So i’m back after a lull due to work commitments and the mental burnout caused by the ongoing Libya/Syria situation.

I was on vacation in June. Our party went into an upscale venue and we ordered two bottles of Prosecco (Sparkling wine with the most expensive bottle normally retailing at £25). We were hit with a £200 tab. Ripoff! But our stiff protest and arguments were brushed off by the staff and manager. Our revenge? Going online and giving the place bad reviews wherever it was publicly listed.

That got me wondering about what reviews Tripoli’s Rixos Hotel was getting, if any. The Rixos is famous for being the (mandatory) hotel-of-choice where all foreign journalists were based when Gaddafi was still in control. I gotta tell you, some of these reviews were seriously funny. I had no way of knowing whether they were truly written by journalists or some jokers, but whatever! I do enjoy a good sense of humour/sarcasm/cynicism.

Even the Queen of Tripoli and Sky TV journalist Alex Crawford has joined into this online fun (it might as well be an impostor which would make it even better since helpless BBC journalist Mathew Price is also listed as a reviewer). Here’s what Crawford had to say

"Once in a Lifetime Holiday"

OK! Verging on funny but not quite yet. How about this one by none other than Sayf-al-Islam al-Gaddafi?

"This Hotel is Endorsed by William Shatner"

But wait… There is more and my personal favourite: Even the man himself reviewed this Tripoli gem. Yes, in the midst of all his worries, Col Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi found the time to review The Rixos. (PS: Among the dozens of transliterations, Gay Daffy seems to be the Colonel’s official spelling)

"My Son Was Parked Outside in his Armoured Car"

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