We intended to spend just three weeks here, but we’ve now been exploring Tunisia’s delights for almost seven. This week we bid a sorry farewell to this amazing country and the new friends we have made here, and continue our journey eastwards: the long-awaited Libyan visas are finally stamped in our passports.
Our fifth visit to the Libyan Embassy yesterday was, like the previous four, a fairly horrid experience, where we were looked at like we were invisible (me especially), and made to sit, while others came and went, for hours on end, with no communication at all. Almost seven weeks ago, we requested transit visas (£15 each) rather than tourist ones (about £200) on the understanding that these would be for ten days or, we hoped, two weeks. But when our passports were thrust back into our hands yesterday, the visas quite clearly stated, albeit in Arabic, that we were entitled to be in Libya for just seven days. There was no shifting the stony-faced men in grey suits: our expressed concern (see Huw's piece) was met with the fateful words: “That’s your problem.” And so the next chapter begins.
Here are some things I have recently learnt from reading about Libya:
- It has fewer visitors in a year than the Isle of Wight does in a week.
- It is the fourth largest country in Africa, making it slightly larger than Alaska.
- The country’s flag is plain green. Nothing on it at all, just green.
- All road signs are only in Arabic and some have apparently been painted out completely. I’m rapidly memorising the Arabic words for ‘where is’, ‘left’, ‘right’, ‘straight on’, ‘roundabout’ and ‘crossroads’.
- Some facts and figures which are nice and easy to remember, and might come in handy for Trivial Pursuit one day, who knows: 90% of the country is desert. 90% of the population live on the north coast i.e. the non-desert bit. 90% of the country’s income comes from oil.
- A shocking fact: between 1911 and 1918, while the Italians ruled the country, the indigenous Libyan population of approximately one million was halved either by forced exile or by extermination.
- The primary cause of death in Libya is speeding. Presumably the fact that it is common for cars to be driven at night without lights doesn’t help. Needless to say, despite the number of hours we’ll need to clock up to get across in a week, we won’t be driving past sunset.
- The black and white taxis are affectionately and not entirely encouragingly known as ‘death pandas’.
Despite some of these facts and because of others, I am very excited to be entering this country, unseen by so many. It’s a huge shame we have to pass through so quickly (and concerning too, given our propensity for breakdowns), but we hope nevertheless to spend a little time with my old students and friends in Tripoli, Ryan Mohammed and the beautiful Marwa, and to very briefly visit the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna and the war graves at Tobruk. It’s going to be one hell of a week.
Route, photos and more at www.thelongandwinding.co.uk
