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I've just entered Libya, also known as Africa's most dangerous country. Armed militias control the streets, checkpoints are everywhere, and the country has been caught in an ongoing civil war for over 15 years. It's so unstable here that the government won't let me go anywhere without two undercover cops. It's been six years since my last visit to Libya, but this time is different because it's my wife's first time here and she's feeling nervous. Yeah, ask anyone, like, if you say you're going to Libya, they're going to say, "Why are you going there?" Together we're stepping into one of the world's most closed-off countries, to meet the locals, see the ancient wonders,
and find out what life in Libya looks like today, we have special permission to cross the land border from Tunisia, something that no other tourists have done since war broke out. So right now we are stuck in no man's land, literally standing in between Tunisia and Libya. They took our passports, and me and Deanna are just kind of standing here waiting around. It is so hot outside, like 110 degrees. First time I'm entering Libya as a tourist, last time I had a business visa and I had to dress up as an oil consultant.
This is, so not like me! I was questioned like crazy at the airport when I arrived last night but crossing this land border is like a full-on bucket list for me right now. You had a friend that lived here, and what happened to your friend? She said it was like, super, super dangerous here back in 2016, that's why I was like, so worried when you went. So we got tourist police joining the car. Now it's starting to feel real. We clear the checkpoint, cross the border, and suddenly, we've entered Libya. Our first stop is Tripoli, the mysterious capital city.
Welcome to Libya! Thank you, man! Are you ready to have some fun? Yeah! This is the cheap one? Yeah! You can see now, it's 6 dinars, 40 liters. -- Wow. Yeah. It means, one, $1. One dollar? It's cheaper than water. One dollar and fifty cents to fill up this entire huge minivan! You know, we just filled up the whole car for $1.50.
Welcome to Tripoli, brother! Finally, we are here in Tripoli! Thank you! Thank you. Last time I was in Tripoli, I remember that, like, shooting with this camera in public was not okay and people kept saying, like, "Be careful, be careful!" and the police would stop me. So it seems like, Libya is becoming more, a little more open to these things. Yeah, more open and more liberal. Now, we have about two years when the government started giving that tourist visa. That's good!
Yes. At all times, I'm escorted by these two police officers that are with us 24/7 here, it's insane. All around me here in the main square of Tripoli, you can see all these unfinished buildings which were being built in 2011, right up until the revolution, and they've been paused. They've been stuck in time for 15 years. You can see even the cranes themselves have not moved in 15 years, that's bizarre. Libya is hard to understand because there's no single government fully in control. Power is split between rival leaders in the west and the east, and both sides are equipped with their own armies.
This has been the case since the Arab Spring broke out in 2011, when protests spread across the Middle East and North Africa as people rose up against corrupt governments that held power for decades. In Libya, these protests escalated into a civil war against long time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, but overthrowing Gaddafi didn't bring peace, it created this power vacuum where rival militias began fighting for control of the country. More than 15 years later, Libya is still politically divided and still trying to rebuild. We are in Martyrs' Square, which is where all the hustle and bustle is happening, there's people out and about.
It kind of reminds me of being in Iran. Most people are wearing traditional outfits, kids riding around, these little go-kart things, they feel like they're going to kill someone. What's it like to live here? It gets very hot, but it's a nice environment. It's, it's a lovely atmosphere as well. So the UK is drastically different than Libya. What's the pros and cons of living here? Time, you get more time because there's more sun. Culture is nice, people are friendly.
You know, most of the world, including like, my friends and parents and everyone, are like, "Don't go to Libya! You're crazy, it's so dangerous!" Do you feel safe living here right now? Yeah, very well. Yeah, very safe. No issues? No issues, whatsoever. That's amazing, man! Ah, here is the gate of the old city, Al Mushir Gate. Yallah. Let's enter now to the old city. Babe, do you feel dangerous? Not at all. You feel safe? Yeah! One hundred percent?
Yeah. I can, 101! You never know, how safe a place is until you actually go there and travel there and see it with your own eyes. Excuse me, where are you from? I'm from America. You are from United States of America? And my wife's from the Philippines. You from Philippines? I'm French-Libyan, I was born in Sweden. I grew up in Norway, so my name is Nizar Salah Seren Gaddafi.
You are welcome. Nice to meet you, man. Say hello to Trump, you know. I'll tell him, I'll tell him you say "Hi!". So far, everyone's been really friendly, saying "hi", even if they don't speak English, they're giving us big smiles. Some little girl came running up to Deanna just to shake her hand, give her a cute little laugh, and then she ran away. So, what's interesting about the old town right here is right in the middle of the street, people are exchanging money, all kinds of money, dollars, euros and they carry them in big wheelbarrows. Just shows how safe it is here, no one's gonna steal your money.
This is $70? It's your tip. He said, "Maybe you want a coffee or something, here?" Okay. I can't say no. I will pay, I have money! I will pay. No, no, no. I have money now. No, no, no, no, no! He insists. Very nice! No, no, just coffee, just coffee! So this guy, like, is insisting that he pays. So nice!
He doesn't take coffee, he just buy, buy for us. Just he. just for us. This coffee hits so strong, it's just a little espresso. They give you these big cups, but it's literally just in the bottom sixth of the cup. Italian style espresso. Thank you, thank you! What's the best and the worst part about living in Tripoli? Um, there are spot, there's no much foreigners in Libya. And there's a lot, a lot of uh, very nice to visit.
It's the, the opposite of overrated, it's less. Underrated. Thank you! Nice to meet you! It's just so different from Iran. It's, it's so different. I was having an expectation that it's kind of like Iran, but it's very different. It is different, right? It is, it has a total different vibe. It has, it's kind of rugged, but it's beautiful at the same time. It is so beautiful!
Right now I'm standing in front of the 2000-year-old arch here, in Tripoli. It is an insane reminder of how old this city is, how many years people have been living here, and it's right in the middle of the city center. What do you think about the arch? So beautiful! They brought the marble from Rome, because only we have sandstone here in Libya. So all the marble, they brought it from Rome. It's so beautiful, there's mosques from all sides. And they're all just chanting right now. Gives me the goosebumps, just like a complete spiritual moment right here.
That this arch was here about 700 years before Islam came to Libya. Seven hundred years of time that people were hanging out by this arch without a call to prayer. I'm standing here on top of the Red Fort, right here in downtown Tripoli. And this is the exact site where Gaddafi did his last speech. In 2011 before he was assassinated. He was standing literally right there and overlooking everyone in the square. Even though I have two policemen with me at all times, I'm still getting a lot of looks and I feel like I'm gonna get stopped by holding a camera in my hand.
Little do they know I'm just trying to share the beauty of Libya and trying to encourage tourists to come here and appreciate the history and the culture. Here we are at the four columns street, because we have four columns. It dates back to the second century A.D, that the Ottomans brought them here like a decoration, two, three and four over there. When they built the city, they built it over the wreckage of the Roman city. So even now, when digging in some houses, they found some columns, crowns. So how, how long have these columns been here?
The Ottomans, they brought it here in 16th century. Six, sixteenth century. Yeah. Another column, look. Yes! You just notice columns everywhere in this old town. We're now entering the fish market. What is that? Oh! This is baby shark and this is baby shark sashimi. As far as fish markets go, this is one of the more chill ones.
You should head to Mogadishu, Somalia, and see how that one is. Welcome, Somalia! Lots of sounds, lots of people talking. Wow! This is the wholesale area for the fish. They come in huge trucks every morning, and the restaurant owners and the shop owners come here and buy it in bulk, and go sell it for the day. It is very fresh fish, so it's a good sign when you go to the restaurants here. You know, when you think of the Mediterranean Sea, you probably don't think about Libya, but in fact, this country has one of the longest coastlines in all the Mediterranean,
which means an abundance of fish, scuba diving, water sports, and just beautiful views. What more do you need for a happy life than a fishing rod, and a bag of baguettes? I absolutely love the vibe of Tripoli's old city. Everywhere you look, there's a blend of Roman history, Ottoman architecture, and North African culture. And while I'm busy soaking it all in, I suddenly spot a familiar face. Like six years ago, when I was just starting my travel videos, she was here and she was so nice to show me her shop, she's an artist. How's life in the old city these days?
The old city is fine, it's a bit slower than at some point. But I mean the major things, the infrastructure now it's nearly done. Sure. Good! 80% is done. Sure. This is the shop? To show her shop. Yeah! Hi, how are you? I'm good! Hello, again. Hi, how are you? So what you're going to find here at the gallery is Libyan traditional handmade artisans.
How often do you see someone like me coming on these streets? Uh, once every month. Once every month? And we're in the center of the old town. Yes. So, I got a painting! Thank you for taking me there! You're welcome! I like to collect paintings as I travel, you know, it's nice.
What would you like to tell people about Libya if they want to come here? I always get questions from female travelers. Yeah. Is there anything you want to say to people? Not really. I have friends, foreign friends, ladies, traveling alone and from them I knew that Libya was the easiest place to be. Men are, they're not nasty at all, people are, are nice. Really? Very respectful. Very friendly. Yes. Very respectful and very friendly. As a foreigner, you're free to do whatever you want.
Yeah! And a lot of people think like, oh, you have to cover your whole body, but look at you. No, not your body of course. Yeah, boobs out, no. No, no, no! Okay! I get that, but you. Just, you know, as you, as you respect a bit what, what there is. Sure, sure. And you issues here, people are respectful to you. No, no, no, no. That's amazing! I, I also think that Libyan culture and Libyan society is very, uh, hospitable.
Yeah, they're not aggresive. They're not aggressive. And, not aggressive. Yeah to, but here, I mean they are usually very friendly to foreigners even more. Of course. And they're protective they want to make sure we're safe and Yes! Yes, but, uh. we're having a good time. Uh. I just hope the situation is better. And the, and then. Uh. Exact, exactly. Aggressivity or little wars that happening from time to time. Yeah. The country is not stable yet. So maybe I'll come back here in six more years and meet you and everything will be open and everything.
Hopefully, yes! Oh. Hopefully it will be, uh, even better. Tourism in Libya is almost non-existent, which makes this next stop so unexpected. In a country that so few outsiders get to explore. It's surreal to think that I'm about to play golf, or at least try to play. This was one of the only golf courses in the country and now it's completely deserted, there's nothing here. I'm walking in what would have been the fairway, but now it's just literally a pile of dirt. This is one of Africa's oldest golf courses, dating back to the 1940s. But after Gaddafi took power in 1969,
the country's priorities shifted and now it's a giant wasteland. This just shows how much the country has crippled since 2011, there's nothing. All these hotel chains, Marriott, Radisson Blu, were built. They were here, and then they just never, never worked until now. Talking about 15 years later and there's nothing. So much potential in this country that could happen and hopefully one day, it'll be here.
It's pretty hard to imagine golf making a comeback here anytime soon. But now, I'm heading into the center of Tripoli to meet back up with Deanna and explore the city's nightlife. I'm in the beautiful Italian quarter here, all this was built by the Italians. It's a bit sketchy to film here, there's a bunch of police. But we are heading to the shisha place right here, where all the men are just hanging out, smoking and chilling. The building behind me used to be a lovely church when the Italians were here, and now it's converted into a mosque. Obviously at night is when, everyone comes out because it's so hot here in the afternoon.
This place is totally a vibe! All the men are out here, smoking shisha, drinking tea, playing cards. I'm here with Ahmed, he's a really nice guy. He lives in the UK and he let me come and hang with him with the boys. Nice people in this country, man. I'm serious! Everyone's very humble. Libya has nice weather, you know? But, you know, the whole world is scared of Libya. Yeah, everybody's scared. Everybody's scared of Libya.
Uh, safe, yeah, yeah, it's, it's better than before. For sure. Deanna is the only woman here, she's loving it, but people don't seem to mind. They don't really care. It's just a cultural thing that women don't come here? They're not allowed. Not allowed? This is the country's rules. But is it like a law, or it's a, it's like an. Some places, like it's not here. Like in. in the site to, to another city maybe you can see women out. Yeah. But she's here but they know she's a tourist, so it's fine.
Yeah, that's fine. They don't care. It's okay. Interesting. Yeah. Ten, twenty. No, no, I got it. No, no. No, no, no. I'll pay for you Bro, bro, bro, bro, bro, bro get the freak out of here! Why?! I'll pay for you. You don't have to pay for me. Dude, what's wrong?! No, no, no, this guy is being aggressive he won't let me pay. Are you sure? What just happened shows the hospitality of the Libyan people. Yeah! He will not let me pay, like it's, it's like a serious thing!
Yeah. If I tried to pay, he would slap me in the face. We are staying at the same hotel I stayed in exactly six years ago, so nostalgic. This is the only place in my life, this hotel, that I fell asleep to the sound of bombs. And it was like one in the morning and I just heard -- and everything was shaking. It's one in the morning in Tripoli, Libya, and I can't sleep because there's freaking gunfire and bombs out the window. Listen to this. Anyways, that all goes to say that now there's no bomb, so we can have a nice good night's rest before a big day tomorrow!
See you guys tomorrow. Peace! I only managed to get a few hours of sleep because I keep thinking about the incident on my last night at this hotel. But I wake up full of energy because we're heading to Leptis Magna, one of the most impressive Roman ruins anywhere in the world. But first I want to enjoy the insane rooftop at my hotel. This is what you call breakfast with a view, my friends. Check this out. Absolutely insane! You can see the Mediterranean Sea. Sun's just coming out. Wow! As we leave Tripoli and follow the coast eastbound, the scenery starts to change. And there are so many unique spots to check out that we can't help but pull over.
Right now I'm inside of a 5th century ancient town on top of a mountain in Libya. Gotta watch your head when you're ducking in here. Imagine just waking up one morning, go, go out the window and this is your view. Must have looked exactly the same 1,600 years ago. When you walk out here, you see an incredible cliff here with this rock. Absolutely epic! And there's just nothing in the distance here, just desert. And over there you can see the small mosque. But in the 5th century it was a small church. So it was a church because before Islam came to Libya, this town existed. yes.
Yes. So this was a church. And then when Islam took over in the 9th century, it turned into a mosque. Yes, You can see that engraving there, it's like a small cross. Here we are, the troglodyte house. It means, it's a Latin word, it's a Roman word actually it means "the people who are living in the caves", so, they dig out in the mountain and they share this house, one family together. For example, the grandfather, uh, the father and his sons, each one get married, he gets one chamber here. The people here were super creative to find ways to live in the hot sun by digging caves, storing their food underground.
So, when you're in the main area here, it's super hot. But the moment you walk inside this whole cave, the temperature immediately drops, these walls are super thick. It's the flag of uh, Amazigh or Berber. The blue mentions to the people who are living in the coast side. Green, the people who are living in the mountain and yellow, the people who are living in the Sahara and the red one, it means the blood that they gave it to their homeland. Berber culture is everywhere in Libya. They are the indigenous people of North Africa with deep rooted traditions, striking architecture and a cultural identity that has endured for thousands of years,
long before the Arabs arrived. We're about to visit an ancient granary built by the Berbers that was used to store and protect food in the extreme heat of the Sahara desert. Here we are at the granary of Nalut. It's the biggest and the oldest one. It was built between 7th and 6th century AD. And how many chambers, chambers are here? It has 600 chambers here. Some families, they own more than one chamber or three chambers if they have a big farm. So it's a refrigerator?
Yes, refrigerator to keep a food clean. Yes. Wow. I always say that travel is the best education that you can have and this is exactly why. Because I'm discovering this new place that has been here for 1400 years and learning about how humans survived here, their practices and their beliefs. You just become wiser. Did you expect to see this in Libya? No. It was amazing. Tell me about the life here in this village. He said it's comfortable life here because it's a small town in the mountain. Are you proud to have this amazing landmark in your hometown?
Isn't sure yet, he's so proud of it. Each family here, they own one chamber here. So, all of them are proud about this granary here. Everybody thinks that Libya is so dangerous. Anything you want to say to the world about Libya? About 90% as you know, that's it's safe like any other country in the whole world, almost there's a 10% that something. Of course. Happened in the Kremenba, but in general it's completely safe. I'm entering one of the security guys' houses here. It's immediately really cool in here the moment you enter.
This is where he sleeps, this is where he lives. Talk about a real caveman. So it's crazy that people used to live here 1400 years ago. There's still people living here now. It's really nice in here! Exploring all these cool places in Libya reminds me how lucky I am to travel for a living. And honestly, if you guys ever get the chance to go overseas, you want to make sure you're set up properly, which is why I want to thank the sponsor of this video. Holafly, my favorite eSIM card for travel.
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All right, now let's head back to exploring Libya. One thing I love about Libya is they're very patriotic. You can see flags all over the place like this building. I always group this country together when I tell people about dangerous countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan, and Libya. But, man, feeling great to be here right now. Situation has definitely changed a bit since I was here last, and that's a good thing. Country is progressing. Hopefully it keeps going that way.
We are stopping for lunch here in the middle of nowhere. I'm hungry, so, we're going. We're back here in the kitchen of this tiny restaurant, and it's insane. Look how fresh this food is. Wow! It's incredible how he's making bread. Just this fresh bread, he just puts his finger in it and he puts it in this amazing oven. Wow! And over here, we have the kebabs that are, it is so piping hot right here. I can't even put my hand past this place.
They love soup in Libya. Every meal comes with some soup. This is fresh lentil soup with flies on the side. As Deanna said, the flies are included. Tastes like something you get in India. This is a fresh plate of minced chicken, with fries and salad and white rice and we have a plate of hummus. Oh my God, they're so soft, it like falls off the bone. And of course we have bitter soda. Never heard of this before. Libyan thing?
Yeah, it's another type, it's. from Austria. Tastes like, some strawberry like red drink. With our bellies full, we are approaching Leptis Magna, perhaps the best site to visit in all of Africa. What began as a small port grew into one of the most important cities in the ancient world. Ships arrived here from across the Mediterranean, unloading goods, ideas, and wealth. Then the Romans transformed Leptis Magna into a booming powerhouse of empire, building grand temples, massive markets, huge warehouses, and massive boulevards that are still here today. At one point, more than 100,000 people lived here.
You can see this is the amphitheater, which used to hold 16,000 people at once, I just have the goosebumps even thinking about what it felt like, the energy right here with lions down here, with people getting their heads chopped off. Not a single tourist is here. It's hard to believe, if this was in a place like Rome or Greece or even Lebanon, they would be selling tickets for hundreds of dollars, and it'd be thousands of tourists here. But in Libya, the situation is different. There's nobody here. You get to just sit here and enjoy the view all to yourself. Over time, as the Roman Empire began to crumble, Leptis Magna fell with it.
Trade dried up, power shifted elsewhere, and this once glorious city was slowly left behind. Its streets empty, markets silent, temples abandoned, then nature took over. Where the desert covered much of Leptis Magna in sand and protected it for centuries, which is why it's still remarkably intact today. I've traveled to every country in the world. I've seen so many amazing UNESCO World Heritage sites and Roman ruins. But this place, Leptis Magna, is probably the most magnificent! There is not a single tourist around, we are on the beautiful sea. I'm literally stepping over 2,000-year-old Roman ruins just right below my feet.
How many tourists do you see coming here these days? Now, a little. I hope so in future maybe, more and more. How long did it take to build this place? Uh. Many, many, many, many years. You know, starting from nine, nine, nine years BC until, uh. the last place I think, uh, in the reign of the elder son of Septimius Severus, Caracalla. You know, Caracalla? The son of Septimius Severus, I think -- 200 and some years. So now my question is, how much more is underground that they don't know about?
Many, many, many tons of sand removed from this area! Do you think there's more underground they haven't seen yet? I hope so in future maybe. After exploring Leptis Magna, we leave the coast behind and head deep into the desert towards Ghadames, an ancient oasis near Libya's western border with Algeria and Tunisia. It's an eight-hour drive into the middle of nowhere. And as soon as we arrive, we check into one of the eeriest hotels I've ever stayed at. The door is at least 15 feet high. I mean, think about a basketball hoop it's probably where this thing is, this little, high door.
Keep in mind this town only has 10,000 people and there's zero tourists. All right, we are now going to enter inside the palace, of a hotel. I'm now outside the hotel. Get a glimpse of the scale of this place. So far I haven't seen a single person here. Just one guy sweeping. All right, this is our lovely room. This is what it looks like. Hi, Deanna! So the TV here is a Smasuang, not to be confused with Samsung. What do you think about the quality of the beds?
The worst. It's not, not so good. It's like a piece of block. The bed is like literally a rock. It's very hard. They don't have Wi-Fi in the rooms, only in the lobby, which does work actually. But to be honest, like, what do you expect? We're in the middle of the Saharan desert, so, it's actually like better quality than I expected. It's just weird that we are the only people in this hotel. For the tiny amount of travelers who do make it to Libya, Ghadames is a must-see. And I can't wait to explore the old town. I'm introduced to an older man named Muhammad Ali, who speaks perfect English and has a lot to say about his city.
Nice to meet you. Fine. Muhammad Ali, don't worry. Muhammad Ali. How's it going? Muhammad Ali? Only the name! Yeah! Only the name. He said, "Not the boxer. Only the name." If I came here 3,000 years ago to Ghadames, yeah, yeah! how different would the old city look to how it looks now? Yeah, But when you find a crowd of people, yeah, the same, yeah, yeah, yeah, the same, everything the same, exactly the same.
The buildings, the same. Twelve thousand years. Do you know? years, years old, I mean, before Islam. Believe me, I prefer to live or to sleep here in the old town. Twelve thousand years. Why? Really? Because they born here and I live here. I prefer than where I live now. Modern house with cold, hot water, and that, we are family. But, I prefer as it was before. Here! Yes, exactly. Cause' you, you, you grew up here. Yeah. Here in the old town, we are two families or two tribes. One its name uh, Wazit, and another Walid with seven streets.
Now we are street number one, this used to be shops to buy and sell. This is so amazing. You can feel that there was once a lot of people living here. Sure, yeah. All these shops. So, when did they leave? Yeah. Nineteen eighty two. You speak English? Yeah, sure yeah. You're from Philippines? Yes, Philippines. Deanna! Thank you. How do you know that, sir? This square, we use it for the ceremony for the wedding. When I'm going to be married, I have to make my, my party in this square. But for my wife, for example, she do it, in the house.
This place is so, cool. This old city just goes on forever, it's like a maze. Like if we didn't have Muhammad Ali with us, Deanna and I would be totally lost. What is this for? There is a hole, to, to ensure the door. Looks like another key. Then somebody came, then somebody can inside. Inside, yeah! Inside. No, it's like a double lock. Nothing. Yeah, exactly. Your other hand. Oh, I see it. Yeah, I see it. So to double lock it, and then you keep the keys there. And this house, no decorations, but this one with the decorations.
When you find any house that has these decorations, it means the owner of this house, he has been holy place. Oh, they've been to Mecca? They've been to Mecca. I went in 1990. Yeah. So you were a Hajji? Exactly, yeah. Why is there a consulate? Yeah, exactly, yeah. Because for making visa or something like that. This is during the second war, 1943. This is a big air raid. French American air raid, they're bombing here. Uh-huh. This one still from, uh, 1943 until now.
The American, the French air raid they make a big fault. They bomb here inside the town. A lot of people died. In general, really, the houses look like this one. It's very bad, really. It's for 1943. Ohhh. This is a reminder of how old Ghadames is. The buildings are just cracking. You just wonder how many more years until this is all gone. I'm running out of words to describe this place. It's now becoming golden hour. Look at the pink clouds above us. I mean, when I told Deanna we were coming to Libya, she certainly didn't think about a place like this.
No, -- I thought it was a war-torn country but it's not. These are all bats, all these little birds. They look like birds flying around, they're actually bats. Oh, can you see that? You see them? We got access to climb to the top, and now we're just enjoying the beautiful views. Look at this, it looks like gingerbread houses everywhere.
Look, there's goats. Ghadames was a key stop on the trans-Saharan trade route which connected Sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean. These traditional houses were made with mud and palm tree trunks, with beautiful rooftop terraces used for socializing. After traveling to every country in the world and seeing hundreds of UNESCO sites, I have to tell you that Ghadames is one of the best.
And it's really cool because I get to be here with my wife, Deanna. Me! Wait! I want you to see my fans. Come on. Hi, fans! Look, they all look at me. Look, look! Another day in the life in Libya. This way. Deanna? Yes. You remember this mirror? Yes. For you, this one. Yes, I will. For making sure you're beautiful. Yeah, exactly, yeah. For you to come to, before you meet him, you have to see your face in this mirror. And you'll be in very good, uh, condition and you'll meet your husband down.
Husband! Face. We're getting a cool home tour here. Traditional house, what it used to look like, they decorated it exactly the same. The home is simple, cozy, and full of character with thick walls, intricate details, and spaces designed to keep cool in the desert heat. Every corner feels lived in, practical, and deeply connected to local life. And after taking it all in, it's time for the best part.
A traditional meal. Have you seen this amazing bowl of couscous? They put like carrots on top. They have onions, they have beef inside. Wow! This is good! The soup? I love couscous. Couscous is good if you're really hungry and you want to eat a million of something. There's so many pieces.
We just met Salah. You're from the Old Town? In Old Town? Yes, I have, uh, from there. Yeah. Do you like Old City? Yes, of course. Can you tell us a story from when you were young? Not story, history! Oh, his, history. History! Yeah. Did you get married in the old City? Yeah. Yes, I have married there. In the Old City. Did you have a party in your square? Of course. And then your wife had a party upstairs?
Yeah, yeah. You have no children? Our son. That's our son. Dog? Yeah! No, no. You like America? Yes. Our country, I love our country more than another, uh countries, yeah. Countries. Good! It's actually amazing that there's a spring here. We are in the middle of the world's largest desert and there is just a spring of fresh water. I don't get it how that's possible. This has been an incredible day here in Libya, Ghadames is one of the most stunning places I've ever seen.
This trip is going to keep getting better and better. So keep watching, we have plenty of more adventures ahead. Just so grateful for this moment. I'm heading to bed early because the next day is absolutely packed. We're going dune bashing, which basically means speeding through the desert in an SUV and flying up and down massive sand dunes. But before all that, it's time for a Libyan meal to start the day. Good morning! It is breakfast time. And, uh, it's a very busy morning for breakfast, as you can see, they have made a buffet just for us! As we were told we were the only tourists in the country.
Nothing like eating in silence. Mm-hmm. We've now made it to the new part of the city. There's no more people living in the beautiful old city. They've all relocated just 100 yards away across the road, basically. And this is, uh, the settlement now. Were you born in the old city or were you born in this new city? Okay, nice. Tell me about the life in Ghadames because we are in the middle of the Sahara desert.
There's no sea, there's no big cities nearby. So how do you survive here? I was born here. It's very nice. It's nice city. It could show. nice view there, like the sun there. Yeah. Most people in the world, especially in America, they're very scared of Libya. They think it's so dangerous, they think it's a scary place but what do you want to say to those people about your country?
No, nowhere. You can't go to the Tipoli, there's nothing problem in the road. We were in Tripoli, it was amazing! Yeah, yeah. And in 2011 it was not good. Yes, yeah. Yes. Because no government. Thank you, man. Very. You are welcome. Very nice of you. Thank you! Thank you so much! How was the life here? So beautiful people, beautiful culture! The weather is too hot here? The weather is too hot to live.
Yeah, too hot and too cold, also. Cold?! You cold? Cold, yeah. What, what, what time? It is very cold. Very cold sometimes. Cold, sometimes cold. What?! I live here. How old are you? I am 74 years, yeah 74, yes. You, you look good! What?! You look, you have a young face. How old are you? Could you guess? Seventy five? Seventy. Yeah. Sorry, sorry. So you grew up together? Yeah, yeah, yeah, clearly!
Oh, that's so cool. Only four years old between. Are you sad that there's no people living in the old town anymore? That is because, the, now is the life uh. change. So that, we must live here. But there, is difficult. Change. What is the best thing about Ghadames? Uh, rest. The rest, the resting. It's really amazing that you are the last people to live in the old city, because now no, nobody lives there. So that's amazing! Like, you, you have the experience of living there. The first days for us, are like this. Like memories. Every time, we go there. Yeah.
All of you grew up in the old city? The same, all of it. Yeah. All of you? I hope to you, good luck. Forever. Aww! Thank you! Yeah. You too! Bye-bye. Thank, oh, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you to you. Thank you! Bye-bye. Bye-bye I love when you say hello to someone. It's very, it takes five minutes to say "hi". When you say hello to your friend, it's very genuine. Very, Very sweet, very nice.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, where we go now? Okay. I'm following. Now! Okay. Mr. Habib! He's from Tuareg. You know Tuareg? Yeah, exactly. Tuareg! And so what's the difference between Tuareg and Berber? The language. Different. And are you from Ghadames? Of course. This area. Yeah. So you have a mix of culture here? Really mixed, uh, people together. And now you have American and Philippines. I know American and Philippines. If you could say any message to people in the world, what would you tell them?
He said hope the country will be okay everywhere. No, no war. Peace no war, exactly. No problems. Nice to meet you! Thank you so much! Nice to meet you! Have a good day, sir! I feel like I'm walking around with the king of town, which basically I am, he literally, everybody, like, bows down to him. It's amazing! Muhammad Ali turned out to be the perfect guide for exploring Ghadames. But now I'm jumping back in the car and heading into the desert for the part I've been waiting for the most.
We're about to go dune bashing, which means we got to remove some of the pressure in the tires so the car can bounce on the sand easier. I don't know why, but there is a Red Sox sticker on the back of this car, which is hilarious. Two stickers. No chance I'd drive with Red Sox, man. We are officially on the dunes now. Wow.
We're on the tip of the edge now, going down. Shit! Freak. You're not worried? Holy shit! Oops! Being pelted in the face with sand. Look at that face! You're freaking with us! There's nothing like tearing across sand dunes in one of the most closed off countries on earth. I don't take these experiences for granted. We are so lucky to be here. And after all the anxiety that Deanna felt before coming to Libya, I want to check in on her feelings.
Oh, it's amazing. It's very refreshing. It's so different than what I have expected. You were scared at the beginning. Yeah, I was. How about the people? Oh, amazing! People are very genuine. Yeah, amazing. I love it! My second trip to Libya challenged everything I thought I knew about the country. Beyond the headlines and the complicated history, I found a place that's quietly rebuilding itself through the resilience, the generosity, and the unshakable spirit of its people.
The future here is uncertain, but the humanity is not. And that's what I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.
