Austrian presence at Libya Build

Libya Build is by far the most professinal fair of the country.It is a pitty it is limited to the construction industry.
Austria wanted to participate at this fair already in 2011 , but then a small revolution came in between. However, this year we managed to motivate 16 companies to come to Libya and exhibit their products in hope for future business. Already three days before the fair opened, our pavillion was ready. To the complete surprise of my colleagues from Vienna.
So there we are, at Libya Build 2013. Very nicely located in hall number one, just some meters away from the main entrance.
We even brought famous "Johann Strauss", the father of Austrian Waltz, with us. Some people stop and ask who the guy is. Some even wnt to know if we still met him (the answer is "no", we are all, even together, to young for that).
If you are interested beforehand which Austrian companies are present, please visit the online catalogue under http://www.advantageaustria.org/ly/events/libya_build_2013.en.html

Ahlan wa sahlan !

"Zintan is problem"

One of the rare times when I heard "mushkila" (problem) without the "mafish" (not) as a prefix, happened when I wanted to go from Wamis (Northwest of Mizdah) towards Zintan. According to my various maps there should be a road, and also the mountains of Zintan could easily be seen. But the people from Wamis (from the tribe of the Mashashias) told us various times "Zintan mushkila",  and explaining later on that they had just, a couple of days ago, exchanged some bullets, rockets and alike.
So it was not very wise to use the road from Wamis to Zintan, as the people from Zintan could take our car as belonging to Wamis. They would not hesitate shooting at it.
I believed the people from Wamis and thanked them for their friendly advise. Before leaving they still showed  us the highlight of their town, namely a collection of recent leftovers...

Excursion to Gharian

One can not really say  that the surrounding of Tripoli is boring. Totally the contrary. Just that fr many foreigners security restrictions hinder them to visit spots such as, for example, Gharian. The first town up in the mountains (Jebel Nafusa) offers astonishing views northwards, direction Tripoli, and sometimes when the sky is cool and clear, even up to the sea.
But also the "Friday Market" is well worth a visit. Very colourful, authentic and you can even by falcons.
well, at least this is what I thought. However, a friend when I showed him the picture, said it was rather a pigeon. But no doubt this is something wilder than a pigeon. And for 30 Libyan Dinars it could be yours.

Wadi ZemZem

 Quite hidden in the middle of nowhere (actually between Misrata and Beni Walid) lies the Wadi ZemZem. AIt is a wadi that had been cultivated since many centuries. One can see a lot of agricultural activity and also some activity that happened after the revolution:
It was here, that Saif Al-Islam and his convoy got hit by NATO when he tried to flee from Beni Walid. Thus it was also the place where he allegedly lost his fingers. If you look carefully while driving through the valley, you cannot miss the remainders of the convoy.

Mittagsjournal vom 7.Mai zur Lage in Libyen

Für meine deutschsprachige Leserschaft wieder etwas zur wirtschaftlichen Bildung:
Mittagsjournal Beitrag vom 7.Mai, mit einem Interview mit mir

Mittagsjournal vom 7.Mai

A Trip to Tunisia

Djerba: only 300 kms from Tripoli away, used to be a favourite weekend spot for foreigners in Tripoli. Driving time was somewhere between 3hrs (my personal record is 2:55) and 5hrs. Depending how traffic was and, more important, how long border control took you. Especially the latter has become a nightmare. My last trip dates back two weeks and was supposed to be a relaxing golf weekend.
First the positive news: On the libyan part of the road, many road checkpoints have disappeared, or have been converted into real military, police or customs checkpoints. Gone are the days were you were stopped by young guys with flip-flops, a t-shirt and a kalashnikov. Now all the guys are uniformed and look like they belonged to a government force.
However, arriving at the border, mayhem starts. On the libyan side, still everything ok, except for the fact that Tunisian cars line up for hundreds of meters. Arriving in the "noman´s land" only the stronger survives: a potpourri of trucks, drivers, passengers all try to get through a gate on the Tunisian side where only one car a time passes. Of course there are cars and trucks that try to get there from positions you would not have imagined a car could go there.
Oh, yes, it is funny to observe and listen to the officials on the Libyan side of the border, blaming the Tunisians for the big mess, and telling me that they are a weird type of nation, and hearing the same stuff about the Libyans on the other side of the border. I still try to figure out who is right.
After one has passed Tunisian customs and immigration control, the slow trip (due to heavy traffic) towards the island continues. If you are lucky, you reach, as I did, Djerba after six hours.

Morgenjournal im ORF Ö1

Ein Überraschungsanruf von Fabio Polly von der Auslandsredaktion vom ORF Radio, und schon landet man um 7.00 im Morgenjournal.
Verpasst ?
Kein Problem, die Radiothek macht es möglich:

http://oe1.orf.at/artikel/338939