Taking full advantage of the change in the weather, I revisited the bomb site of last week to see how things had changed. On the way there, a bloke stopped in his car and asked if I was lost - 'No', I said, 'just out walking.' It's not something you see many people doing here because taxis are so cheap, and there are so many cars.
The area was really dusty, but the diggers seem to have moved out for the most part. The sledgehammer has been very catholic in its travails - even the mosques have been reshaped:
As I was taking this photograph, a bloke called over telling me that the whole area would all be rebuilt within a month, but I think he was pulling my leg. I suspect the Ugandans will be hoping that it's all over, but in their case, the writing really is on the wall (dare I say literally?) - the red arrow you can see through the reinforcing steel indicates the extent of their plot, and they're going to lose quite a bit, trees and all:
I was having a chat with my landlord in the week about all this destruction, and he was quite despondent about it. He wanted the demolition to slow down a bit, and the building up to move a little faster.
Everywhere you look in Tripoli there is demolition taking place with very little construction. One exception is the new bus station near where I used to live, although I'm not quite sure why they're building a bus station - there are hardly any buses:
This end of town has seen probably the highest concentration of new building, and also has the greatest extremes of affluence and squalor. It's right by the old town, and has the greatest buzz of anywhere. Some of my students warned me to keep away - it's dangerous round there, they say. Being the first area I experienced when I first touched down here was certainly a good introduction, besides which, danger is all relative - I'd rather walk around the the old town in Tripoli at midnight than High Wycombe!
