PART ONE

The long haul south
by Toby Savage.

Over the last four years I have been lucky enough to accompany a group of Archaeologists on a project in Libya. My role has been Land Rover driver and photographer recording many of the finds they dig up in the desert. I do these trips in my 1970 Land Rover Carawagon, nicknamed The Carabungawagon after the war cry ‘Kawabunga’ of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series in the 80’s.

For those interested the Carabunga has a galvanised, coil sprung 109 inch chassis, 200 TDi engine, LT77 5 speed gearbox with GKN Overdrive and for these trip carries food and water for a week. Its in pretty good nick despite having now clocked up 100,000 miles. 30,000 of which have been on these Libyan trips. I generally live in it for the six weeks we are in Libya. Preferring its familiar surroundings to the rest house occupied by 25 snoring Archaeologists.

In the following series of articles I hope to share a few stories of the Desert and dispel a few of the myths associated with travel in these remote areas

It is not a far as you may think to reach real desert. We usually take the Dover Calais ferry, get the welly down and get to Marseilles by the evening of the second days driving. That is the longest haul done. There follows a very leisurely 24 hour ferry crossing to Tunis. This is best booked in advance and sets you back about £500. There is a ferry every couple of days and Genoa is an alternative port offering a slightly better deal.

The port of Tunis is a gentle introduction to North Africa with road signs in French and English spoken in many of the shops and cafes. Dr Booze is difficult to come by except in Hotels, but even in these troubled times the largely Muslim population are most welcoming. A good motorway with tolls of a staggering 50p gets you down to the southern end of Tunisia and the choice of going West into Algeria or East into Libya. Both of these countries require a visa which will only be issued with an invitation. I’ve yet to visit Algeria, but Libyan tour operators will usually provide an invitation for a fee and on the condition that you use one of their guides whilst in the country. This is a pretty good idea anyway as all the signs are in Arabic and few of the locals speak English. The border crossing usually takes us anything upto 6 hours as we fumble with scraps of paper and Arabic photo copies. Good amusement whilst waiting is to watch the customs officers seize contraband tea. Yes, Tea! Tea is dirt cheap in Libya and ‘smugglers’ can make an easy couple of quid profit on a big pack. Hard to believe, but its worth it to them.

Getting past the Passport control is always a challenge. Some years the word is that we say we are ‘tourists’ others we are advised to say we are ‘Archaeologists invited by The Dept of Antiquities’. Neither of these descriptions is untrue and we have the paperwork to substantiate both, but each year one story will hold us up less than the other. Whatever, after a lot of furious rubber stamping we are in.

A Peugeot 404 pickup typical of daily transport in Libya

Welcome to the land of the two quid tankful. This is where it all suddenly gets much cheaper. It is true that a tankful of diesel is about £2, which soon makes up for the various charges of getting a Land Rover into this country (about £100 for ‘tax’, ‘carnet’ and ‘insurance’). You are instantly aware of being in a poorer country. The main means of transport is the ubiquitous Peugeot 404 pick up. These old workhorses have been chugging around for thirty years or so and appear held together with tape and bent wire. Parts are only replaced if they actually stop forward motion. Therefore, wipers, the odd few wheel nuts, dashboard, lights, even windscreen are not replaced. Brakes, of course, are totally unnecessary.

One thing set to disturb this cosy set up is the arrival of Mr. Diawoo, whose new cars are available within the price range of the upwardly mobile young Libyans. This is having disastrous consequences. Suddenly at the controls of a car capable of 100 mph they naturally drive flat out and wrecks adorn the edges of the tarmac. A grim reminder that speed is not always a good idea if inexperienced.

Having negotiated the coast road we usually stay at Sabratha, a Roman site just west of Tripoli. This is a base to recuperate from the journey and drag the Archaeologists own 109 Station Wagon from its resting place of a year in a barn. The old wreck usually starts without much trouble, brakes are bled, levels checked and with amazement on all sides, its ready for the long haul south into the desert. It is at this point that most of us spare a though for those back in the UK. It is January, we have driven through terrible winter weather all the way through France, showers in Tunisia and now, five days later we are in perfect warm weather in Libya gazing out on the bluest of sea views under clear skies. We sit outside restaurants to eat in the evening. Chicken and cous cous is usually the only choice and where a nice bottle of red would go down a treat, we have to make do with Coke. This, above all, takes a bit of getting used to but we all agree we shall be healthier for it.

A meal in the sun washed down with warm Coke

Before heading into the desert we usually take a day trip to Tripoli an hour away to enjoy the last glimpse of civilisation for six weeks. Tripoli is a pretty smart city boasting such amenities as a Cyber Cafe to email home and an impressive museum and market. Coffee bars offer sophistication in Green Square where many English speaking locals are keen to practise their command of the World’s most useful language. They usually insist on paying for our coffees and urge us to write to them from England. It is embarrassingly difficult for a Libyan to obtain a visa to visit England and this subject is best avoided in conversation. After these few days of rest on the coast we are suitably charged for the journey south. By this time we have been joined by the rest of the group who flew into Tripoli direct from Gatwick. The culture shock for them somewhat greater than our gentle introduction. With two Land Rovers and a minibus all fully loaded we are ready for the departure South.

Next Month: Problems with the Series III