For newcomers to Lebanon like us, understanding the complexities of the political and social relations among the tiny country's numerous ethnic and religious groups is no small task. Beirut alone is a dizzying mix of cultural and religious enclaves that rivals the diversity of New York City. Today we set out to see a cross-section of Lebanon, starting the day early by heading an hour and a half by bus northeast of Beirut to the town of Baalbek. Thankfully we were accompanied, for the day, by a Middle East studies student, Michael Page, who did his best to fill us in on the history and, in some cases, politics of sights along the way.