Air Show in Libya

I didn't have time to attend the recent air show that was held this past week at Meetiga Airport, the old Wheelus Airbase, but my husband went and took Ibrahim. He also took my camera and I've uploaded the pictures here: Air Show - Libya 2006

I'd also like to mention.... So far only one person has tried a guess at the latest 'Where is this?' challenge! What's the matter? Is it too difficult??? Have a look here: Where is this? - #14

Libyan Roads are Deadly!

In the past two days I've had two funerals to attend. Both were unfortunate victims of car accidents. Everyone in Libya knows how dangerous the driving is here and most people blame the drivers themselves. People do not obey the laws... I often wonder if there are any traffic laws here.

Lack of good old common sense is also a huge problem but the cause of one of the accidents was not the driver himself, it was because the roads are not being properly maintained. The driver hit a huge pothole in the road and lost control of the car resulting in the death of the passenger. The driver is in serious condition in the hospital's intensive care unit. Talk at the funeral revealed that the same pothole has caused the deaths of at least nine people so far.

Beacon, a Libyan blogger, has a new blog featuring road safety. Check it out here: Tripoli Nights
I'll add it to my sidebar for future reference.

A meme - 6 weird things

Ok... so I've been tagged with a meme by Zaynab. The 6 weird things about me, meme. Actually it's quite strange because I was only discussing my weirdness about an hour before I got tagged. This particular person seems to think I'm normal for some reason and gets angry when I say that I think I'm weird.

I suppose there are different degrees of weirdness and who's to judge what's really weird after all? Is anyone normal? And what is normal anyway?

Well, here's six things about me that are weird:

1. I work even when I'm sleeping. When I'm asleep my mind is going full speed ahead. Whenever I have a difficult project going I go to sleep at night and I figure things out while I'm sleeping. It works very well most times but it can cause me to wake up with a severe headache if I've been concentrating extremely hard about something. I get some of my best ideas while I'm asleep so an occasional headache is acceptable. I also use this method to find things that I've misplaced. I think about the item before I go to sleep and then I find it while sleeping. In the morning it is right where I envisioned it would be. Works nearly every time!

2. I seldom watch TV. I've no time for it, and I can't sit still long enough to watch an entire program anyway. My husband can't understand how I can sit in front of the computer for hours - I can do that because I've usually got at least 6 things going on at once - multi-tasking to my heart's content.

3. Spiders - I love them!

4. I can give someone the silent treatment indefinitely. I'm a very patient person, but I reach my limits and when I get fed up I just switch the person off completely. One of my sister in laws got the silent treatment for 6 years. I only gave up because she forced the truce by coming to the hospital when my daughter Jenna was being born and insisted on being the first person to see me when I came out of the delivery room. She bent over me and kissed me and begged my forgiveness - I gave in. Had she not done that I would still not be speaking to her. Now whenever she gets out of line with me I remind her that I can stop speaking to her and this straightens her out immediately.

5. I try to look on the bright side and find humour in things... this has probably helped me to survive in Libya. I don't think you can live here without a sense of humour. 'What's so funny?' and 'What are you smiling/laughing about?' is something I hear from people all the time. - I can't always explain it, they just don't see the humour in things the same way I do.

6. I can't stand to have anything cover my face. If I'm sleeping I must have my face outside the blanket. No way could I ever do 'the black veil thing' that is becoming so popular these days in Libya.

The rules say I must tag six people.... six weird people?.... who am I to say who is weird and who is normal?..... Do it if you think you're weird enough!

Where is this? - #14

Here's a new picture for the 'Where is this?' challenge. If you think you know where it is (or you want to guess) click on comments. Click on the picture to see an enlarged image.

The pictures for the game 'Where is this?' have all been taken from someplace in Libya and are in an area open to the public. The prize for the winner will be the satisfaction of knowing that you had the right answer! - I'll let you know who the winner is.

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Onlibya says:

"It is in Hay Al-Andaloos, diagonal from the old Aluminum shoping center, north of the road going west." and "O.K, I think I got the answer for you there teri, it is the Language school in Gurji. Next to Alfurqan little shop of etc's. Did I get it? If yes, what is my prize? J.L"
Yes, that's it! You've won! The prize is knowing you've got the correct answer... but some people have suggested I give a 'real' prize. Maybe in the future... I'll have to think about it... Congratulations Onlibya!

So where is this? It's a view of the small park in Hay Al-andaloos, near the old Suk Hay Al-andaloos. I was near there on Thursday and Friday because Nora, my daughter, had an exam at the Cambridge exam center that is located next to the park, while I was waiting for her I snapped a few pictures. Here are some more:

Libyan Museums

I found this on the web and thought it would be of interest to many who read my blog. Now I know which direction to head for next time I'm in the mood to visit a museum.

Museums and the Web for information, and Museums in Libya on Flickr for the image.

cooler weather has arrived

It's finally starting to feel like winter here. It's been raining on and off for the past few days and the nights are cold enough now that you have to close the windows and use a blanket. - my favourite kind of weather!

The banging upstairs continues. Yesterday I hung out 4 loads of laundry and then heard the doorbell ring. It was the guy from upstairs asking if I would move the laundry because they were going to be working on the balcony above it and didn't want to get cement on my newly laundered clothing. . . . They never bothered to tell me this last week when they were working on the balcony over my car. I came out and found spots and splashes of cement all over it. Thank God for the rain - it washed most of it off the car and there wasn't any damage. I do wish all the renovating would finish... the noise, the dust and the inconvenience are driving me mad. Now I've got a house full of damp laundry, hanging over every available surface.

This will be the day visitors arrive...

Hiking in Rega'at

Yesterday we went with some friends to Rega'at for a picnic and hike in the mountains. As we started out on our adventure it looked as though it might be a day of rain and it sprinkled a bit on the trip out to Rega'at. But by the time we arrived the weather had cleared and was perfect for the rest of the day. [click on the images to see bigger pictures]

After we filled ourselves with hamburgers we headed for the hills. Bates Mountain, named after the English man who surveyed it sometime in the 18th or 19th century, isn't very big as far as mountains are concerned, but it is quite a challenge for couch potatoes and housewives! It can actually be quite dangerous if you're not careful.

'Ibrahim! Watch out!' and 'Ibrahim! Be careful!' and 'Ibrahim! Stop throwing rocks!'

We all enjoyed looking at the mountain's many treasures. Here's a new friend, Ian, looking at some fossilized shells.

It's amazing to think that this mountain was once part of the sea.

This plant smells almost like oregano or thyme. I brought a handful home with me, some will find it's way into my sauce pots this week.

Is it a centipede? A milipede? - it's got 40 legs! hmm.... centi = 100, does mili = 1 million? I'll have to google it.

Tiny plants growing from cracks in the rocks.

Near the summit we took a break to catch our breath. The views of the surroundings were breathtaking. - catching our breath... breathtaking views... fresh air to breathe... breathless... lol

Poor Mustafa! There is no Aljazeera up here!

The view of the Jafara Plain is dotted with farms and olive trees.

After a few hours it was time to descend. We took a route we had never tried before. It was more difficult than the usual way but we enjoyed the challenge.

In real life this was a zillion times more beautiful!