9:13pm Susa, Libya
From here on out, looks like I'll be writing my journal the old-fashioned way -- by hand. I'm too afraid to turn on my computer. Sparks just flew when I plugged the power cord to the adapter in the outlet. Not going to risk frying my baby. But, it's down to about 13% power and I need to be able to dump my photos... Memory card is full. Hope that doesn't suck up too much juice. Batteries are also dead in the camera, but the battery charger seems to be working OK. So did my phone, although it got quite hot. (Another thing I can't risk losing.) Forget about the iPod.
All these technical difficulties are only adding to my mounting tension. I want Mexican food so bad. Basically I just want anything that's not hummous, cucumber, and bread, so bad. I want my clothes. Very sick of wearing the same crap over and over, even if I do do that at home. Most of all, I'm getting homesick, and missing someone a lot. The absence of cellular service, contrary to what I was told, is making that worse. Didn't feel so far away when there was the magic of text messaging. I need to call my mama, too. Things were much easier in Egypt...
Which is not to say that Libya is bad, save for the barren wasteland at the border. It's quite lovely, actually. Just very foreign, to everyone. No one is quite comfortable yet.
The area we are now in, Susa, is a verdant fertile seaside town, home to some magnificent ruins at Cyrene and Apollonia. (It's the ancient region of Cyrenaica, a name that still sticks today.) There are mountains, the Jebel Akhdar, speckled with trees (trees!) and bushes, wide expanses of green farm in the valley, and -- it rains. Raining right now, in fact.
Our guides, Khalim and Mohammad, are also very friendly and jovial, cracking jokes already. I feel bad trash-talking their country, which they obviously take much pride in and revel in sharing tidbits of info on. I've already been offered Arabic lessons and a place to stay if I really want to get to know Libya.
SIDE NOTE: That just reminded me about my waiter yesterday morning in Marsa Matrouh (that seems like eons ago...). I got to breakfast, late as usual, and ate alone, as usual. The waiter came by with coffee, etc for me, then came by again to chat. What is your name, where are you from, how old are you (his name is Mahmood, he's 27). Then he says, you have very pretty eyes. Amazing the key phrases one learns of a foreign language... I complimented him on his English, which was actually quite good, and said I'd like to learn Arabic someday. He says, "You touch me... and I'll touch you Arabic." I snickered and said sure thing, didn't have the heart to correct him.
Anyway, back to Libya.
Oh, I think I forgot the rest of Marsa Matrouh. Nothing much happened since we were there just to sleep, but it was BEAUTIFUL. The town is a total resort destination, beach houses and hotels up and down the Mediterranean coast. Being that it's still winter/spring, the whole place was deserted. Think we were the only ones in the hotel (which was brand new). Didn't take away from the amazing beachfront view though.
OK, now on to Libya. Our hotel in Susa is all right. Also brand new (tourism is new here), but very stark. When I'm in a good mood, I think of how much worse it could be. When I'm in a bad mood, it feels like a prison and I want to cry. The walls are sterile white, very little adornment. It's so empty, the room echoes. You can hear every noise in the hall and from adjacent rooms. The winds are so loud outside, it's howling clear across my room to the door. Something smells in the bathroom. Fridge is empty. Dim, dank lighting. But, the bed is comfy and has a fuzzy blankie like mine at home. Food is ehh, but they compensate with dessert.
Today we spent all day at Cyrene, a vast Greek/Roman complex. A whole city, really. Beautiful mosaics, fantastic sculpture (now in the on-site museum). My favorite aspect of the site, however, was the presence of nature. It's like an open-air museum, you can climb all up on the ruins (which you could NEVER do in the States or even Europe). Grass and wildflowers and trees have just grown up and around the rubble, simply taking back their natural land. I love when nature wins.
To add to that, we had a wildlife element. Here we are, touring millenia-old historic sites, and we turn a corner, and there's a cow. Just hanging out, chewing on some grass. Cows roam freely about the site, a natural lawn-mowing service. I saw a turtle ambling through the brush, too.
Our guide at the site, a Libyan man, worked on the initial Italian excavations for twelve years, beginning in 1970. Really interesting guy, excellent English (which he spoke with an Italian accent).
Lunch was good. Couscous and veggies. Here is where Libya wins: Our bus here (after trading in the shack on wheels that plucked us from the border) is so much better than the one in Egypt. It's like being on an airplane, in Economy Plus.
OK, sleepytime.
(read: my hand hurts from writing.)
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