I'm absolutely pooped! Back out to the mountains this morning with another student and his friend, to the same area, but this time to have lunch and dinner al fresco. Wajdi, on the right:
picked me up, and we drove like a bat out of hell, weaving and diving till we got to the mountains. There we met up with some of Wajdi's friends, and set about cooking not just a barbecue but a feast. As you can see from the photograph, it was a home from home, complete with cushions, and taking shoes off before sitting down:
Over lunch, mainly in Arabic with Wajdi translating whenever he could, we discussed many things - sex, drugs, rock and roll, and pork sausages. We got into quite a detailed debate about the differences between the Koran and the Bible, and I'm afraid I rather let the side down; I shall have to dig out my 100 Minute Bible to refresh my knowledge - was Adam made of clay? I don't remember that being mentioned in Genesis. And Wajdi has promised to give me an English language version of the Koran. So, my work is going to be cut out over the next few decades.
Talking about love and marriage, as we did, made me very reflective. Everyone here is so respectful of their parents, right and wrong, and particularly when it comes to choice of spouse. As Wajdi put it, your parents know you better than you know yourself, so if your heart says do one thing, and your parents say another, you must listen to your parents. The less said on this matter now the better - my mother will read this!
After lunch, it was time for a walk - you can tell how steep the hills were from this picture:
Most of the roads round here were built by the Italians before they 'left' at the end of the War, and I had images of the Italian Job flying through my mind as we climbed. There is a remarkable love for the Italians here, even though so much death was inflicted on the Libyans during the period of occupation. It says a great deal about the generosity of the people here.
Driving further into the mountains, we stopped off in a town known for its pottery - stalls bordered the road on both sides for miles. Not really my cup of tea, so I wasn't tempted - all rather too heavy and gaudy for me:
Back in the car, we stopped off for one final view of the palms:
and then it was back home - at 140 kph in traffic which was nose to tail. I was in the back so felt relatively safe, but other cars had people hanging out of the windows, and pickups were laden with kids in the back, all steaming along. Friday is a popular day for getting out of town with the family, but at the end of the day everyone is keen to get home.
Despite my concerns, I am beginning to consider buying an old banger for getting out of town at the weekends - maybe drive over to Benghazi, or out into the desert, or just pootle along the coast a little. It would be great to have the flexibility. And not that many people are killed on the roads here, so why should I be one of the unlucky ones? The options of cruising over to Cairo, or tripping into Tunis, sound so fantastic, don't they? And aren't I here for new experiences?
