The Triumphant Return of Officeboy

Welcome back ! it's been a while

welcome back officeboy!

Best of luck, when do you think you will be in Libya?

Various plans on the table at the moment, but I'll keep everyone upto date, it's been a while, so relying on you guys for support

Well welcome back, it's a bit different now to the life you had here before

Back on the 16th, have you missed me?

I was just back for the first time since the revolution and I stayed about a week.... no issues in either Tripoli or Benghazi.  The only thing I noticed was that at the women's room for pat downs at the airports they take the whole thing a lot more seriously - way more bodily contact than I was expecting!  I'm back in the states again but may make another couple trips this year.  Have fun!

Probably not an issue for me, in the US in September, you near Houston?

Unfortunately no...I'm on the SE coast (S. Carolina)

Dang (as I am assured you say in the US) catch up on your next trip in

Have visa, in next Tuesday (16th April)

Welcome back to the jungle !   I've been back also, staying four months by now ... if you ask me, nothing has changed - except foreigners are rare to see. Looking forward better days to come

BTW, anyone has idea on HHH events in Tripoli ... still mission impossible ??  With regards to this - to find Absolut from locals is much easier then I've thought ... good sign, I 'd say  :-)

Will check on the HHH, the last few have beeen held in Malta

No HHH events in Tripoli currently, most members are yet to return. People don't seem to understand that there is still a security threat here.
If there was going to be a gathering of expats, the last thing you'd want is to see it advertised on the internet.

End of my first week back
Well, it's been a while, I left on 10th March 2011, came back for just under two weeks in Jan 2012, without much success as most projects were still on hold, now I'm back, not on a permenant basis, but I will be in and out frequently.

Not a lot has changed but everything is different.
There seems to be an underlying tension, people wanted change but two years on they are wondering just how long it will take. The money (oil) is still flowing, surely by now there should have been an improvement. The signs are all there, the government are making all the right noises, budgets are due to be announced, yet there is still the fear or belief that something will go wrong.

Getting into Tripoli itself seems to be the same, one person refusing your visa application "as they are no longer being processed" the next person getting the visa released in under two days. The Embassy in the UK are turning around applications in under three days.

The airport is pretty easy to get through, as usual you are greeted by 500 taxi drivers, the only difference now is the amount of security firms with guy's doing the meet and greet seem to outnumber that taxi drivers. The car park is still a nightmare.

Money can be easily changed, going rate on Tuesday was 2.04 LYD to the £. Banks, Shops etc all seem to be operating normally, there seems to have been a major growth in the amount of coffee shops around (However, Cafe Casa still does the best Americano in town, Karakalla the best cheesecake)

Driving is diabolical, it seems to have gotten worse. With no budget for infrastructure repairs, the roads are in dire need of resurfacing, even the unfinshed parts of the new bypass will need major work as they are being used as short cuts where on/off ramps are available.
Leave plenty of time between appointments, hold ups are often and long.
With no rubbish collection and no street cleaners, the streets are pretty rough, with litter everywhere and piles of rubbish on a lot of streets and corners.

Expats are here, but not as loud as we were, dont expect the amount of "interaction" as there was before.

The NOC's / IOC's now seem to be getting it together, with the budgets announced, figures expected to be approved soon, we should see a resurgance of RFQ's that have been stagnant for the last few years. If you have quoted and it went quiet, I would be dusting those files off, as soon as budget figures are released 90% of those quotes will need revalidating.

Tune in for next weeks thrilling instalmant of "Our man in Tripoli"
(Or e-mail me any questions if you cannot wait that long)

Of course, keeping low profile is necessary as up to these kind of gathering. Security is weak point, you never know with whom you deal on the street, if he approaches you... so definitely it shouldn't be advertised on radio station
But information must flow. Don't panic, and don't stay close-mind

Flasher wrote:

No HHH events in Tripoli currently, most members are yet to return. People don't seem to understand that there is still a security threat here.
If there was going to be a gathering of expats, the last thing you'd want is to see it advertised on the internet.

Good lords, where are all the sane people

None of the sane people came back, in fact, most of the insane ones didn't come back yet either

Unfortunately... we need them here a.s.a.p   Long live insane ones

Flasher wrote:

None of the sane people came back, in fact, most of the insane ones didn't come back yet either

nicely done!!!

the Airport is amazingly surprizing...in so many ways!!!

officeboy wrote:

End of my first week back
Well, it's been a while, I left on 10th March 2011, came back for just under two weeks in Jan 2012, without much success as most projects were still on hold, now I'm back, not on a permenant basis, but I will be in and out frequently.

Not a lot has changed but everything is different.
There seems to be an underlying tension, people wanted change but two years on they are wondering just how long it will take. The money (oil) is still flowing, surely by now there should have been an improvement. The signs are all there, the government are making all the right noises, budgets are due to be announced, yet there is still the fear or belief that something will go wrong.

Getting into Tripoli itself seems to be the same, one person refusing your visa application "as they are no longer being processed" the next person getting the visa released in under two days. The Embassy in the UK are turning around applications in under three days.

The airport is pretty easy to get through, as usual you are greeted by 500 taxi drivers, the only difference now is the amount of security firms with guy's doing the meet and greet seem to outnumber that taxi drivers. The car park is still a nightmare.

Money can be easily changed, going rate on Tuesday was 2.04 LYD to the £. Banks, Shops etc all seem to be operating normally, there seems to have been a major growth in the amount of coffee shops around (However, Cafe Casa still does the best Americano in town, Karakalla the best cheesecake)

Driving is diabolical, it seems to have gotten worse. With no budget for infrastructure repairs, the roads are in dire need of resurfacing, even the unfinshed parts of the new bypass will need major work as they are being used as short cuts where on/off ramps are available.
Leave plenty of time between appointments, hold ups are often and long.
With no rubbish collection and no street cleaners, the streets are pretty rough, with litter everywhere and piles of rubbish on a lot of streets and corners.

Expats are here, but not as loud as we were, dont expect the amount of "interaction" as there was before.

The NOC's / IOC's now seem to be getting it together, with the budgets announced, figures expected to be approved soon, we should see a resurgance of RFQ's that have been stagnant for the last few years. If you have quoted and it went quiet, I would be dusting those files off, as soon as budget figures are released 90% of those quotes will need revalidating.

Tune in for next weeks thrilling instalmant of "Our man in Tripoli"
(Or e-mail me any questions if you cannot wait that long)