I'm at the offices of a major Libyan newspaper where journalists are watching re-runs of Gaddafi's last "zanga-zanga" televised speech, chanting along with him and then bursting into laughter.

Security tight in Benghazi

just arrived in Benghazi, where life seems to be completely normal. Except almost every major building has revolutionary graffiti. Flags are hoisted as well as tanks on roundabouts with children climbing over them and playing.

All over Benghazi pictures of Gaddafi have been ripped out and replaced with graffiti calling him a traitor. People say Benghazi is where all poiltical movements in LIbya start and they prevail whether or not they reach Tripoli. But they stress that Tripoli is the capital and that the country could collapse without it since the whole country’s economy depends so heavily on it.

People admit in private conversation that with Tripoli being disconnected the entire country is being choked. Such is the dependence of the national economy on the capital.

A journalist I spoke to said there is a lot of excitement about the revolution now but its only a matter of time until it sinks in that the economic situation is dire. “Tripoli needs to fall,” he said. “It needs to fall now.”

Government offices are already choked because of lack of funds and it is only a matter of time untl the private sector is choked as well, says the journalist. Libyans say theres an unprecedented sense of unity among the people.

One man tells me: “the black Libyan hat is worn in the west and the red one is worn in the east. Previously if someone wore a black one in the east people would tell him off. But now, as you can see there are many wearing the black hat in Benghazi.”

The slogans in Libya are very similar to those I saw in Egypt, despite the differences in the regimes. In Egypt there were slogans calling Mubarak an “agent” and simliarly here there are signs calling Gaddafi a “traitor”.

At Benghazi port there is strict security. The entrances are manned by former soldiers who say they are volunteering and don’t get paid. A man in full military uniform says he takes his orders from the new interim "peoples' government" led by former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul Jalil.

"It doesnt matter if this government has credibility or authority to rule over us," he says. "This is all we have now and for now we need to put our support behind it. We'll deal with issues of credibility when the situation calms down."

He said he used to be in the military in the 80's. Asked where he got his military uniform from he said he was borrowing it from his younger brother.

Gaddafi's home ransacked

14:15 Gulf News has uncovered a ransacked summer home of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the mountains of Eastern Libya.

By Abbas Al Lawati, Reporting from Libya

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Libyan Diary: Blog by Abbas Al Lawati