Thobacts Hotel Tripoli

After 4 hours at the border, finally managed to make my way into Libya only to have some jerk go through the contents of my bag and then ask me for money for the pleasure! Libya is such a surprise. The people are so friendly and reserved (unlike Egypt!) and there is so much to see here. I first went to Tobruk and visited the war memorials there. It is so sad to see all the Aussie graves there - such ...

... a huge white western style wedding dress, sparkly jewellery, tiara, veil and again thick makeup so she looked like a doll. She took her place at the front on the bridal chair while everyone continued to dance and she posed for pictures. The groom arrived around midnight and sat next to the bride for more pictures. The following evening was the tradition female gathering held in a tent ...

... grasshoppers and chews on all the plants he recently put in) I offcourse said we should keep him because he is just so cute and needs a home. So I cleaned him up, took him to the vet and named him Sydney. And because to get him back to Oz will mean a 6 month stay in France for quarantine. :) He hangs out with me around the house and adores Lance for some reason - maybe because he actually crawls into his doghouse with him!.

... but he was actually taking pictures of an overloaded bus and they just happened to be in the background. luckily after some tense questioning at the police station he was released! note to any other tourists in Libya, be careful your not taking pictures of police or police stations!

... happens to have been colonised briefly by Italians and has half-remembered some of the good bits. This all sounds very critical and negative. I must admit that I am getting a bit bored with Arab cities. Seen one, seen 'em all. The guides all say to do the same thing in each (must dos!): wander round the quaint medina (old town) visiting decorative mosques and soaking up atmosphere; get lost in the alleyways of the souk (market ...

... time but the car in front of us - uneventful but long trip back to Dubai - it is a 6 hr flight but on the return it goes via Tunis (further west) where we got to sit in the plane on the runway for an hour and a half, so it was about a 9hr trip. A small amount of entertainment was provided by a passenger who was chatting up all the female cabin crew - he sounded just like Borat and at first I thought it was him.........but he tired after a while and we were left to ...

... incase men would ever see them uncovered, shame because they were all really dolled up. At 12.30pm dinner was served which included sheeps testicals covered in glitter - not brave enough to try them but the other food was nice. Aparently the groom arrives at about 3am but we couldn't last that late. It was a fun but noisy night. This was a more modern Libyan wedding I'm hoping I can also get invited to a very traditional one in the future and also find out more about the wedding traditions.

Now for something different. I have this crazy friend, B (B, B , pass me the ball), and he tells the worst jokes you have ever heard (well, not quite as bad as mine which tend to be very long and drawn out and disappointing in that they don't ever really have a punch line). But anyway, back to B (B, pass me the ball). So while we were younger B (B, pass me the ball) had this stupid prawn joke that was his absolute favourite and he was forever telling ...

We recently did a series of cultural seminars which ended in a historic tour of the Medina. This was very interesting and valuable getting an insight into Libyan life, culture and religion. Our teacher and guide were both excellent, one a lecturere at the university and our guide had ...

Here are some pictures from the Medina. I have a different experience in the medina every time I go in as I get lost in a different part, sort of feels like it takes you in then spits you out when it feels like it. There is a map you can get, which would be best to use if you only had a short time to visit the city but i'm enjoying exploring by chance. Weather and day of the week also makes ...