One thing to keep in mind about guide books is that they are often written by travelers who travel in more traditional ways, i.e, planes, trains, autos, etc. As such, they might not be aware of the specific details you would need. That's why it's much, much more important to talk to a consulate or embassy about what you want to do.

Web sites like Crazy Guy on a Bike can be an invaluable source of information for situations where lots of people have the same experiences and the rules and/or laws of the nation are predictable. However, if you show up at the border in Lebanon and expect something to happen a certain way because of what you have read on a website like CGOAB, no one there is going to be sympathetic if you have somehow been misled. All they will care about is what rules they are supposed to follow. One thing that I have read about on lots of CGOAB journals is that people often have to wait for days and weeks to get their visas sorted out, especially in places that are leery about tourists to begin with.