{"id":5190,"date":"2024-10-29T20:53:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T20:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2024\/?p=5190"},"modified":"2024-11-07T17:08:13","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T17:08:13","slug":"libya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoa.com\/2024\/travel\/libya\/","title":{"rendered":"Libya"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although the US State Department gives Libya a Level 4 travel advisory<\/a> (due to terrorism, civil unrest, unexploded landmines, kidnapping, and armed conflict), it was easy to get a tourist visa. All I had to do was contact a reputable travel agency (Sherwes Travel<\/a>), schedule a tour, buy an airplane ticket, fill out an on-line visa request, and pay for my tour. At the Tripoli airport, my guide (Mahmoud) escorted me through immigration and introduced me to my two body-guards (both named Mohammed). Within 30 minutes, I had a SIM card in my iPhone and a few dinars in my wallet — ready for a 5-day road trip in Mahmoud’s Mercedes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tripoli’s busy harbor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Libya’s largest city and capital, Tripoli, is busy with shops, markets, parks, plazas, restaurants, hotels, apartments, office buildings, and mosques. Day and night, the streets are full of cars. Pedestrian areas are full of people. The only thing I didn’t see are tourists. In five days, I saw one other foreigner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My bodyguards (both named Mohammed)

and my English-speaking guide (Mahmoud)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Women’s shoes for sale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Carriage on Martyrs’ Square<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Proprietress of the former British Consulate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

October is the start of Libya’s “cool” season. Although afternoon temperatures stayed below 35\u00b0 C (95\u00b0 F), I was glad that Mahmoud’s Mercedes had air conditioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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