My new "office" is located in the outside patio area above the swimming pool and gardens of the "7 star" Corinthia hotel. Wonderful sea view overlooking Tripoli harbor to the north and the old city of Tripoli to the south. When a bomb hits or sustained gunfire erupts the office quickly moves just inside the glassed in restaurant which features the ONLY "hot' electric plug among the more than 6000 currently dead ones in this hotel. Nobody knows when the hotel generator will crash ending the last of the wattage here and exhausting laptop and mobile phone batteries.
The inside of the hotel is sweltering having had no A/C for more than 48 hours. Wanting some fresh air, I prop open a door to the former Japanese Sushi Bar on the outside patio, but Miss Lorraine, the hotel manager, scolds me. "You bloody American", she seethed at me yesterday. "First your bloody government brings NATO to bomb us to pieces and now you fill my hotel with birds! Damn all of you!"
It's true that Lorraine sometimes gets a little upset when a bomb goes off and some of the birds from the hotel garden fly into the hotel's two level grand lobby complete with lots of plants and palm trees where the poor frightened birds seek safety. They seem to like it inside our hotel.
Concerning the outdoor hotel garden, for some reason the garden lights are always on (last night the only ones in all of north Tripoli that I could see) and the garden fountains continue pumping which of course uses up quite valuable generator fuel oil. Lorraine laments: "As you know Mr. Lamb, the staff has abandoned me and I don't know where the switch is--I would be ever so grateful if you could find it. I think it's out there in the garden somewhere, and turn it off. Really I would!" Well, I did find the switch, turned off the fountains and the garden lights and Lorraine suddenly likes me again. Would that all women were so easy to please.
Yesterday one of the few staff people around here offered me the leaders framed picture (way too big to transport!) and a green flag that had been removed from outside the hotel's main entrance. Miss Lorraine became distressed because she thought if I was caught with a green flag I could be in trouble. So as not to cause her more stress I declined with the knowledge that I already have a few packed away as gifts for friends.
The green flags and the gold frame picture of Gaddafi that were removed two nights ago suddenly returned overnight. There had been a heated discussion by remaining senior hotel management staff-- numbering two it appears-- about the wisdom of removing them. For now they are back where they were.
9:25 a.m. Two NATO bombs blast nearby. Three "security guys" from resting on a lobby couch run outside to see what happened. More birds come in and I again move my table away from the patio door.
9:43 a.m. Anti-aircraft gun fire hits the side of the hotel chipping the concrete siding near the garden entrance so I move one flight downstairs to the lobby.
10:20 a.m. A very long convoy of 237 rebel pickups, some with mounted anti-aircraft guns and filled with young fighters with RPG's and AK-47's and heavier guns, pass within 100 yards of me and the hotel balcony above the swimming pool and the seaside road-- driving east along the sea front. They passed in front of the Marriott and Bab al Bahar ("gate to the sea") hotel complex of five tall buildings, apparently unaware that yesterday at about the same time 22 truckloads of government troops turned right into that same complex and at least some of them went underground. Last night there was gunfire from the government troop location but as of this moment the government troops are undiscovered (if they did not redeploy overnight) and did not fire on the passing rebel convoy although the rebels slow moving convoy must have presented an attractive target. Again one wonders if the government's troops are laying an elaborate trap for their enemies or if they have decided to sit out this phase and wait to learn whether Gaddafi's regime can hang on. Of if they even exist in significant numbers.
The three "battle hardened journalists" who just arrived at this hotel are debating if the rebel's convoy was in retreat or was advancing. My own two cents worth is that they were advancing toward the Bab al Azizya ("splendid gate") Gaddafi barracks which as of this morning NATO has bombed a reported 144 times. I base my view on the serious looks on the rebel's faces, their evident adrenalin, the fact that their advance is slow and fairly ordered including five ambulances bringing up the rear and the fact that some of them seem to be checking their weapons and ammunition belts as if preparing for a firefight. Some fighters eye us sternly seemingly unsure whether we are friend or foe. We wave at them and some wave back. However, moments later we hear gunfire from our rear and it appears that someone is firing at us thinking we are supporting the rebels. Kim and I duck into the hotel foyer but he goes back out.
10:40 a.m. heavy gunfire is heard from the direction of Bab al Azizia Kaddafi barracks.
10:55 a.m . 20 minutes of heavy small arms and mortar rounds erupt and appear to be fired toward Gaddafi's compound. Maybe it is from the rebel's convoy that just past but the three battles hardened journalists, including the UK Independent's Kim, who I have joined up with for the time being, are debating the subject. Very close AK-47 gunfire. We come back inside.
12:35 p.m. two "rebel representatives" arrived at the main entrance of our hotel and caused a stir inside the lobby at the front desk. This hotel has zero security now, the last two uniformed security guys left early yesterday. The two "rebel" guys offered protection for the handful of us here. There was shouting as the front desk guys refused their offer. Eventually the "rebels" left. The hotel guys said the visitors were indeed local rebel "criminals" and that they had come to loot the hotel and not to protect it. However, there are exactly 8 rooms currently being occupied and one of the journalist's claims he was already robbed on route from Zawiyeh yesterday just in front of the hotel. His laptop and his cash were stolen. Front desk hotel staff claims that today the "rebels" stole one car, tried but failed to hot wire two others, and stole ten computers from the hotel office. They also reportedly set up a rebel checkpoint at Gate Two outside our hotel and replaced the green flags with rebel tricolors. I declined to go check.
The AP's man, Martin, who also arrived yesterday, just told me that the rebels now control the North Tripoli port area where our hotel is situated. My thoughts move to the 22 truckloads of government fighters who I saw disappear yesterday morning among the seaside hotels near our hotel. Meanwhile, the UK Independent's men Kim reported that visas are no longer required to enter Libya from Tunisia.
12:50 p.m. a shorter convoy of 47 rebel vehicles passed the hotel. Maybe part of the earlier group on a victory lap or just patrolling or flaunting their control or perhaps it was a new group. They did not appear in a hurry or very anxious. We photographed them without their objection as they waved and drove into West Tripoli.
1:30 p.m . three rockets hit near what appears to be Bab al Azizia. Heavy gunfire and two more rockets or mortars follow. AP's Martin and the Independent's Kim go out to look. Two more mortars appear to hit in the direction of Bab al Azizia. Kim reported that for some reason no one seems to need a visa to enter now from Jerba, Tunisia and he also thinks that perhaps the Kaddafi regime may have set a trap and will close it when his forces see the whites of rebel's eyes.
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