TRAVEL DISCOVERY - 5 Days in Libya, Africa's Most Dangerous Country.

Wonder Paths
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedA traveler and his wife explore Libya, discovering a stark contrast between the country's war-torn reputation and the genuine hospitality of its people. From the historical layers of Tripoli and the magnificent Roman ruins of Leptis Magna to the ancient oasis of Ghadames and Berber cave dwellings, the journey reveals a land of immense cultural richness, resilience, and untapped tourism potential.
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.
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,
because 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 time,
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 in.
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.
Fixing the cheap one?
Yeah.
As you can see now, it's 16 hours, 40 liters.
One dollar?
One dollar.
It's cheaper than water.
One dollar and 50 cents to fill up this entire huge minivan.
You know, we just filled up the whole car for one dollar and 50 cents.
Welcome to Tripoli, brother.
Finally, we are here in Tripoli.
Thank you.
Last time I was in Tripoli, I remember that 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 a little more open to these things.
Yeah, more open and more liberal.
Now we have about two years when the government started giving the tourist visa.
That's good.
Yes.
At all times, I'm escorted by these two police officers 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 longtime 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 Martyr 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 in 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 a lovely atmosphere as well.
So the UK is drastically different than Libya.
What's the pros and cons of living here?
Here, time.
You get more time because there's more sun.
Culture is nice.
People are friendly.
You know, most of the world, including 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.
Let's enter now to the old city.
Babe, do you feel dangerous?
Not at all.
You feel safe?
Yeah.
100%?
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.
My wife's from the Philippines.
You're from Philippines.
I'm French-Libyan.
I was born in Sweden.
I grew up in Norway.
So my name is Nizar Salah, surname Gaddafi.
You are welcome.
Nice to meet you, man.
Say hello to Trump, you know.
I'll tell him you said that.
So far, everyone's been really friendly, telling me hi.
Even if they don't speak English, they're giving me as 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.
Tip.
He said maybe you want a coffee or something.
Okay, I can't say no.
I will pay.
I have money.
I will pay.
I have money now.
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 drive by 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?
The worst part, there's not much foreigners in Libya,
and there's a lot of really nice places to visit.
It's the opposite of overrated.
It's less underrated.
Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
It's just so different from Iran.
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 has a total different vibe.
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 2,000-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 a sandstone here in Libya.
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.
This arch was here about 700 years before Islam came to Libya.
700 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 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 going to get stopped while 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,
The Ottomans bought it 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 long have these columns been here?
The Ottomans, they bought it here in 16th century.
16th 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 then 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 that'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.
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.
80% is done.
This is the shop?
To show her shop, yeah.
Hi, how are you?
Good, how are you?
Hello again.
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?
Oh, 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.
Is there anything you want to say to people?
No, really.
I have friends, foreign friends, ladies traveling along,
and from them I knew that Libya was the easiest place to be.
Really?
They don't nasty at all.
People are nice.
Very respectful.
Very respectful and very friendly.
As a foreigner, you're free to do whatever you want.
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, I get that.
But just, you know, as you respect a bit what there is.
And you never have any issues here?
People are respectful to you?
No, no, no.
That's amazing.
I also think that Libyan culture and Libyan society is very hospitable.
They're not aggressive.
Not aggressive.
But here, I mean, they are usually very friendly to foreigners even more.
Of course.
And they want to make sure we're safe and we're having a good time.
Yes, yes.
I just hope the situation is better.
Exactly.
Aggressivity or little wars that are happening from time to time.
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.
Hopefully, yes.
Inshallah.
Oh, inshallah.
Hopefully, it will be 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, inshallah.
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're 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.
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 water, you know.
But you know, the whole world is scared of Libya.
Yeah, everybody's scared of Libya.
I'll say, yeah, it's better than before.
For sure.
Deanna's 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.
You know a lot.
Not allowed?
It's the culture.
But is it like a law or it's like a...
Some places like snow here, like in the side to another city.
Yeah.
You can't see anywhere.
But she's here.
But they know she's a tourist, so it's fine.
Yeah, that's fine.
They don't care.
No, it's okay.
Interesting.
10, 20.
No, no, I got it.
No, no, I pay for you.
No, no, no, bro, bro, bro, bro.
Bro, get the **** out of here.
Why?
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 like a serious thing.
If I tried to pay, he would slap me in the face.
We were 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 bombs,
so we can have a nice good night 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,
your girl at 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.
So this was a church.
And then when Islam took over in the 9th century, it turned into a mosque.
You can see that graving there.
It's like a small cross.
Here we are at the Triglodite 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're digging out in the mountain and they share this house, one family together.
For example, the grandfather, the father and his sons, each one get married.
He get 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 little cave, the temperature immediately drops.
These walls are super thick.
It's the flag of Amazigh or Berber.
The blue mentioned 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-white means the blood that they gave to them 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 are here?
It has 600 chambers here.
So it's a refrigerator.
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 a comfortable life here because it's a small town in the mountains.
Are you proud to have this amazing landmark in your hometown?
Each family here has their own 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%, you know, that it's safe.
Like any other country in the whole world,
almost there's a 10% that something happened in the Kremlin.
But in general, it's completely safe.
I'm entering one of the security guy's 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.
Still people live in here now.
It's really nice in here.
Exploring all these cool places in Libya
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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, I'm 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.
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'd 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, they like fall off the bone.
And of course, we have bitter soda.
Never heard of this before.
Libyan thing?
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 there'd be thousands of tourists here.
But in Libya, the situation's 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's not a single tourist around.
We're 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 some future, maybe more than more.
How long did it take to build this place?
Many, many, many, many years.
You know, starting from nine years BC
until the last place, I think,
in the reign of elder son of Septimus Teflos,
Caracalla, you know Caracalla?
The son of Septimus Teflos, 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 some future, maybe.
Inshallah.
After exploring Leptis Magna,
we leave the coast behind
and head deep into the desert towards Gedames,
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.
You 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.
The TV here is a smartphone.
Not to be confused with Samsung.
What do you think about the quality of the beds?
It's not so good.
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're the only people in this hotel.
For the tiny amount of travelers who do make it to Libya,
Gadames is a must-see.
And I can't wait to explore the old town.
I'm introduced to an older man named Mohamed Ali,
who speaks perfect English and has a lot to say about his city.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Mohamed Ali, don't worry.
I'm Mohamed Ali.
Only the name.
Yeah, only the name.
Only the name.
She said, not the boxer, only the name.
If I came here 3,000 years ago to Gadames,
how different would the old city look to how it looks now?
But one, you've had crowds, a lot of people.
Everything the same.
Exactly the same.
The buildings, the same.
12,000 years old.
Here.
Because you grew up here.
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?
1982.
You speak English?
Yeah, sure, yeah.
You are from the Philippines?
Yes, Philippines.
How are you?
Good.
Diana.
Meet Diana.
Thank you.
How do you know that, sir?
This square, we use it for the ceremony, for the wedding.
When I'm going to marry, I have to make 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 Mohamed Ali with us,
Diana and I would be totally lost.
What is this for?
There is a hole to ensure the door.
Looks like another key.
Inside.
Inside, yeah.
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 decoration.
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 in holy place.
I was in Mecca, Hajji, you call him Hajji.
Oh, they've been to Mecca.
They've been to Mecca.
I went in 1990, yeah.
So, you are Hajji.
Exactly, yeah.
Why is there a consulate?
Yeah, exactly, yeah.
Because for making visa or something like that.
During the second war, 1943, this is a big air raid.
French-American air raid.
They're pumping here.
This one, still from 1943 until now.
The American and the French air raid,
they make a big fault.
They pump here inside the town.
A lot of people died.
And generally, the house looks like this one.
It's very bad, really.
It's from 1943.
This is a reminder of how old Gdansk is.
The buildings are just cracking.
You can 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, that is 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.
They look like gingerbread houses everywhere.
Look, there's goats.
Gdansk 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 Gdansk is one of the best.
And it's really cool because I get to be here
with my wife, Deanna.
Wait, I want you to see my fans.
Come on.
Hi, fans.
Look.
They all look at me.
Look.
Another day in the light in Libya.
This way.
Deanna.
Yes.
Do you remember this mural?
Yes.
For you.
Yes, I will.
It's for making sure you're beautiful.
Because you have to come to,
before you meet him,
you have to see your face in this mural
and you'll be in very good condition
and you'll meet your husband.
We're getting a cool home tour here
of a 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 the old town, yes.
I have been born there.
Do you like old city?
Yes, of course.
Can you tell us a story from when you were young?
Not story, history.
Oh, history.
Did you get married in the old city?
Yeah.
Yes, I have married there.
Did you have a party in your square?
Of course.
And then your wife had a party upstairs?
Yeah, yeah.
You have no kinder?
Our son.
That's our son.
Don't.
No, no.
Do you like America?
Yes.
Our country.
I love our country more than another 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 how that's possible.
This has been an incredible day here in Libya.
Gadames 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 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 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.
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 a settlement now.
Were you born in the old city or were you born in this new city?
I was born in the old city, 1975.
Okay, nice.
Old city.
Tell me about the life in Gadames
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.
This is very nice.
It's a nice city.
You can show a nice view there, like the sand there.
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?
We were in Tripoli.
It was amazing.
And in 2011, it was not good.
Before, it was not government.
Exactly.
No government.
Without government, as you said.
Exactly.
Thank you, man.
You are welcome.
Very nice of you.
Thank you so much.
How is 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.
Too cold?
Cold, yeah.
In winter, it's very cold.
Wintertime, wintertime, it's cold.
Maybe three under zero.
What?
I lift hair.
How old are you?
I am 74 years.
What?
Yeah, 74 years.
You look good.
You have a young face.
Young face.
How old are you?
Could you guess?
75.
70.
70, sorry, sorry.
So you grew up together?
Yeah, nearly.
Oh, that's so cool.
Only four years old between.
Are you sad that there's no people living in the old town anymore?
Like this, because now the life is changed.
So that we must live here.
But there is difficult.
What is the best thing about Gadames?
Rest.
The best thing here in Gadames.
It's really amazing that you are the last people to live in the old city.
Because now nobody lives there.
So that's amazing.
Like you have the experience of living there.
The first days for us are like this.
Like memories.
Yeah, every time we go there.
All of you grew up in the old city?
The same, all of you.
All of you.
I hope to you good luck.
Shukran.
Forever.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
Bye-bye, thank you so much.
Thank you.
Bye-bye, bye-bye.
I love when you say hello to someone.
It takes five minutes to say hi.
When you say hello to your friend, it's very genuine, very sweet, very nice.
Okay, where we go now?
Okay.
I'm following you.
Okay, Mr. Habib.
He's from Toreg, you know Toreg?
Toreg?
Yeah, exactly.
And so what's the difference between Toreg and Berber?
The language is different.
And are you from Gadames?
Of course, this area.
So you have a mix of culture here.
Really, Gadames mixed people together.
And now you have American and Filipino.
And American and Filipino.
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 war, peace.
No war, peace, exactly.
No problem.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you so much.
Nice to meet you.
Have a good day.
I feel like I'm walking around with the king of town.
Or 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 Gadames.
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 the Red Sox, man.
We are officially on the dunes now.
We're on the tip of the edge now going down.
You're not worried?
Holy ----.
Being pelted in the face with sand.
Look at that face.
He's ******* 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?
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.
