will find genuine warmth (except in cases ‘3′ and ‘5,’ mostly from youths), as the above is almost always followed by a heartfelt "welcome to Lebanon." Nowhere in Hong Kong will you find people who look you in the eye and say this to you without wanting to make a buck out of you. Still standing after all the years of carnage, they are eager to hear you say how beautiful their country is. And beautiful their country is.

THE LADIES - Wow.

THE SKIING - Snowboarding over Christmas in Lebanon…who would have thought. I fell more times than I could remember (crashing head first into the snow didn’t help), but Faraya Mzaar was gorgeous, and only one hour away from the beaches of Beirut! The sight of countless Lebanese girls zooming by in tight ski outfits and oakleys with their hair tied back alone was worth the trip.

THE CAPITAL - No surprise as to why Beirut was once considered the ‘Paris of the Middle East.’ Beautifully restored buildings sitting alongside mangled mixtures of metal and bullet-ridden concrete only adds to the city’s character and emphasizes its people’s resolve. Reconstruction work continues with speed and determination. I’ll definitely be back.

THE TRAVEL COMPANION - No surprise as to why Eddie is knowing as the ‘Prince of CX.’ That professional-grade camera hanging from the broad shoulders of his 6-foot plus frame only adds to his charisma and emphasizes his sensitive, artsy side. He works the ladies with efficiency and ruthlessness. He says he’ll be back. The Lebanese ladies can’t be happier.

Checked out the New Year’s Eve partying scene in Rue Monot and Downtown before spending the countdown walking along the Northern seaside with a lamb brain sandwich (yes) in hand.