What a beautiful evening it is here.

I've just been for a walk along the sea near Revolution Square, and have been astonished, constantly, at the friendliness of the people here. People just want to say hello, and welcome me. It's so lovely. Equally enchanting is seeing couples sitting under trees, chatting, with no booze or high jinks involved. It would be a terrible shame if the increase in the tourist trade were to bring with it the bad behaviour so often seen elsewhere.

On my way down here, I bought a cheap bag for carrying my computer in to work, and clothes for those odd days away when getting visa renewals, and was quoted LD150 for a bag. I said I only wanted something cheap, so was offered another for LD20 - about £8. So I went for this, handing over LD20. The guy told me to wait whilst he gave me change, and gave me a discount of LD5. I've never been haggled down before when spending money!

It's not unique to me either; one of my flat mates told me that when she went shopping, she was always given extra eggs, potatoes, whatever.

At the moment I'm sitting in a WiFi-enabled cafe overlooking the bay, sitting under date palms occasionally dropping ripe fruit to the ground, as the sun sets, sending its rays against the stone walls of the old town.

Libya is a country of contrasts - WiFi but few landlines; oil but no postal system; cars but rutted roads. Perhaps that's what makes it so beguiling.