General observations

After a glorious few days of internet, we lost our phone line again. It did come back after a week, but can no longer connect to the net. Therefore, borrowed internet, therefore quick post and no photos.

The destruction continues apace. The authentic-tourist-experience of the fish market, which our two sets of visitors have thoroughly enjoyed, has been or is about to be demolished. This was the place where you could point at the fish you wanted and then point at the restaurant you wanted it cooked in (or of course take it home and cook it yourself if you really want to). The fish are being sold from the roundabout near the Blue Sun office (does wonders for traffic, I can tell you), but the restaurants can't relocate so easily.

Buildings along the coast road are also being demolished, and billboards of the startlingly futuristic complexes and towers meant to replace them have been erected. Near the airport - still standing - is a billboard announcing the grand new airport project, so part of that rumour is true, anyway. Walls are coming down everywhere, often replacing large expanses of empty wasteland, making you wonder what the wall was protecting.

I have now seen what at least a few Libyan women do when they want to swim - they go in fully clothed, right down to the robes and hijab. I say 'to swim' but they really just stand in the water up to their neck, I think if they tried to actually swim in soaked thick and clinging cloth they'd drown.

We got our scuba diving license during the week, from this company. Libya is about to become the next big diving spot, supposedly (note the article refers to billions of investment money to develop the beachfront, that explains the billboards I guess). Can't say I've seen much evidence of abundant underwater attractions so far (did see an octupus, Moray eel and stingray, however), but that was just the training site. We plan to have ourselves taken off to a 'real' dive site along the coast next weekend (mostly archaelogical or wreck sites rather than natural attractions). Also, you can go diving in a lake in the Sahara.

I have finally come round to liking dates, if only in cooking - date loaf and banana and date milkshakes are working well for me.

I intend to eventually get some proper photos of the medina up; it continues to change rapidly as with the rest of tourist-attracting areas. The giant rubbish tip that made the walk from the Blue Sun office to the Arch such a thick-air experience in summer has been cleared out, and the alleyways are being repaired and repainted. Prices remain decent, though given the abrupt demands of the tourists off the cruise ships (How much? -- Seven dinah, madam -- Three!), I do not expect that to last too much longer - why wouldn't you double your prices once you work out tourists will automatically offer half the asking price? It worked for swapmeet.