vermin, another. there s everything here says farhan, things i have never seen before. rats, mice, everything. mona crossed into lebanon with her son. her husband went missing five years ago. we were afraid, she recalls, we walked for four days over the mountains after paying $700 to smugglers. some have returned to syria, but others continue to come, says mike bruce of the norwegian refugee council. walking across the mountains and taking days to cross in winter are a testament to the fact that syria isn t safe. until syria is safe and until there is a lasting peace, people should not be going back to syria. reporter: in this cold, wet, bleak existence, the day when syria is safe again seems an eternity away. ben joins us now from beirut.