Day 1: Libya - Entry and Sabartha

The trip from Tunis to Tripoli is just over an hour. We flew on LibyaWings which none of us had heard much of before this trip. Whereas in the US, Europe and Australia, it’s regarded as discrimination to select flight attendants based on their looks, other parts of the world have no such qualms. And LibyaWings' male flight attendants were very easy on the eyes. Everything was completely professional. They even managed to serve a meal on such a short flight.

While the flight over was quick, the bureaucracy at the airport wasn’t. It took four hours to process everyone’s visas, change money, and get SIM cards. Apparently nothing bureaucratic moves quickly in Libya. So after a lot of waiting and waiting and waiting, we finally were able to leave the airport and grab a bite.

There are 16 people in our group, a Lupine Tour guide (Sean) and a local guide (Ali). Ali is a real character. He’s in his 70s but acts like a young adult and can crack jokes with the best of them. Sean is a soft spoken guy who was born in the States but has lived in Europe his adult life. Everyone else seems pleasant: a few Brits and Aussies, a couple Irish, a German, a Pole and a few Americans. I haven’t identified any assholes yet. Fingers crossed.

After grabbing a bit of a late lunch, we set off for our first destination which are the ruins at Sabratha, a UNESCO site two hours west from Tripoli. The area started out as a Phoenician seaport 2,500 years ago before being taken over by the Romans. Much of it was destroyed in an earthquake and the existing ruins have been stabilized with the use of modern concrete. It’s an impressive site. The only other people there were the curious and friendly locals.

They rushed us through lunch to get us to this site because the guides kept saying that they didn’t want us driving back to Tripoli in the dark.

Me: Why? Animals or people crossing the road? Cars driving without headlights at night? Typical Africa highway stuff?

Guide: No. Bandits.

Me: Oh... well, that does seem like a rather good reason.

So we set off through Tripoli’s rush hour to Sabratha and got there at around 5:30PM, with everyone wondering how we were going to make it back before dark. But they took their leisurely time explaining the history of the area, its establishment by the Phoenicians; the Roman conquest; how it was used since; the earthquake, and the restoration. Due to my inattentiveness while taking photos and looking around, I got separated from the group and after searching for them with no success, I gave up, took a few more snaps and then headed back to the bus. The sun was about to set and I didn’t want to be the one who made us Bandit Bait.

So I waited and waited and waited, the sun set, and it got darker. Finally, the rest of the group showed up. Is not driving in the dark a stretch goal? Is it a nice-to-have? Should we be worried? I dunno, but there were police all over that highway so it’s hard to believe much banditry takes place there at least. Finally, at 9PM we made it back in one piece and had dinner at a Turkish place. Apparently, Turkish food is as trendy in Libya as Korean food is trendy in gentrified Brooklyn.

My Libyan photos are here (Opens in new tab.)