Recently I was lucky enough to travel with Afriqiyah airlines. Afriqiyah is a relatively new airline with hub in Tripoli, Libya, so naturally it is quite difficult to ignore them.
Anyway, up to now I took several flights to Europe with them and in some ways they positively surprised me. First, they allow you to carry 30kg in economy and I believe there is no need to stress how unique that is. Second, if you need to change your travel date, you can do it for free (even though it says on the ticket that the cost is 30 dinars which is still cheap). Third, their tickets are cheap compared to, oh lets say Austrian or any other established airline flying to Libya.
So if these points are the most important ones for you be prepared for the negatives.
Stewards are Libyans so be prepared for rudeness and lack of customer service. There is only water and horrible orange juice to choose from in the drink cart. All the stewards/esses (and there are at least 6 of them!!!!) are going to spend most of the flight in the back of the plane loudly talking and smoking cigarettes. Naturally, if you have seat in the back they will ask you to move forward so they can amuse themselves in privacy. And since the planes are mostly empty, it is better for you to do so. Food, well all I can say is that it is eatable.
And then to the most interesting part for me.
Several times I flew with them, there were TV on each seat. Quite nice perk considering that it is only few hour flight! Touch screen worked, headphones worked, sound was clear enough and I was impressed with the choice they had of TV amusements. You can choose between music, Hollywood (films), short features and surprise surprise - Quran recitals... Also, there is Info section which shows maps, flight progress and direction and distance to Mekah... Everything one could need..
So I checked the short features which were quite cool and moved on to movie selection. There were 2 brain dead American comedies and one action film (forgot the name). The later was about American president (who else) coming to Barcelona for a summit where (what else) terrorist attack happens. It covers more or less an hour and a half of "real time" plot cut into sections in which we can see what one, each time different character sees from his viewpoint. It is fast moving and not all that bad (if you would ignore the fact that yet again, American president is portrayed as righteous one). So, back to the interesting part. At the beginning of the movie it said that "this movie is adapted to in-flight screen and has modified contents". Most of the movie is filmed in a big square where the summit takes place. There are a lot of people there and camera often sweeps over the crowds.
And every time there is a woman anywhere in the shot wearing anything but burka (which there is not many) they fog over her shoulders and breast area. And I assure you, there was nothing indecent in their clothes. We are talking normal T-shirts. I mean COME ON PEOPLE!!! Why do you do that?!? Are you seriously trying to negate existence of female breasts and female shoulders or you are so bloody twisted and horny that you can not even see a woman (completely dressed) in a movie and not think of something sexual? And what kind of stereotype that builds? Every time someone sees foggy part the only connection that person is going to make is - forbidden, shame, wrong, indecent.
It is pure brainwashing and the best part is - it works!! There are whole cultures out there (including Libyan) that see any flesh viewing as sexual taunting or even offer of sex. Does not matter if it is a wrist or an elbow....They are raised to make fast connection between seeing any part of female skin/hair and a slut or sex or forbidden. And of course, like everything that is "forbidden" it is all the more interesting for them. They are so deprived of any normality (yes, I use that word here) that they probably can not see the difference any more with normal and extreme. I can imagine that there is quite a bit more heavy porn downloading going on in Libya than in a country that has soft porn on TV. If their youth reacts to me (completely dressed walking down the street) in such an extreme ways, there is not much more extreme they can react when seeing something truly explicit. No wonder they have no idea how to behave when they get out of their country. Imagine what it must be like for them to come to a country where women wear mini skirts?!
Connected to that, we have few Arab channels which are not dubbing, that I watch occasionally. Watching MBC channels (Dubai based TV) is just killing me. All the commercials are for cleaning stuff depicting humble woman proudly scrubbing the house down with 3 children in a tow, and young brats driving expensive cars or drinking Coca Cola while girls are watching from the background... Or, the best one - 3 grown up woman meeting on the roof at midnight to do what else- eat chocolate! And then there is unescapable beauty factor - paler the better - and promoting the products such are "Fair&Lovely" which supposedly bleaches your face... It is like watching TV for children. Except these are not cartoons...
Needless to say, all the "sexual" content is completely cut out of any film they show which makes it for a quite short and numbing experience most of the time. I mean, why bother? Most American movies already come in several versions, one that is already cut out would be surely interesting to MBC and would look more professional...But I guess that would not be good enough for MBC since they leave all the gruesome scenes depicting violence in the movie intact... Sexual harassment scenes are also left on, because thats ok too... Because this is done for the sake of adults, not to spare the eyes of young and gentle children...
The movies on MBC2 are the worst of shallow stereotypical American comedies, action and horror films there are. For the shows on MBC4 - well does Dr. Phill, Americas got talent, Good Morning America, Moment of truth and Desperate Housewives tell you something? La femme Nikita, Red Bull, The Unit, TNA Explosion, Monster trucks and The Shield govern MBC Action Channel...
Violence, ridiculous cars, films that are all the same, stupid talk shows...
It hurts my brain to watch this stuff, and if I do I feel bad and weird after a while.
Luckily for me, we have our satellite channels to which I escape every time I fell like a bit of TV. I heard they even started something like TiVo as well, so I can watch when I please. And you know what - they even show soft porn occasionally!
Which is btw probably illegal to watch in Libya...
Dec 3, 2008
Oct 15, 2008
Libya & Paving the Roads
We came back from the short vacation (sometimes I thank god for Gs fuckwit company and their notoriously incompetent visa personnel) and this is what we saw.
Needles to say, car is on the wrong side of that half a meter drop...
Apparently, while we were gone someone decided it is finally time to repave our street. The work like this has been happening for a while in our neighborhood. It goes something like this.
Machines come, and many many people come. They stand around for a day or so, drink tea and generally yell at each other. One of them puts up tape on both street ends to cordon the road off. Sometimes they have those silly little plastic traffic cones to put up as well. Neighborhood crowd gathers to see what is happening, people stop their cars to gawk at all that tape and machinery. If it is busy street cars will pile up, general confusion descends and all drivers want to come closer to see all the action. Soon traffic jam starts and before half an hour has passed all the workers stopped drinking tea to yell at drivers and direct traffic. On a good day cars get in such a gridlock that it can take up to an hour to clear it. Of course by that time emotions are high, every driver thinks that he is The One who has right of priority and actual "slap" fights can happen which then in turn only prolong the event.
After a few days of that, someone realizes that machine for lifting old tarmac (or what is left of it) is necessary. Few days passes (these machines are busy, many roads in Tripoli to destroy) and machine shows up. They enthusiastically proceed to destroy old tarmac. Another machine is summoned, this time to push tarmac pieces to one end of the road. Houses are vibrating, chandeliers are swinging, glasses are jumping around in the houses but Neighborhood crowd is happy - finally something is happening.
Next day starts sunny and warm. And quiet. Tape and traffic cones are still in place, but all the machinery and manpower is gone. And so is next day, and the one after that. After a while, one poor guy decides he can not take any more of lugging shopping bags from the other street (where he parks his car now) to his house with complaining wife in tow . He tears the tape, moves the traffic cones and happily drives his car all the way to his house. In no time all the neighbors are happily bouncing up and down over piled up tarmac in now sand road, lifting all the sand in the air.
Few weeks later, tarmac piles melted in the heat and under the cars and now the road is just very bumpy, but in a smooth way. You can no longer hear so often that crunching sound when exhaust pipe (or something worse) hits the tarmac piece.
A month or so later, machinery comes again. Cones and tape are put up again. Trucks come and are loaded with the old tarmac. Sewer pipes are laid and sand is smoothed again.
Road roller comes and starts flattening the sand road. Everything vibrates again but by the end of work day the road is getting flat. During the evening someone breaks the tape again and drives his car to his house. Others follow. Soon the road is ruined again.
Next day machine has to flatten it again. After a week or so it is sufficiently flat and asphalt paving machine is brought in. It sprays that black gooey smelly stuff as a primer and leaves. Now the road is wet, smelly and I can only imagine how it is to be in a house next to it. Sidewalks are dug up but not fixed so people have to literally jump over overflowing trash cans that are on the sidewalk (garbage men probably can not enter road for weeks) into potholes filled with broken tiles.
Few days later, real tarmac laying machine comes. On the course of next few days one layer of tarmac is put, rectangular pieces are cut out and sewer covers are put in. And then all goes quiet again.
Now the road has metal sewer/water covers sticking out 5-10 cm above the tarmac level. But the tarmac is new and black and drivers can not resist. Everyone is driving like a lunatic (more so than usual) and every now and then flat tire happens. Neighborhood crowd can still not park in their gardens since sidewalk and access slides are not done.
Few months later there is no change.
I am so looking forward to seeing this process first hand.
Needles to say, car is on the wrong side of that half a meter drop...
Apparently, while we were gone someone decided it is finally time to repave our street. The work like this has been happening for a while in our neighborhood. It goes something like this.
Machines come, and many many people come. They stand around for a day or so, drink tea and generally yell at each other. One of them puts up tape on both street ends to cordon the road off. Sometimes they have those silly little plastic traffic cones to put up as well. Neighborhood crowd gathers to see what is happening, people stop their cars to gawk at all that tape and machinery. If it is busy street cars will pile up, general confusion descends and all drivers want to come closer to see all the action. Soon traffic jam starts and before half an hour has passed all the workers stopped drinking tea to yell at drivers and direct traffic. On a good day cars get in such a gridlock that it can take up to an hour to clear it. Of course by that time emotions are high, every driver thinks that he is The One who has right of priority and actual "slap" fights can happen which then in turn only prolong the event.
After a few days of that, someone realizes that machine for lifting old tarmac (or what is left of it) is necessary. Few days passes (these machines are busy, many roads in Tripoli to destroy) and machine shows up. They enthusiastically proceed to destroy old tarmac. Another machine is summoned, this time to push tarmac pieces to one end of the road. Houses are vibrating, chandeliers are swinging, glasses are jumping around in the houses but Neighborhood crowd is happy - finally something is happening.
Next day starts sunny and warm. And quiet. Tape and traffic cones are still in place, but all the machinery and manpower is gone. And so is next day, and the one after that. After a while, one poor guy decides he can not take any more of lugging shopping bags from the other street (where he parks his car now) to his house with complaining wife in tow . He tears the tape, moves the traffic cones and happily drives his car all the way to his house. In no time all the neighbors are happily bouncing up and down over piled up tarmac in now sand road, lifting all the sand in the air.
Few weeks later, tarmac piles melted in the heat and under the cars and now the road is just very bumpy, but in a smooth way. You can no longer hear so often that crunching sound when exhaust pipe (or something worse) hits the tarmac piece.
A month or so later, machinery comes again. Cones and tape are put up again. Trucks come and are loaded with the old tarmac. Sewer pipes are laid and sand is smoothed again.
Road roller comes and starts flattening the sand road. Everything vibrates again but by the end of work day the road is getting flat. During the evening someone breaks the tape again and drives his car to his house. Others follow. Soon the road is ruined again.
Next day machine has to flatten it again. After a week or so it is sufficiently flat and asphalt paving machine is brought in. It sprays that black gooey smelly stuff as a primer and leaves. Now the road is wet, smelly and I can only imagine how it is to be in a house next to it. Sidewalks are dug up but not fixed so people have to literally jump over overflowing trash cans that are on the sidewalk (garbage men probably can not enter road for weeks) into potholes filled with broken tiles.
Few days later, real tarmac laying machine comes. On the course of next few days one layer of tarmac is put, rectangular pieces are cut out and sewer covers are put in. And then all goes quiet again.
Now the road has metal sewer/water covers sticking out 5-10 cm above the tarmac level. But the tarmac is new and black and drivers can not resist. Everyone is driving like a lunatic (more so than usual) and every now and then flat tire happens. Neighborhood crowd can still not park in their gardens since sidewalk and access slides are not done.
Few months later there is no change.
I am so looking forward to seeing this process first hand.
Sep 20, 2008
Libya & Missing
A new presence is in Libya - cooler weather. Last weekend, as we were going to the beach, I noticed that the light has a different quality to it. You know, everything is more clear and a bit more colourful... Just like when summer is ending and fall is starting.
In Libya, this change is as far as it goes when it comes to fall. Rain will happen occasionally and temperature is definitely going to not reach 40C any more but all in all it just doesnt feel right for me. There is not enough change here for me to really call it autumn.
In my mind there are certain things that happen in fall. Leaves start turning first yellow, then red and after first frost to brown.
Wind carries leaves all over town, people start wearing warmer clothes and shoes. More and more people spend time indoors, and bars and cinemas are starting to fill again.
On a sunny day, street cafes are full of totally bundled customers sipping hot tea. New fall/winter season comes to the clothes shops and it is full of fluffy sweaters, warm skirts and leather boots. Roasted chestnuts are being sold on the street stands. New season tangerines are available everywhere.
Rain starts and sometimes doesnt stop for weeks.
And, day by day winter is coming in. Followed by snow, twinkle lights and Christmas.
In Libya, this change is as far as it goes when it comes to fall. Rain will happen occasionally and temperature is definitely going to not reach 40C any more but all in all it just doesnt feel right for me. There is not enough change here for me to really call it autumn.
In my mind there are certain things that happen in fall. Leaves start turning first yellow, then red and after first frost to brown.
Wind carries leaves all over town, people start wearing warmer clothes and shoes. More and more people spend time indoors, and bars and cinemas are starting to fill again.
On a sunny day, street cafes are full of totally bundled customers sipping hot tea. New fall/winter season comes to the clothes shops and it is full of fluffy sweaters, warm skirts and leather boots. Roasted chestnuts are being sold on the street stands. New season tangerines are available everywhere.
Rain starts and sometimes doesnt stop for weeks.
And, day by day winter is coming in. Followed by snow, twinkle lights and Christmas.
Aug 31, 2008
Cooking in Libya
I will not even try to make this post about Libyan cuisine since I have very little knowledge of it. I will however, make this post about COOKING in Libya, as in - everyday cooking while living in Libya as an expat.
First to say, I come from the country very different than Libya. I am not saying it is always better in food department. But it is cleaner. Much much cleaner. For example meat is kept nicely packed in the cooled department of the supermarket. Also, said meat has a description stamped on the package - description which states where it comes from, what part of animal it is and what can you use it for. The vegetable comes nicely divided into types in also cooled department. On the other hand, said vegetable is plastic looking with less and less taste every year.
So, the culture shock on buying food here was big. Actually so big that it started even before we got to Libya. In the last country we lived (another Muslim oriented country, after it popped out of Soviet Union) I have recollection of being so wary of getting meat that I can come up with only one time that I went and got real meat from the real butcher. And i still remember exact shop where I went that time... And surely, I thought, we ate more meat than that....So I had to go to my knowledge source - G, because after all he was there, to tell me what did we eat there (since I vaguely recall only frozen meat and restaurants)... And the answer was - lots of chicken (frozen) and even more meals in the restaurants... And he would know I guess since the answer was followed with accusing look. But at least they had best quality and most diverse restaurants of all the countries I ever lived. You name it, they had it. We still talk about the food there. Crappy country, all in all but if someone would offer me to spend a week there I would go just for the restaurants..... But I digress.
When we came to Libya, I was more open to local ways of shopping. The vegetables you get on stalls next to the road and meat you can get either at the butcher shop (next to the road again...) or at the butcher corner inside some supermarkets. Either way, you have to get used to shops smeared with blood (not really exaggerating) and learn how to choose meat directly from an animal... All quite dirty, but once you spend more time here, and find a butcher that you like, stay with him and you are fine. In my experience, butchers that are popular among expats are not so good. Usually, they sell expensive mediocre meat but the shop will be shiny and new. As for the prices at normal butcher, a kilo of chicken breasts is 6 dinars or so, kilo of beef steak (but not sirloin quality) is 15-20 dinars, lamb leg would be between 15-20 dinars for a kilo. I must admit that these prices are prone to +/- since I tend to buy lot of meat in one go so I am never sure how much is what. But I am sure it is much much cheaper than in Europe. There is also camel meat, whole chickens (quite skinny, gasp...did they actually grow them naturally and not stuff them with corn fused with growing hormones), ocassional rabbit, turkey breasts, quails. I once asked for a duck at my butcher and they all had a good laugh.
Fish. Is. Very. Good. Here.
This is Mediterranean after all.
There used to be fish market just outside Medina, but then one day bulldozers came and tore it down. Just like that. Some of the stalls moved 100 meters down the road towards Dat Alimat towers and the others 5 km up the sea road just after Hofra. Then, there is Hofra. A small fish market where you can buy fish and then get it grilled in restaurant of your choice. All fish markets smell horrible and that is because they really don't clean them every day (or ever). so all the fish blood and more is basically smeared around the stalls. However if you get past that (I always rinse my flip-flopped feet with water when we get back to the car) the fish is mostly excellent quality. And as in anywhere else, you have to know how to recognize fresh fish. And my favorite part is that they will clean all your fish for small fee. And they clean it very good.
Vegetables are a bit on the dry side (this is dessert after all) and tend to be full of spots and faults. Not the kind you get in most supermarkets these days where every tomato is perfect red and without blemishes... Luckily for me, I like them more this way. I can get most vegetables I use at home and some more that I didn't use until now. Fruit is similar. I would say they don't use much chemicals on anything. Best indication is that if you don't eat it soon after you get it, it rots. As it should.
As for other food, bread is extremely cheap here since it is subsidized by government, but if you are used to diverse bread loafs that you can buy in Europe, forget about it. Most bread products are small white wheat buns which are good as long as you eat them same day. Croissants are very nice if you find them just out of oven... And there is something similar to nan bread, which is again good when hot.
As for all the normal supermarket produce, it is available. Like in any other country, it will be somewhat adapted to local food culture. So, there will be easy to find humus in the can while red beans might be more rare. Maybe there will be 2 types of peanut butter and not the one that you get at home. It is very likely that you will not be able to find some specific food that you could easily find at home. If that is such a big deal you can always haul them from every trip home or get them shipped here.
Dairy products are a bit disappointing here for me. I adore natural yoghurts and cow cheese (white fresh one) and I didn't find yet one that is to my taste. But then again, this is not the first country I lived in and I never managed to find it anywhere than at home. Bit demanding in this department, but then again it makes my trips home all the more special. They do have danone dairy stuff and more. As for cheese, there is frico (dutch) and some more dutch normal cheeses like gouda, masdaam etc. There is crappy mozzarella type cheese and some brie which is extreme expensive here. You can also get fresh milk in 5 liter canisters from local dairy shops but I haven't found one where they speak English yet so it is not clear is it camel, sheep or cow milk. And sometimes it is actually yoghurt. A bit confusing, so I gave up.
Also, in even the smallest supermarket there is quite big range of gluten free products.
Good sides of food in Libya.
There is huge selection of exotic (for me) spices that are really fresh, cheap and interesting. Lamb in Europe is quite expensive and difficult to get, while here it is the most common meat. At vegetable stands they sell parsley, basil, coriander, celery leaves (and other spices that I don't know English name of) almost for free and the quantities you get in one bunch are huge. To compare, last time I was in Netherlands we paid over a Euro for 1/10 quantity of basil that we get here. Fish is very good and very cheap. Kilo of baby tuna is going for 6 dinars and it is so good that G eats it fresh. They have unbelievable amount of different type of nuts and dried fruits here, also cheap cheap. Then, there are dates. I am not into them, but I bring them home to my friends and family and they love them. Apparently they are more jucy and flavored than the ones they buy in supermarkets. Here they sell them by kilo for 4-10 dinars depending on the quality. You can get lots of different stuff made from the dates, like syrup, little woven baskets with squashed dates mixed with some sort of nuts (I guess) inside, date paste and of course fresh ones. Olives are also big part of Libyan cuisine and there are dozens different types to get. Now it is the season for fresh mango and papaya and they are available at every stall. Green chilli pepers.
Bad sides. Uhm, ok here we go.
Fresh tomatoes that we can get here are of the Roma tomato type which is the one that gets canned as pelati. So, not so flavorful to eat in a salad, but excellent for cooking soups and making sun dried tomatoes. Weird bread. No smoked meat products like sausages, hams etc. No alcohol in shops.
So, what I learned here. Every time I go home I bring with me some stuff that I really enjoy and appreciate. From the last trip I brought big slab of proscuitto, sheep milk matured cheese, smoked sausages and some spices I can not get here. I don't bring that much since I also have clothes in my baggage so there is room only for little bit, but I like to have something from home..
Another thing I learned is to appreciate different types of food I can get here and to use it to the maximum. There are stuff here that I just wouldn't try at home and they usually turn out to be great. I got Indian and Arabic cookbook and it is easy to use it since all the staples are easily available. This way i am trying new food to the extent that I would not go if we lived at home. And to make things better, I am not working now so I finally have time to experiment, cook proper food and spend time on it. And that will change as soon as we move out of here and I start working again....
Do I miss food that makes home home? Yes, of course I do. But not so much to keep on nagging about it. Probably because I can get to know other cuisine that i would not experience if we did not live here. And I know that when we move out I will miss food here and will be bringing lots of stuff with me back home.
Aug 9, 2008
Bringing your Car into Libya
I have meant to post about this for a while now. Maybe, just maybe there is some poor soul out there which wants to bring a car to Libya and is stuck just like I was. So here is some info from my side.
One thing you should know before I start. If you really really like your car (maybe even have nickname for it) and if it is fancy dont bother bringing it here. Most cars here are marked by long scratches, missing bumpers and mirrors caused by overall crappy driving. You might be good driver yourself but there is only so much you can do here. There is only one word for traffic here - crazy.
Maybe you would consider buying a car in Libya. The tax is almost non-existent and almost every 2 weeks another boatload of new cars arrives here. If you want used car, expat community is quite large and there are always people coming and going, wanting to sell or buy.
But if you are determined to bring your car here, this might help.
So, first thing you should do is export it from your own country. Procedure for that, obviously depends on country to country. But the idea is that you can not "import" vehicle in one country if it is not exported from the other one. Once you export it and get bunch of paperwork for it, you will be given set of export license plates which are usually valid for a month or so. Do not forget to take an insurance for this period, because generally, you will not be covered once you export it.
And then you have a month to make it to Libya.
At the time of our trip, there were no ferries going to Libya from Europe. We took the second best thing - Tunisia. There are ferries from France and Italy. These are some pages you can use to check the timetables and book the tickets.
http://www.directferries.co.uk/tunis_ferry.htm
http://www.southernferries.co.uk/ctn_ferries.htm
One thing you should know before I start. If you really really like your car (maybe even have nickname for it) and if it is fancy dont bother bringing it here. Most cars here are marked by long scratches, missing bumpers and mirrors caused by overall crappy driving. You might be good driver yourself but there is only so much you can do here. There is only one word for traffic here - crazy.
Maybe you would consider buying a car in Libya. The tax is almost non-existent and almost every 2 weeks another boatload of new cars arrives here. If you want used car, expat community is quite large and there are always people coming and going, wanting to sell or buy.
But if you are determined to bring your car here, this might help.
So, first thing you should do is export it from your own country. Procedure for that, obviously depends on country to country. But the idea is that you can not "import" vehicle in one country if it is not exported from the other one. Once you export it and get bunch of paperwork for it, you will be given set of export license plates which are usually valid for a month or so. Do not forget to take an insurance for this period, because generally, you will not be covered once you export it.
And then you have a month to make it to Libya.
At the time of our trip, there were no ferries going to Libya from Europe. We took the second best thing - Tunisia. There are ferries from France and Italy. These are some pages you can use to check the timetables and book the tickets.
http://www.directferries.co.uk/tunis_ferry.htm
http://www.southernferries.co.uk/ctn_ferries.htm
We took a SNCM ferry from Genoa to Tunis. I remember that we did not think we will make it on time, since we started our trip to Genoa a bit too late. Due to trying to fit objects in the car that were obviously not going to fit. And then enthusiastically repacking entire car few times thinking that if we just.. just..move this box here and that lamp shade there it will all fit in. You see, we were bringing car load of stuff with us. Stuff that we (by we I mean me) needed pronto and therefore they were not in the shipment that left month before and that would arrive who knows when. So when we finally did leave it looked like we are not going to be on time for ferry.
But no need to worry. When we finally arrived in the port, ferry was still there, and few thousands of people did not even start to board it. And my fear that we will be the only black sheep with car filled up to the roof shattered immediately. We actually looked organized compared to other cars since we did not have anything on the roof. I saw a car packed full only with toilet paper, one with several 2nd hand mattresses on the roof and several more with toilet paper. It seems that for some reason toilet paper is quite expensive in Tunisia..Maybe they have some special tax on it.
Due to booking the ferry too late, we had to book ourselves into luxurious double berth. SNCM website gave us only that option and it was good that it did. It was huge! Double bed, big bathroom, seating area with TV, complementary fruit basket. Very nice indeed. And it was cheaper than 2 berth cabin we booked next time...
So after leaving our stuff we went to the deck bar. There we could have Heineken and look down at the custom officers doing nothing. At that point there were cars still boarding the ferry.
Ferry left the port with over 6 hours delay. And from what I heard, it is not unusual.
22 hours later we disembarked in Tunis. After getting through the customs there (you need to buy Tunisian insurance for passing through Tunisia) we started towards Libya. Road is a highway for big part and as you approach Libya it is a local road so things go slower.
Now, if you are still not put off brining car with you go on, read more.
The most important thing to have on Libyan border is a connection.
In Libya, little can be done without "knowing" the right person. So the first thing on the list should be to find someone who will meet you at the border and get you and your car into Libya. That someone will be paid and he will have friend/cousin/father/uncle working at the border. That friend/cousin/father/uncle will push through the paperwork (it is his job after all) and will also have to be paid.So when we came to the border at 7AM we had a "Libyan friend" waiting for us on Tunisian side. We were pushed through diplomatic line and were on Libyan side within 5 minutes. Then our papers were dispatched back to the tunisian border control. After finishing that the same papers were taken to the Libyan border control. And then things got slower. I guess too many people have a "friend" at the border so it is difficult to get priority... To cut the story short, it took 7 hours to get through. That, by Libyan standards is short. We met truck drivers who were literally stuck there for 2 weeks, sleeping under their trucks and living from tea and sandwiches...
At some point I stopped listening to what was done, but I remember that if you import the car in Libya you have to pay import tax. How that tax is calculated is not clear. We paid 600 Libyan dinars or something like that. Secondly, the car got test plates (very shitty looking plates with green numbers) which would suffice until we got to Tripoli where we had to register the car. Another thing that our "friend" did for us.
At one point, we were informed that the car is not going to be cleared same day and we had to reload ALL the stuff from our car to the taxi. The fact that the stuff were not checked with customs and that the car was not cleared yet did not stop our "friend" to drive it half a km down the road where the taxis were. In the end, the car was cleared and we could go.
Now, I will tell you a little story, but in no way I am implying that we did that.
Lets say that the car was not exported from its original country. That it was indeed still registered there. That the license plates on the car were still original license plates. That the name on the car papers was "hers". And then in one office on the Libyan border the name on the car papers became "his" and the car got Libyan import papers. And set of Libyan plates. And at no time, no one in that office questioned where is the real owner of the car....or why the car has no export papers....
And lets also say that when the time came to take the car from Libya back to its original country, the couple ignored all the advice. That they packed the bags, loaded the car and went back to that same border. This time without a "friend". And when asked where they were going that they said Djerba. And that they kept on driving all the way to Tunis where they boarded the boat, sailed a bit and disembarked in Marseilles. And lets also say that they did all that with Libyan license plates. And that they did not pay Tunisian insurance and unless you count Libyan insurance that they drove car all over Europe with no insurance. And that they passed through several borders and not one custom officer asked anything. Lets just say that...
Some story, huh?
Ah, and the cost info. The ferry price depends on the size of the car and of course kind of cabin. For the price of driving to the ferry port you can check viamichelin.com which is quite accurate and includes petrol and toll cost. Than add tax paid at the libian border and money paid for plates and car paperwork and you could be looking to few thousand euros or so. Again, it depends on several things and no one knows how much is tax on libian border going to be.
My advice as someone who actually went through all of this is - do not bring your car to Libya. get one once you are in the country.
Aug 3, 2008
Next Location
Decision made!
Next location is not going to be an Arab country or a country where Islam is major religion. The map bellow shows nicely which countries are these.
picture from wikipedia
Last 2 countries I lived in were Muslim. First one was not Arab so it was not as bad as here, but it was not good either. By my standards. I come from different culture and I am used to more personal freedom and less oppressive life than here. To put it mildly.
Now, I might be wrong to connect most bad things in my life in these countries to living in a Muslim country. And, I am aware that there are worse places to live than these 2 countries, but I also have no intention going there. And hence, based on my perhaps short experience and personal requirements, I made a decision.
Next location is not going to be an Arab country or a country where Islam is major religion. The map bellow shows nicely which countries are these.
Jul 23, 2008
Libya & Cockroaches
I love animals and they rarely make me squeamish or scared. Even the ones that probably should. But there is one animal species that I just hate/want dead, and that would be cockroaches.
They also transform me into this jumpy, scared girly girl (not my usual behavior) who can not help but scream when I see one. Or more correctly, it used to affect me that way. And then I moved to Libya.
I did a bit of research and think that what we have here is so called American cockroach. They originated in Africa so these must be prototypes.... Later they evolved and became smaller...
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is a large species of winged cockroach. It is very common in the southern United States, and in tropical climates, and can be found in many locations throughout the world, due to its travels via shipping and commerce between locations.
American cockroach adults grow to an average length of around 4 centimetres (1.6 in).[1] They are reddish brown and have a yellowish margin on the body region behind the head. Immature cockroaches resemble adults except that they are wingless.
The insect can travel quickly, often darting out of sight when someone enters a room, and can fit into small cracks and under doors despite its fairly large size. It is considered one of the fastest running insects.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
They also transform me into this jumpy, scared girly girl (not my usual behavior) who can not help but scream when I see one. Or more correctly, it used to affect me that way. And then I moved to Libya.
I did a bit of research and think that what we have here is so called American cockroach. They originated in Africa so these must be prototypes.... Later they evolved and became smaller...
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is a large species of winged cockroach. It is very common in the southern United States, and in tropical climates, and can be found in many locations throughout the world, due to its travels via shipping and commerce between locations.
American cockroach adults grow to an average length of around 4 centimetres (1.6 in).[1] They are reddish brown and have a yellowish margin on the body region behind the head. Immature cockroaches resemble adults except that they are wingless.
The insect can travel quickly, often darting out of sight when someone enters a room, and can fit into small cracks and under doors despite its fairly large size. It is considered one of the fastest running insects.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
These are my cockroaches that I found this morning in the garden. Match box is 5cm long. And cockroach bends when it is dead. Really, they are longer when alive. They have wings and suprisingly, they use them. I know cockroaches are not supposed to fly. But I saw them myself. They fly for 2 meters in one go. Bastards.
Disclaimer * In case this post sounds like I never saw a cockroach before I came here, I assure you that is not the case. I even lived, for admittedly very short period of time, during university in one flat which had them camping behind the fridge. I moved out soon enough though.
First time it happened in Libya, G came running down the hallway to find me standing on top of the toilet and screaming. Embarrassing enough, and made even more by the fact that cockroach in question was already dead. Cockroach was scooped and flushed down the toilet and all was good again. That event happened on the same day that we moved to our "new" house. And on that day I stumbled upon few more inside the house. All dead, probably died of hunger or something since the house was empty for few months before we came. But I was in such state of panic that I informed G it is time to move somewhere else. Of course we did not, and of course it would be the same if not worse anywhere else.
It helped that I did not find any more cockroaches for a while. I think, but can not prove that G secretly raided the house in the morning hours to collect and dispose of them so I would not see them. See, he really wanted me to like living here...
Sometime later if I would spot one in the house I would put glass upside down on top of it and wait for G to come home and kill it if necessary and flush it. This may sound cruel to people who do not have them around, but I assure you it is not. This is survival of the fittest. And in this case, there is plenty of them left anyway. Too many...
Now it is been a year and a half we are living here. I tried everything to get rid of them, but managed only to keep them away for short periods of time. They come out to the garden in the evening when it is very hot outside. Which in Libya happens very often.
But alas, I did develop a new fear. It is one of those what-ifs.
What if we accidentally pack one of these cockroaches in our stuff when we fly home or more likely in one of the boxes when we move out of Libya? And what if it is a female? And what if it is pregnant female?
It can happen, you know. And probably needles to say, I do check every single piece of clothing that goes in my bag when I pack. Weird, you think?
Disclaimer * In case this post sounds like I never saw a cockroach before I came here, I assure you that is not the case. I even lived, for admittedly very short period of time, during university in one flat which had them camping behind the fridge. I moved out soon enough though.
First time it happened in Libya, G came running down the hallway to find me standing on top of the toilet and screaming. Embarrassing enough, and made even more by the fact that cockroach in question was already dead. Cockroach was scooped and flushed down the toilet and all was good again. That event happened on the same day that we moved to our "new" house. And on that day I stumbled upon few more inside the house. All dead, probably died of hunger or something since the house was empty for few months before we came. But I was in such state of panic that I informed G it is time to move somewhere else. Of course we did not, and of course it would be the same if not worse anywhere else.
It helped that I did not find any more cockroaches for a while. I think, but can not prove that G secretly raided the house in the morning hours to collect and dispose of them so I would not see them. See, he really wanted me to like living here...
Sometime later if I would spot one in the house I would put glass upside down on top of it and wait for G to come home and kill it if necessary and flush it. This may sound cruel to people who do not have them around, but I assure you it is not. This is survival of the fittest. And in this case, there is plenty of them left anyway. Too many...
Now it is been a year and a half we are living here. I tried everything to get rid of them, but managed only to keep them away for short periods of time. They come out to the garden in the evening when it is very hot outside. Which in Libya happens very often.
However, I am not as squeamish as before. Now I am very proficient with killing them by throwing my flip flop at them. It is called flip flop attack...
But alas, I did develop a new fear. It is one of those what-ifs.
What if we accidentally pack one of these cockroaches in our stuff when we fly home or more likely in one of the boxes when we move out of Libya? And what if it is a female? And what if it is pregnant female?
It can happen, you know. And probably needles to say, I do check every single piece of clothing that goes in my bag when I pack. Weird, you think?
Libya in pictures (Part 2)
Old mosque in Tarhuna.
Man walking next to Al-Khoms port.
Palm trees.
Prayer time on Friday.
Iron collectors.
Jul 21, 2008
Libya in pictures (Part 1)
Could this be a christian church...
Mosque in Tajoura.
Demolished shops on Tajoura road.
No comment.
On the road.
Jul 13, 2008
Good Times
Last month I traveled. I packed my bag(s), clicked my heels 3 times and was transported into the land of hedonism.
---Hedonism is the philosophy that pleasure is of ultimate importance, the most important pursuit. The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" (ἡδονισμός hēdonismos from ἡδονή hēdonē "pleasure", a cognate of English sweet + suffix ισμός ismos "ism").---
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
---Hedonism is the philosophy that pleasure is of ultimate importance, the most important pursuit. The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" (ἡδονισμός hēdonismos from ἡδονή hēdonē "pleasure", a cognate of English sweet + suffix ισμός ismos "ism").---
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
First there was red earth. And fragrance in the air. In anticipation I opened window, inhaled and felt my whole being relax. Then, a bit further down the mountain, just behind one curve there was The First View. Blue as blue gets with little specs of white. And I smiled. The road curved and I sped on down another mountain. There was a white town. I passed through it fast, fast just stopping once to admire the view. There was a white boat with blue letters. It sailed with seagulls keeping the watch. And then finally, there were 36 steps, red door and I was home.
And there was Sun and there was Sea. There was selected food and wine to go with it. There were new beaches to be discovered. There was laughter with friends. There were church bells that rang on full hour. There were forests with fragrant needle carpets and a path that goes to white beach. There were afternoon naps. There was a beautiful terrace to lounge on and enjoy the views. There were cafes, little boats, people going about, newspapers just out of print, smiles and coffees that were just so.
And there was Sun and there was Sea. There was selected food and wine to go with it. There were new beaches to be discovered. There was laughter with friends. There were church bells that rang on full hour. There were forests with fragrant needle carpets and a path that goes to white beach. There were afternoon naps. There was a beautiful terrace to lounge on and enjoy the views. There were cafes, little boats, people going about, newspapers just out of print, smiles and coffees that were just so.
Good times indeed.
May 31, 2008
Libyan men
When I first came here, some expat woman warned me about Libyan men. Or to be more exact, about attitude that they carry for "western woman". They gave all sort of advice and always finished by saying you will get used to it.
But I can not get used to it. I don't believe that anyone brought up in non-oppressed country ever could.
Apparently most Libyan men (and some share of woman) think that foreign woman are easy and therefore should not be treated with respect. It also seems that men think that we like it if they make vulgar gestures or yell sexually abusing words at us while we are passing by. I am not entirely sure do they do it to prove their manhood to their sneering friends or they actually think that you were just waiting for them to yell something so you finally feel enlightened to do... exactly what?
Now, vulgarity and yelling aside, there is also normal, every day staring. Wherever you go, whenever you go, men are going to stare at you. If you have blond hair, oh my! Why, it is like circus here, and you are the 3 eyed bearded woman!
This will happen especially if you are alone outside or with female friend. Having your husband and 3 children in the tow is not going to make much difference either.
Most days it is (just) a big nuisance. But there are days, when it is just too much and when I would most like to slam as many times as I can into that Libyan car whose driver is making it just too clear what he wants from me.
When I feel like that, I think that anywhere else would be fine. As long as it is not Arab country.
So, I am looking forward to vacation.
To the place when I can walk on the street and not one guy is going to yell obscenity after me.
To the place where I can sit in a cafe and have coffee without the waiter coming and asking where am I from, and then mentioning that he heard woman there like to party.
To the place where I can drive uninterrupted by the honk of a car next me with the driver all but hanging out of window to get me to take notice of him.
To the place where horny teenage boys know their place.
To the place where I can wear bikini on any beach, not just on special beach for foreigners.
To the place where your neighbors greet you and don't look away.
To the place where I don't need G to get documents for me because it is better that way.
To the place which I call home.
Disclaimer * dressing "appropriately" aka loose fitting clothes which cover upper arms and knees (along with other, more common sense attributes) will help you fell more comfortable with yourself. However, It will have no effect on the treatment you receive. If you do not wear hijab (head scarf) and come from Libya there is not much you can do.
But I can not get used to it. I don't believe that anyone brought up in non-oppressed country ever could.
Apparently most Libyan men (and some share of woman) think that foreign woman are easy and therefore should not be treated with respect. It also seems that men think that we like it if they make vulgar gestures or yell sexually abusing words at us while we are passing by. I am not entirely sure do they do it to prove their manhood to their sneering friends or they actually think that you were just waiting for them to yell something so you finally feel enlightened to do... exactly what?
Now, vulgarity and yelling aside, there is also normal, every day staring. Wherever you go, whenever you go, men are going to stare at you. If you have blond hair, oh my! Why, it is like circus here, and you are the 3 eyed bearded woman!
This will happen especially if you are alone outside or with female friend. Having your husband and 3 children in the tow is not going to make much difference either.
Most days it is (just) a big nuisance. But there are days, when it is just too much and when I would most like to slam as many times as I can into that Libyan car whose driver is making it just too clear what he wants from me.
When I feel like that, I think that anywhere else would be fine. As long as it is not Arab country.
So, I am looking forward to vacation.
To the place when I can walk on the street and not one guy is going to yell obscenity after me.
To the place where I can sit in a cafe and have coffee without the waiter coming and asking where am I from, and then mentioning that he heard woman there like to party.
To the place where I can drive uninterrupted by the honk of a car next me with the driver all but hanging out of window to get me to take notice of him.
To the place where horny teenage boys know their place.
To the place where I can wear bikini on any beach, not just on special beach for foreigners.
To the place where your neighbors greet you and don't look away.
To the place where I don't need G to get documents for me because it is better that way.
To the place which I call home.
Disclaimer * dressing "appropriately" aka loose fitting clothes which cover upper arms and knees (along with other, more common sense attributes) will help you fell more comfortable with yourself. However, It will have no effect on the treatment you receive. If you do not wear hijab (head scarf) and come from Libya there is not much you can do.
May 27, 2008
May 22, 2008
My neighbors
I woke up this morning gaping for the air. I sat in my bed confused and sleepy and tried to get my brain to cooperate and tell me whats happening.. After a while i came to few conclusions.
I am alone in the bed. G went to work. My left foot is itching. Maybe not the reason for waking up. There is clothes on the floor. Nothing new there. Alarm clock didnt go off again. Or maybe it did.. And finally... There is smoke in the bedroom.
Our house is a bit drafty and I do my best to make it even more so. All strategic windows are kept open so fresh spring air (pfff) can enter the house and maybe see how nice it is and stay... But the downside of it is that occasional not so nice fragrance also gets in. And again, in the case of fire there would be no containment of it. All that air coming in, going out.. Fire would be very happy here.
So I got up, and stumbeled around the house for a while trying to see where is it coming from. And then I remembered.
Last year our back neighbors were burning some of their embassy confidential papers (some of them flew over the wall to us. and I am curious person.) and something that smelled like tire. They burned it just on the other side of the wall dividing our 2 properties. I guess that spot was furthest away from their house. So I walked to our back garden and there it was. Smoke was flowing down the wall, burned papers flying around..
As I think mentioned before, in Libya each house is surrounded by 3-4 meters high walls. There is appeal in it - like walking naked in your garden and noone can see you. Unless your neighbors across the street dont have huge house and they ALWAYS hang out of their first floor windows... The walls are fine. I would feel very unconfortable here not to have them actually. The thing is that having these walls sometimes mean that people do stuff in their gardens which they would not do (if they were sane) if their neighbor had a chance to pop his head above the hedge and express his feelings. Or I hope they wouldnt, but then again one never knows here...
Since we live in Gargaresh area, our plot is small and our walls are very close to the house. And the effect of it.. It is like sitting on the bottom of empty swimming pool in the middle of the summer. Our back garden (tropical, planted by us. Us...US!!!!!) is small and the wall is just 3 meters from the house. 3 meters from our bedroom. 3 meters from the bed which is in front of the window!
So what kind of bloody idiot burns plastic and paper next to the wall in his back garden? He, and I know it was he, since I finally got so angry to go up the roof and scream at him (see previous post) . I actually went up on the roof to see the fire since I can see in their garden from there (i am also rude person. sometimes). And I see guy bringing in more papers. For the fire..And HE waves at me and smiles! Oh, then it is fine. I cant breathe, he is sending burning pieces of paper over the wall on my bannana plants, pond is full of floating half burned paper, my head is throbbing and he is smiling.
Does he really not understand that it is at the very least "not nice" or WRONG to inflict smoke upon your neighbors just because you dont have a paper shredder? Or sanity to use garbage service for old tires that you have laying around your garden?
I give up.
I think I am going to make myself gin-tonic!
I am alone in the bed. G went to work. My left foot is itching. Maybe not the reason for waking up. There is clothes on the floor. Nothing new there. Alarm clock didnt go off again. Or maybe it did.. And finally... There is smoke in the bedroom.
Our house is a bit drafty and I do my best to make it even more so. All strategic windows are kept open so fresh spring air (pfff) can enter the house and maybe see how nice it is and stay... But the downside of it is that occasional not so nice fragrance also gets in. And again, in the case of fire there would be no containment of it. All that air coming in, going out.. Fire would be very happy here.
So I got up, and stumbeled around the house for a while trying to see where is it coming from. And then I remembered.
Last year our back neighbors were burning some of their embassy confidential papers (some of them flew over the wall to us. and I am curious person.) and something that smelled like tire. They burned it just on the other side of the wall dividing our 2 properties. I guess that spot was furthest away from their house. So I walked to our back garden and there it was. Smoke was flowing down the wall, burned papers flying around..
As I think mentioned before, in Libya each house is surrounded by 3-4 meters high walls. There is appeal in it - like walking naked in your garden and noone can see you. Unless your neighbors across the street dont have huge house and they ALWAYS hang out of their first floor windows... The walls are fine. I would feel very unconfortable here not to have them actually. The thing is that having these walls sometimes mean that people do stuff in their gardens which they would not do (if they were sane) if their neighbor had a chance to pop his head above the hedge and express his feelings. Or I hope they wouldnt, but then again one never knows here...
Since we live in Gargaresh area, our plot is small and our walls are very close to the house. And the effect of it.. It is like sitting on the bottom of empty swimming pool in the middle of the summer. Our back garden (tropical, planted by us. Us...US!!!!!) is small and the wall is just 3 meters from the house. 3 meters from our bedroom. 3 meters from the bed which is in front of the window!
So what kind of bloody idiot burns plastic and paper next to the wall in his back garden? He, and I know it was he, since I finally got so angry to go up the roof and scream at him (see previous post) . I actually went up on the roof to see the fire since I can see in their garden from there (i am also rude person. sometimes). And I see guy bringing in more papers. For the fire..And HE waves at me and smiles! Oh, then it is fine. I cant breathe, he is sending burning pieces of paper over the wall on my bannana plants, pond is full of floating half burned paper, my head is throbbing and he is smiling.
Does he really not understand that it is at the very least "not nice" or WRONG to inflict smoke upon your neighbors just because you dont have a paper shredder? Or sanity to use garbage service for old tires that you have laying around your garden?
I give up.
I think I am going to make myself gin-tonic!
May 21, 2008
Things I do - Sometimes.
Sometimes I..
- live for whole day of chocolate cake with strawberry jam and coffee
- forget to water my plants
-get soooo angry that I want to go up the roof and scream
-lay out in the full libyan sun without sun-block
-am a bitch
-wish I was still naive and innocent
-am way to stubborn
-am not making any sense to other people
-do not finish what I started
-am proper. By all means.
- live for whole day of chocolate cake with strawberry jam and coffee
- forget to water my plants
-get soooo angry that I want to go up the roof and scream
-lay out in the full libyan sun without sun-block
-am a bitch
-wish I was still naive and innocent
-am way to stubborn
-am not making any sense to other people
-do not finish what I started
-am proper. By all means.
May 15, 2008
Back in Libya
Well, Ive been back for a week now, but was busy with some stuff, so I am going to put up some pics from Egypt in the meantime..
Just to say one thing - I loved Cairo!! Loved it!
Just to say one thing - I loved Cairo!! Loved it!
Corniche promenade in Cairo. It was just sooo refreshing to see young couples meeting in public like this.
Corniche again. People strolling along or just hanging out.
View of Cairo from the pyramides plateau. This populated area on the picture used to be agricultural land with rich and fertile black silt. Until someone decided to take it and bake it in the ovens and make bricks for ugly buildings that were then built there and left unpainted. Guy on the camel is regular at the pyramides. 20 pounds, my friend, 20 pounds!! And a bit more for my children...
View of pyramides and Sphinx from nearby caffe. We came to the site in the afternoon and ended up staying until it was closed. The pyramides, not the caffe.
Traffic in Cairo. This picture does not do it justice.
Corniche again. People strolling along or just hanging out.
View of Cairo from the pyramides plateau. This populated area on the picture used to be agricultural land with rich and fertile black silt. Until someone decided to take it and bake it in the ovens and make bricks for ugly buildings that were then built there and left unpainted. Guy on the camel is regular at the pyramides. 20 pounds, my friend, 20 pounds!! And a bit more for my children...
View of pyramides and Sphinx from nearby caffe. We came to the site in the afternoon and ended up staying until it was closed. The pyramides, not the caffe.
Traffic in Cairo. This picture does not do it justice.
May 1, 2008
Booking a plane ticket in Libya
We decided to skip to Egypt for a few days. Few blissfull days in nice hotel with spa, swimming pool, gorgeous inner garden, a beautiful bedroom which will be tidied up every time we leave and last but not least - perfect breakfast buffet. Faboulous! And of course, the pyramids and all that.
But in order for all these events to actually take place we have to be there. And in order to be there we have to fly there. Not so complicated at all. Find a ticket. Book a ticket. Come to airport on time.
Alas. This is Libya after all.Day -8: G contacts his company travel people. He specifies in his e-mail which dates we would like to be flying. So lets say 1 May to Cairo and 4 May coming back.
He also tells them that if possible to have outward flight in the morning and inward in the evening. (That way we have more time for hotel spa , uhm sightseeing.)
Day -7: No news
Day -6: Its Friday. Travel people are off.
Day -5: G calls travel people to see if there are any news. They asure him they are working on it
and that he will be be First one they will contact when they know more.
Day -4: E-mail received from travel people. We are apparently flying on 1 May and coming back on 3 May in the morning..... G again calls them and explains (nicely) this is not what he asked for.
They tell him not to worry they will find something else.
Day -3: 16:30 e-mail from travel people. We are flying on 2 May and coming back on 4 May. By the time G calls them, travel people are gone home for a day.
Day -2: G sends them original e-mail again with request that they give us some options ASAP.
Travel people come back few hours later
- We are sorry, this flights are full now. If you told us this is what you want from the beginning, it would be no problem. Which dates would you like now? G doesnt point out to this helpful soul that he did in fact tell them this from the beginning and he tries with another date - 2 May to 5 May. G is very nice person like that. They inform him that they have to look for ticket again, but it should not be a problem.
At this point I am having panic attack at home at the prospect of NOT going at all and I decide it is better to deal with it in person. Also, I come to conclusion that it is his company travel people
who are the problem. Not all libian travel people. God forbid. So when G comes home we get in the car and go down to Al-Fatah tower. There are few travel agencies on the ground floor that I wanted to try.
We go into the first one that is open and tell the guy that we would like to purchase 2 tickets
for Cairo on 2 May, coming back on 5 May.
Travel agent (TA): Which airline would you like to fly?
Us: Do all of them have flights on these days?
TA: No problem, no problem. Which airline?
Us: What are the options?
TA: Afriqai, Libyan Airlines and Egypt airlines.
Us: Ok, then... (no clue) Egypt airlines.
TA: Which date please?
Us: 2 May to 5 May.
TA: Ok, then 3 May we have...
Us: No, 2 May please.
TA: Ok, ok no problem. 2 May....Typing something. Looking at the screen confused. Typing again. And on the screen same message appears - wrong code. please try again.
Few moments later....
TA: Ok, there is flight on 2 May.
Us: Great! Can you see is there flight on 5 May from Cairo?
TA: No problem, no problem! Typing again. This time right code. There is flight on 5th.
Us: Can you tell us how much is the ticket?
TA: 332 Libian dinars
Us: (This is better than what Gs travel people came up with. hopes are up) Ok, we would like to
buy 2 tickets.
TA: 2?! There are no 2 tickets! There is only one left on the flight from Cairo! But no problem. You can be on the wait list. No problem. Or you (looking at G) can take other plane. Some other day...
Us: Hm... That would not be good.... Can you check other airline then?
TA: Which one?
Us: (we doooont careeee) Libian airlines then.
TA: typing..... Yes, there is room on Libian airlines flight from Cairo. Looking at us happily.
Us: Can we buy a ticket then?
TA: But it is no good to fly one way with Egypt Airlines and other way with Libian.. 2 tickets. very expensive.
Us: Ok, Can you check then that we fly with Libian Airlines both ways?
TA: typing... Yes but there is no room in economy. Too expensive!!! No, no..
Us: How much is the ticket?
TA: too expensive, too expensive... 530 dinars
Us: (thats how much Gs travel people asked). That is ok, we would like to buy ticket now.
TA: Ok, but it expensive. So 2 May to Cairo, 7 May back to Tripoli...
Us: No, no it is 2 May to 5 May!!
TA: Aha, ok. typing.... Flight full.
Us: (%&/%&$)
I will not continue, but you get the picture. We tried few more combinations at the travel agent, but it got too complicated so we left.
Day -1: No news from travel people. That evening we went to another travel agent (I dont give up easily) in Al-Fatah. He tried to persuade us we should go to Sharm instead of Cairo and when we told him in the end that we are going to Cairo, he told us he can not help us with the tickets today because he is closed.
Day 0: We were supposed to be on the plane to Cairo. But alas, one can not do that without airline ticket....
To finish off this little story - Now it is afternoon and we still have no plane tickets. Hotel is not booked either. And if by the time this bloody travel people figure out how to book a plane ticket hotel gets overbooked, I will kill them. With my bare hands.
He also tells them that if possible to have outward flight in the morning and inward in the evening. (That way we have more time for hotel spa , uhm sightseeing.)
Day -7: No news
Day -6: Its Friday. Travel people are off.
Day -5: G calls travel people to see if there are any news. They asure him they are working on it
and that he will be be First one they will contact when they know more.
Day -4: E-mail received from travel people. We are apparently flying on 1 May and coming back on 3 May in the morning..... G again calls them and explains (nicely) this is not what he asked for.
They tell him not to worry they will find something else.
Day -3: 16:30 e-mail from travel people. We are flying on 2 May and coming back on 4 May. By the time G calls them, travel people are gone home for a day.
Day -2: G sends them original e-mail again with request that they give us some options ASAP.
Travel people come back few hours later
- We are sorry, this flights are full now. If you told us this is what you want from the beginning, it would be no problem. Which dates would you like now? G doesnt point out to this helpful soul that he did in fact tell them this from the beginning and he tries with another date - 2 May to 5 May. G is very nice person like that. They inform him that they have to look for ticket again, but it should not be a problem.
At this point I am having panic attack at home at the prospect of NOT going at all and I decide it is better to deal with it in person. Also, I come to conclusion that it is his company travel people
who are the problem. Not all libian travel people. God forbid. So when G comes home we get in the car and go down to Al-Fatah tower. There are few travel agencies on the ground floor that I wanted to try.
We go into the first one that is open and tell the guy that we would like to purchase 2 tickets
for Cairo on 2 May, coming back on 5 May.
Travel agent (TA): Which airline would you like to fly?
Us: Do all of them have flights on these days?
TA: No problem, no problem. Which airline?
Us: What are the options?
TA: Afriqai, Libyan Airlines and Egypt airlines.
Us: Ok, then... (no clue) Egypt airlines.
TA: Which date please?
Us: 2 May to 5 May.
TA: Ok, then 3 May we have...
Us: No, 2 May please.
TA: Ok, ok no problem. 2 May....Typing something. Looking at the screen confused. Typing again. And on the screen same message appears - wrong code. please try again.
Few moments later....
TA: Ok, there is flight on 2 May.
Us: Great! Can you see is there flight on 5 May from Cairo?
TA: No problem, no problem! Typing again. This time right code. There is flight on 5th.
Us: Can you tell us how much is the ticket?
TA: 332 Libian dinars
Us: (This is better than what Gs travel people came up with. hopes are up) Ok, we would like to
buy 2 tickets.
TA: 2?! There are no 2 tickets! There is only one left on the flight from Cairo! But no problem. You can be on the wait list. No problem. Or you (looking at G) can take other plane. Some other day...
Us: Hm... That would not be good.... Can you check other airline then?
TA: Which one?
Us: (we doooont careeee) Libian airlines then.
TA: typing..... Yes, there is room on Libian airlines flight from Cairo. Looking at us happily.
Us: Can we buy a ticket then?
TA: But it is no good to fly one way with Egypt Airlines and other way with Libian.. 2 tickets. very expensive.
Us: Ok, Can you check then that we fly with Libian Airlines both ways?
TA: typing... Yes but there is no room in economy. Too expensive!!! No, no..
Us: How much is the ticket?
TA: too expensive, too expensive... 530 dinars
Us: (thats how much Gs travel people asked). That is ok, we would like to buy ticket now.
TA: Ok, but it expensive. So 2 May to Cairo, 7 May back to Tripoli...
Us: No, no it is 2 May to 5 May!!
TA: Aha, ok. typing.... Flight full.
Us: (%&/%&$)
I will not continue, but you get the picture. We tried few more combinations at the travel agent, but it got too complicated so we left.
Day -1: No news from travel people. That evening we went to another travel agent (I dont give up easily) in Al-Fatah. He tried to persuade us we should go to Sharm instead of Cairo and when we told him in the end that we are going to Cairo, he told us he can not help us with the tickets today because he is closed.
Day 0: We were supposed to be on the plane to Cairo. But alas, one can not do that without airline ticket....
To finish off this little story - Now it is afternoon and we still have no plane tickets. Hotel is not booked either. And if by the time this bloody travel people figure out how to book a plane ticket hotel gets overbooked, I will kill them. With my bare hands.
Apr 24, 2008
Housing
When we first arrived in Libya, we "inherited" the villa that G's colleague used to live in. It was grand, under furnished and in the middle of nowhere. Think - big columns at the entrance, foyer where you could easily play football and curling staircase to the first floor. There were 4 bedrooms in the house, most of them having their own bathroom, and all of them on the first floor. Not all bathrooms were actually in working conditions but that only made living there more interesting.
The kitchen was actually in 2 rooms connected with a door. All kitchen cupboards,sink and fridge were in one room (no windows there) but cooking plate was in another room. If you would look closely you would notice that this room was sort of sticking a bit out of the house and had a window so I guess it was sort of a summer kitchen.. I will not get into questionable efficiency of that kind of arrangement. But it is sure good for burning calories while running between sink (6meters from the stove) and fridge (10meters from the stove) and back to the stove.
Needless to say, the living room, for me the most important room in the house was small, dark and full of sand. Actually, since the house was on the unpaved street (very common in Libya) sand was not only on the ground floor but it would get blown up all the way to the second floor. I tell you, polished marble floors and sand make very bad combination to walk on.
Due to break-in that his colleague had few months before, the owners installed over sized metal bars on all the windows of the ground floor which equally prevented possible intruders and the light to come in . I guess they wanted to show poor Brit (who, BTW was sleeping so soundly on the first floor when thieves came that he missed them taking his brand new 32" LCD TV and all kitchen appliances) that he would be safe after all. Maybe motivated by that event or just by the fact that Libya is not all that nice to live in, soon afterward he and his family made a speedy gateway back to UK. And since we arrived in the country around that time, G's company put us there until we find something better.
With the house came Sam - nice little guy from Mali who spoke a bit of English and once told me that he likes to listen to christian gospel music and Mariah Carey. Why Mariah Carey, I do not know, but I later noticed that every CD shop here has many many albums and compilations of her. She is very popular here.
Before I could react he run back to his living quarters and brought me the CDs so I can listen to them myself. He either thought I am christian and that I need to listen to gospel music each day or that I will become one after listening to them. I did not want to hurt his feelings so I took the CDs and had them playing the rest of the day on my laptop. It was a loooong afternoon.
Sam was sweet. He has family back in Mali and he proudly told me that he goes home once every 2 years for sure, and sometime even every year! I can not even start to imagine how this trips of his looked like since he was illegally in the country. Runing from sand dune to sand dune over the border to Niger or Algeria or some other country springs to mind, but again I can not know. It is not something you casually ask. When I would get bored at the house alone while G was working and wanted to go to center of Tripoli for sightseeing (it took me a while to admit that there is nothing there for a blond girl on her own to comfortably see) he would walk me to the "main" road (it was paved so it took most of the traffic in our part of the town) and hail a taxi for me - madam, they cheat on you, i tell them not cheat you. Then he would proceed to argue (very loudly and with lot of arm movement) with the driver over the price. Apparently since I was foreigner and Woman I was likely to pay 3 times as much for taxi. Sam made sure I paid not a dinar over 2 times as much. It would take him a while to get to that price and by that time both Sam and taxi driver would be very upset and most shopkeepers would be out of their shops staring at us and cars who were passing on the road would stop and their passengers would come out to see whats happening. By the time Sam was happy with the price and dispatched me on my way, I was 100% sure that agitated taxi driver would dump me around first corner and speed off. Of course, that never happened. Taxi driver would change his mood as soon as we would start moving and I would get to the center fine. And paid what Sam told me to pay.
In Libya, many foreigners have a "Sam" living with them. "Sam" is a illegal immigrant in Libya from countries like Benin, Mali, Gabon etc. I will write more about them another time. Most of the time when someone builds a house they will attach small living quarters to it. Our Sam had his own entrance which led to a bedroom and bathroom. However he did not have proper kitchen so he cooked on a little portable gas stove in the garden (!). Sam is supposed to guard the house (he was sleeping as well when thieves came), clean it, wash and iron clothes and take care of the garden. He did a very good job and he made me laugh, but I just couldn't get used to living with someone who works for me. I would feel bad to ask him to wash our clothes (the washing machine was in his bathroom) and I hated that he would always run to open the door. Of course if I would try to open the door then he would get offended. So we jumped around each other for a while, but it soon became clear to me that I don't feel comfortable living like this.
When we decided to find another house, preferably sized for humans not giants, and closer to the centre we decided against finding a guard or gardener to live with us. That was met with some resistance from our new landlord whose opinion was that we need one. Why, he could not explain very clearly, but apparently it was important.
House hunting in Tripoli coming soon.
The kitchen was actually in 2 rooms connected with a door. All kitchen cupboards,sink and fridge were in one room (no windows there) but cooking plate was in another room. If you would look closely you would notice that this room was sort of sticking a bit out of the house and had a window so I guess it was sort of a summer kitchen.. I will not get into questionable efficiency of that kind of arrangement. But it is sure good for burning calories while running between sink (6meters from the stove) and fridge (10meters from the stove) and back to the stove.
Needless to say, the living room, for me the most important room in the house was small, dark and full of sand. Actually, since the house was on the unpaved street (very common in Libya) sand was not only on the ground floor but it would get blown up all the way to the second floor. I tell you, polished marble floors and sand make very bad combination to walk on.
Due to break-in that his colleague had few months before, the owners installed over sized metal bars on all the windows of the ground floor which equally prevented possible intruders and the light to come in . I guess they wanted to show poor Brit (who, BTW was sleeping so soundly on the first floor when thieves came that he missed them taking his brand new 32" LCD TV and all kitchen appliances) that he would be safe after all. Maybe motivated by that event or just by the fact that Libya is not all that nice to live in, soon afterward he and his family made a speedy gateway back to UK. And since we arrived in the country around that time, G's company put us there until we find something better.
With the house came Sam - nice little guy from Mali who spoke a bit of English and once told me that he likes to listen to christian gospel music and Mariah Carey. Why Mariah Carey, I do not know, but I later noticed that every CD shop here has many many albums and compilations of her. She is very popular here.
Before I could react he run back to his living quarters and brought me the CDs so I can listen to them myself. He either thought I am christian and that I need to listen to gospel music each day or that I will become one after listening to them. I did not want to hurt his feelings so I took the CDs and had them playing the rest of the day on my laptop. It was a loooong afternoon.
Sam was sweet. He has family back in Mali and he proudly told me that he goes home once every 2 years for sure, and sometime even every year! I can not even start to imagine how this trips of his looked like since he was illegally in the country. Runing from sand dune to sand dune over the border to Niger or Algeria or some other country springs to mind, but again I can not know. It is not something you casually ask. When I would get bored at the house alone while G was working and wanted to go to center of Tripoli for sightseeing (it took me a while to admit that there is nothing there for a blond girl on her own to comfortably see) he would walk me to the "main" road (it was paved so it took most of the traffic in our part of the town) and hail a taxi for me - madam, they cheat on you, i tell them not cheat you. Then he would proceed to argue (very loudly and with lot of arm movement) with the driver over the price. Apparently since I was foreigner and Woman I was likely to pay 3 times as much for taxi. Sam made sure I paid not a dinar over 2 times as much. It would take him a while to get to that price and by that time both Sam and taxi driver would be very upset and most shopkeepers would be out of their shops staring at us and cars who were passing on the road would stop and their passengers would come out to see whats happening. By the time Sam was happy with the price and dispatched me on my way, I was 100% sure that agitated taxi driver would dump me around first corner and speed off. Of course, that never happened. Taxi driver would change his mood as soon as we would start moving and I would get to the center fine. And paid what Sam told me to pay.
In Libya, many foreigners have a "Sam" living with them. "Sam" is a illegal immigrant in Libya from countries like Benin, Mali, Gabon etc. I will write more about them another time. Most of the time when someone builds a house they will attach small living quarters to it. Our Sam had his own entrance which led to a bedroom and bathroom. However he did not have proper kitchen so he cooked on a little portable gas stove in the garden (!). Sam is supposed to guard the house (he was sleeping as well when thieves came), clean it, wash and iron clothes and take care of the garden. He did a very good job and he made me laugh, but I just couldn't get used to living with someone who works for me. I would feel bad to ask him to wash our clothes (the washing machine was in his bathroom) and I hated that he would always run to open the door. Of course if I would try to open the door then he would get offended. So we jumped around each other for a while, but it soon became clear to me that I don't feel comfortable living like this.
When we decided to find another house, preferably sized for humans not giants, and closer to the centre we decided against finding a guard or gardener to live with us. That was met with some resistance from our new landlord whose opinion was that we need one. Why, he could not explain very clearly, but apparently it was important.
House hunting in Tripoli coming soon.
Apr 17, 2008
Missing Green!
If you come to Libya between May-January the first thing you will notice when you get few km from the airport is (heat) sand. There is occasional palm tree and some other flowering shrubs, but they are growing directly out of sand. There is no grass in sight and even the existing trees are covered with fine layer of sand so they look kind of dusty. To top that up the architecture here is not what one might call appealing. Houses are surrounded with few meters high walls so people from the street can not see woman inside. Not that there is much to see anyway - most houses I have seen have their "gardens" almost completely tiled. So there is little of the natural green to look at around the town. Makes you really appreciate those few trees you see.
Anyway, that is my personal black spot for Libya. I love nature and I do enjoy beautiful beaches here (will post some pics on that sometime), oasis and desert, but when you originate from mountains covered with lush forests and green meadows it is hard to not miss it.
But since one can not have it all (as G always says) I choose "Hot and Sunny" over green forests. At least for now. And in the meantime we moved in the house with quite decent garden which is getting nicer and nicer. It is amazing what little bit of water does in this heat.
Anyway, that is my personal black spot for Libya. I love nature and I do enjoy beautiful beaches here (will post some pics on that sometime), oasis and desert, but when you originate from mountains covered with lush forests and green meadows it is hard to not miss it.
But since one can not have it all (as G always says) I choose "Hot and Sunny" over green forests. At least for now. And in the meantime we moved in the house with quite decent garden which is getting nicer and nicer. It is amazing what little bit of water does in this heat.
Apr 16, 2008
Past in Numbers
I was thinking last night (couldn't fall asleep, any thought was fine) how many times I moved so far in my fairly short life. And I could not count it because I had to establish what qualifies as "moving".
So the threshold is set at 2 months - any place I lived in for more than 2 months and where I bothered to bring my trinkets.
Countries lived in: 6 (4 continents)
By the time I turned 23 I lived in 10 different houses only in my home country.
In the last 3 years changed 9 houses.
All together I moved 24 times. Sometimes I was going back and forth....
And you know what? I think I am addicted to it. Its a bit like virtual life, only it is real. I get to try different countries and houses, people&cuisine, see how they fit and then later I get to pick the best one.
I could even miss&match. ;)
Right.
So the threshold is set at 2 months - any place I lived in for more than 2 months and where I bothered to bring my trinkets.
Countries lived in: 6 (4 continents)
By the time I turned 23 I lived in 10 different houses only in my home country.
In the last 3 years changed 9 houses.
All together I moved 24 times. Sometimes I was going back and forth....
And you know what? I think I am addicted to it. Its a bit like virtual life, only it is real. I get to try different countries and houses, people&cuisine, see how they fit and then later I get to pick the best one.
I could even miss&match. ;)
Right.
Apr 15, 2008
Maid of the day
My Cleaning Lady has been here today. So after she left, I spend substantial amount of time to put things where they should be. It took me half an hour to find only the kitchen sponge. It was in the cupboard with clean glasses. Go figure.
She also managed to completely destroy fresh patch of grass that we were waiting to sprout for a while now. I am upset. But did I tell her something? Of course not. I handed her 50 dinars (just for comparison, average monthly salary in Libya is 150dinars) and thanked her.
I could have told her not to touch the garden. Not to use kitchen sponge to wash toilet, there are other sponges for that (Instead of telling her, every time she leaves the premises I go to the shop and get new sponge. We spend 6-pack of sponges a month). Not to wash dishes with that sponge afterwards. Ok, now I am over reacting. Kinda.
Instead of doing those sensible things I deal with it like a adult that I am not. I think about them all afternoon and then when G comes home I will take it out on him. Healthy, eh?
So why I can not stand up to my Cleaning Lady?
I will skip all the usual answers and say this - she is scary. Sometimes I feel like she is the one living here and I am unwanted guest.
She also managed to completely destroy fresh patch of grass that we were waiting to sprout for a while now. I am upset. But did I tell her something? Of course not. I handed her 50 dinars (just for comparison, average monthly salary in Libya is 150dinars) and thanked her.
I could have told her not to touch the garden. Not to use kitchen sponge to wash toilet, there are other sponges for that (Instead of telling her, every time she leaves the premises I go to the shop and get new sponge. We spend 6-pack of sponges a month). Not to wash dishes with that sponge afterwards. Ok, now I am over reacting. Kinda.
Instead of doing those sensible things I deal with it like a adult that I am not. I think about them all afternoon and then when G comes home I will take it out on him. Healthy, eh?
So why I can not stand up to my Cleaning Lady?
I will skip all the usual answers and say this - she is scary. Sometimes I feel like she is the one living here and I am unwanted guest.
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