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Blogs from Libya, Africa
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July 22nd 2012
A very early good morning from 40000ft above the Sahara. Its been a pleasant flight thus far, watched Tintin as my first movie, and it was worth my time. I slept for about 3 hours, but I cant seem to find sleep right now. I scored it quite lucky with my seating placement; sitting at a window with no one between myself and the aisle seat. In the aisle seat I met Maies, a travel agent from Mountain View, California. Had a good chat about her experiences in Africa, South Africa, Kenya and so forth. She also invited me to the Air France Lounge in Paris as her guest, so that means free food and a shower, something that I wouldnt be getting in any other case, so that is a really nice gesture. In trying ... read more
Libya 18-28 September 2010 in search of Ghadarfi
Published: October 16th 2010Africa » Libya » Tripoli
October 16th 2010
Libya was our objective and we entered after several hours of immigration. We camped on the beach near Zuara and it was pleasant to relax swim and have an secret beer or two The marauding dogs were only a minor danger. We drove south the next day and went through Nazar and visited the Granary where for hundreds of years villagers have kept their grain for safe keeping.After a long day arrived at Ghardarmes and stayed at the YHA. This is a heritage listed village in the desert where the gypsum buildings and underground corridors are painted white and is a preserved bedouin area.In the late afternoon we climbed the large sand dunes out of town. After 2 nights we continued to Sabratha via another granary in Qasar al Hadj. This time a circular granary 3 ... read more
August 7th 2010
Hi all - we are still in Tripoli, and we've have started a new blog site. Please check out the new post at: http://wander-wege.blogspot.com Sign up as a follower to continue to receive future posts, or contact either of us by email. In addition, Bob's been posting things quite a bit on his facebook page. Feel free to check that out as well (Robertus van der Wege). Happy wanderings!... read more
August 7th 2010
Hi all - we are still in Tripoli, and we've started a new blog site. Please check out the new post at: http://wander-wege.blogspot.com Sign up as a follower to continue to receive future posts, or contact either of us by email. In addition, Bob's been posting things quite a bit on his facebook page. Feel free to check that out as well (Robertus van der Wege). Happy wanderings!... read more
April 6th 2010
So here I am in Libya! It's certainly different to anywhere else I've been but also strangely familiar. In appearance I would compare it to some of the Gulf capitals although obviously not Dubai. Possibly more like Abu Dhabi or Muscat 10 years ago. That's not much help if you've not visited either of those is it? OK, mostly low rise, some concrete blocks of apartments, lots of mad traffic. All the cars are Japanese and fairly beaten up. There is an old market right in the centre which has been partly renovated and in any other Middle Eastern capital would be thronged with tourists. Here it was more common to be the only western face in the crowd. The tradesmen are not pushy at all, in fact the exact opposite of next door neighbour Egypt. ... read more
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April 3rd 2010
I arrived in Tripoli in late afternoon of March 30, 2010. As the airplane was descending to land, the color of the clouds changed from white to orange. A ghibli (dust storm from the Sahara to the south) had blown in, and the air was full of dust. The temperature was warm for this time of year, about 38C, or 100 degrees F. Usually it doesn't get there until June or so; but as one guy put it, the wind from the Sahara feels just like a blow dryer. The next day was significantly cooler and clearer, with bright sunshine. So far I have only been to the hotel and to work, but I have rested, gotten organized, and feel recovered from the trip; no more jet lag! I am staying at the Bustan Hotel in ... read more
March 8th 2010
Finally got to get on what I thought was my project or projects. I will be managing sites that are being built for public housing. I have attached a few pictures. There are several obstacles to building these houses. From antiquated methods and poor construction quality to having to get the owners moved along with livestock. The contractor is Chinese (YaLing I may need to know some chinese words), the Construction Supervisor is Tunisian. A lot of different experiences. It was great to finally be productive. In my personal life, I think that I am a pretty easy going guy, but not easy enough where I would sit and do nothing for days on end. I was going crazy. Because of my schedule, I won’t get to see the remaining sites till next week, but I ... read more
September 25th 2009
Thanks to this organization in Houston called the Bilateral US Arab Chamber of Commerce I was able to finally make it to Libya. I was having a hard to getting a visa to Libya but because of the US Arab Chamber they were able to take care of everything I needed and even translated my passport for me. Oh yea, by the way- Libya requires your passport be translated - Beautiful country though... Loved it!... read more
July 1st 2009
La vida de expatriado parece bastante fácil de lejos, pero la verdad que tiene momentos no muy agradables. Los aeropuertos se transforman de la alegría a la tristeza, dependiendo si llegas o te vas. Estar lejos no es fácil, y despedirse seguido mucho menos. Es el costo de esta vida, y por momentos no es de lo mas agradable. Los amigos también. Unos van, otros vienen... Los grandes tomamos estos cambios de un modo, y los enanos de otro totalmente diferente. Ximena, Acu y Pedro tienen muchas cosas en común. Son los únicos que hablan español en su sala del jardín, los tres viven en Regatta y los tres forman el trío dinámico. En el informe del colegio dice que se la pasan jugando juntos. En todas las fotos del colegio se los ve juntos, como ... read more
June 23rd 2009
Estar en un país tan lejano de casa, como todo, tiene sus ventajas y desventajas. Entre las ventajas, podemos decir que están las materiales y las no materiales. Las materiales como vienen, se van (o no), pero al fin y al cabo no son las mas importantes. La posibilidad de aprender otros idiomas, otras culturas y el hecho de vivir en una mini sociedad de gente de distintas partes del mundo, es el verdadero valor de esta experiencia. Es lo que mas nos va a quedar grabado dentro de 10, 20 o 30 años. El Colegio Británico de Trípoli, donde va Pedro, es el lugar ideal para potenciar el valor de esta experiencia. Es un colegio que cuenta con un director y un grupo de docentes muy buenos, y que hacen muchas actividades para compartir y ... read more
