"I will go to Ajdabiya this afternoon in my car. You should come". It had been my strong desire, as always, to cross the country only by bicycle. But Ajdabiya was only 150km away and it was saving me a day on the visa. I also somehow felt indebted to Ahmed and an invitation and chance to stay with a Libyan family seemed too good an opportunity to turn down. There was however one vital piece of information Ahmed only decided to tell me when I was loading my bike and bags into his car and driving back to his house to collect his wife and three baby daughters.
"If my wife suddenly starts crying in the house please don't be worried. Her brother died yesterday and she doesn't know yet".
I'd just finished a sweet cup of mint tea and slice of chocolate cake in Ahmed's guest room when there was an almighty scream from the kitchen. There then followed an un-human like wailing sound as Ahmed, leaving wife in the kitchen, returned to the guest room, face covered in sweat and said "Lets go".