Monday 11th October
After breakfast, went for a long long walk. Aya Sofia, the most famous mosque, is closed on Mondays so went straight to Sultan Ahmet mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles inside. It has 6 minarets, as opposed to the usual 4, and was built between 1606 and 1616. I had a walk around the courtyard, then joined the masses, put my shoes in a bag and headed inside.
For some reason i had not been expecting much so was quite taken aback as i entered and saw the beautiful inside of the mosque; a low square chandelier (probably not original), the stained glass windows, the decorated dome and the tiles, and the size were amazing. Half of the inside is set aside for the locals to pray so it was quite a close fit with so many visitors. I had a good look around, mostly looking up to the walls and ceiling. Very impressed.
I came back to the hostel to put my shorts on (had pants/trousers on for the mosque) then followed the LP walking tour for an hour or so which ended up near the impressive University entrance. Around the side of the Uni were some cobbled streets and I had a sweet deep-fried sugary stick thing that I dont know the name of.
Then I put the LP away and headed towards the water and found myself in the Russian / Central Asian quarter. Many shops signs were in Russian and there were international call centres with only Central Asian call charges listed. This area felt very local and i was glad i stumbled across it. Lots of washing hanging over the street; must be washing day now the sun has come out after 3 days of rain. This was in the districts of Kumkapi and Kadirga.
Got my bearings again with LP and went into a small shop selling kofte, which to me is normally meatballs. But this was different from what i had seen before. He has a big bowl of what looked like paste, and a sauce that looked spicy. He rolled it with some lettuce into a wrap (they call it a sandvich). Anyway, it was delicious. It actually had the taste, heat and texture of Pataks tandoori paste, which is not something you would normally eat out-of-the-jar with lettuce and bread.
Anyway, the kofte guy only spoke English so i got him to write down what is was so i could check later - cig kofte. I got back to the hostel and looked it up online, and in the LP, and it turns out to be raw ground lamb mixed with pounded bulgar (a form of wheat) onion, clove, cinammon, salt and hot black pepper. To be honest if i had known it was raw meat I probably wouldnt have eaten in case i got sick, but glad i did cos it was one of the best things i have eaten on the trip.
This afternoon i walked down to the water again; there were fewer fishermen today of course but still quite a few. I walked about 4kms, past Galata and Ataturk bridges up to Halic Bridge which is also a major highway. I wanted to stand on that bridge to get a view back to the city. When i got underneath the bridge there was a set of stone steps that snaked up to the bridge deck. The steps looked like the sort of steps where drug addicts might loiter, and had lots of graffiti and trash, and I might have turned around but for the police presence across the road at some kind of police station. There were maybe 70 steps up.
Once I got to the top I freaked out a bit because there was only a knee-high barrier between me and the rushing traffic on my left, and a a waist-high railing between me and a 50 metre drop into the water, and the impact of the traffic was making the bridge bounce. I knew I was being a bit irrational but felt pretty uncomfortable up there.
Anyway, got the view and pix I wanted (well they're not great, but nevermind) and descended on the other side. I headed back towards the city sights, not quite sure where I was going but following the water; not many tourists over there! After an hour or so, past all the hardware stores (Husquarva chainsaw, anyone?) I suddenly popped out in familiar territory, next to the Galata Bridge, exactly as planned!?
Had a look round the small fish market. The fish are so fresh, you can see people fishing all day, and some are still bobbing around in the plastic bowls. I headed back over the bridge towards the bazaar and Sultanahmet and the hostel, enjoying the early evening atmosphere again. The forecast is for rain for the next few days which is why i wanted to get out and see a lot today; it might be my last chance.
There are alot of stray cats in Istanbul. Not suprising given how popular fish is here and the amount of scraps they can find. And the locals seem to be friendly towards them. I saw a cat this morning with a damaged front paw, poor thing was limping quite badly. What can you do?
Tuesday
Chat over breakfast with Aussie guy, recommending Berlin, as did Aussie couple in the room. Popped out to get cig kofte again, otherwise just surfing, listening to Radio. Kebab sandwich for dinner and watched England 0 Montenegro 0 on the net. Same old nonsense.
Wednesday
Overslept so missed breakfast so stayed in bed. Burger King for afternoon tea. Skyped with Mum and Dad.
Thursday 14th October
Decided I should finally head to Aya Sofia. I have been leaving it as something to do during this long week. Only a short queue. As you walk through the entrance, the first thing you notice is the enormity of this 'museum', and the height and size of the main dome. It was originally built as a church in 537 by Emperor Justinian and was the greatest church until around 1450 when the Ottomans took over and converted it to a mosque. Ataturk then proclained it a museum in 1935.I don't know much about architecture but it was amazing to think that someone designed and built it so long ago. It looks old too, which is good, lots of the paint has come off and it has some dark spaces. You go up to the gallery to see some large christian mosaics from the 12th century. It wasnt too busy so i took my time and appreciated the vastness and grandeur of this old monument.
Went for another walk down to the Galata Bridge and back, probably for the last time. It started to rain again.
Friday 15th October
Rain again. Breakfast, listening to Chris Moyles, Cig kofte, listening to Radio5.
15.10.10
12.10.10
out and about in Istanbul
Friday 8th October
Well it pretty much rained all day, and some thunder and lightning, so stayed in and around bed until mid-afternoon. No-one else staying in the basement, though the tabby cat wanders by now and again. Its like having my own big bedroom. Popped out across the road for an apple and a banana and got soaked. At 3:30 got organised and got the tram as far as Galata Bridge, then walked under the bridge, right next to the water. Paused in the squal to look at the rough water and the bobbing boats, and the mosques surrounded by grey rainclouds. A good moment.
Onto the fenicular to Beyoglu and up Istikal street, past the posh shops to Taksim square and off to Cumhuriyet Street to the Indian embassy. There was quite a queue and they let you in one by one, which adds to the tension if you have some nagging doubt that there might be a problem with your visa, but it was fine. My visa runs until March 8th, which is pretty much what I hoped for.Had a quick look around some side streets, then waited for Gulay at our arranged point. Gulay, my Turkish friend who also lives in Sydney, got stuck in traffic so i was able to people watch for quite a while which was cool. Its a very busy street and people were rushing around trying to avoid the wind and the rain; lots of broken umbrellas.
We met up with Gulay's friend, Meral, and went to a small bar, owned by another friend. Then we moved on to a small bar/cafe and watched the football; unfortunately Germany beat Turkey 3-0. Afterwards, I walked for about a mile in the rain, only to find there was no public transport after midnight, and the rain was lashing down and the water was upto my ankles. But soon after got a taxi home. All good.
Saturday 9th October
Stayed in the hostel. Wet and windy all day....
Sunday 10th October.
Spent the morning listening to podcasts and surfing the web. Then saw that they have changed the forecast for this week from sunny to heavy rain so thought I better get out and about while its not too bad today. Walked through Sultanahmet and down to the shore. Lovely view across the harbour, lots of local guys fishing and one crazy old guy swimming.
Along path under Galata bridge and kept walking along the shoreline to Karakoy, Kabatas, Besiktas and Ortakoy, where there was a small concert, for Breast Cancer awareness i think. Got a chicken and cheese and pepper sandwich which was glorious after the dull kebabs of recent days. Wandered round the back roads, past Besiktas stadium and up to Taksim Square, lots of riot police hanging around. Istanbul has had its fair share of terrorism in the past, so its not surprising. Walked down the famous Istiklal street again and it was absolutley packed with Sunday shoppers, and tourists. Walked all the way down to the shore, rather than taking the fenuicular. Walked through the park to look at Sultan Ahmet mosque at dusk.
Well it pretty much rained all day, and some thunder and lightning, so stayed in and around bed until mid-afternoon. No-one else staying in the basement, though the tabby cat wanders by now and again. Its like having my own big bedroom. Popped out across the road for an apple and a banana and got soaked. At 3:30 got organised and got the tram as far as Galata Bridge, then walked under the bridge, right next to the water. Paused in the squal to look at the rough water and the bobbing boats, and the mosques surrounded by grey rainclouds. A good moment.
Onto the fenicular to Beyoglu and up Istikal street, past the posh shops to Taksim square and off to Cumhuriyet Street to the Indian embassy. There was quite a queue and they let you in one by one, which adds to the tension if you have some nagging doubt that there might be a problem with your visa, but it was fine. My visa runs until March 8th, which is pretty much what I hoped for.Had a quick look around some side streets, then waited for Gulay at our arranged point. Gulay, my Turkish friend who also lives in Sydney, got stuck in traffic so i was able to people watch for quite a while which was cool. Its a very busy street and people were rushing around trying to avoid the wind and the rain; lots of broken umbrellas.
We met up with Gulay's friend, Meral, and went to a small bar, owned by another friend. Then we moved on to a small bar/cafe and watched the football; unfortunately Germany beat Turkey 3-0. Afterwards, I walked for about a mile in the rain, only to find there was no public transport after midnight, and the rain was lashing down and the water was upto my ankles. But soon after got a taxi home. All good.
Saturday 9th October
Stayed in the hostel. Wet and windy all day....
Sunday 10th October.
Spent the morning listening to podcasts and surfing the web. Then saw that they have changed the forecast for this week from sunny to heavy rain so thought I better get out and about while its not too bad today. Walked through Sultanahmet and down to the shore. Lovely view across the harbour, lots of local guys fishing and one crazy old guy swimming.
Along path under Galata bridge and kept walking along the shoreline to Karakoy, Kabatas, Besiktas and Ortakoy, where there was a small concert, for Breast Cancer awareness i think. Got a chicken and cheese and pepper sandwich which was glorious after the dull kebabs of recent days. Wandered round the back roads, past Besiktas stadium and up to Taksim Square, lots of riot police hanging around. Istanbul has had its fair share of terrorism in the past, so its not surprising. Walked down the famous Istiklal street again and it was absolutley packed with Sunday shoppers, and tourists. Walked all the way down to the shore, rather than taking the fenuicular. Walked through the park to look at Sultan Ahmet mosque at dusk.
7.10.10
Istanbul
Monday 4th October
Would have loved to have slept in, having not slept much the last two nights, but things to do. Got my docos together and went to the UK embassy to get a Letter of recommendation, or something, from them for the Indian Embassy, for my Indian visa. Cost over $100. Then off to the Indian emabssy. There was hardly a queue and by 10am i was out of there, Fingers crossed i can collect it on Friday.
Back to the hostel, where Andrew had just got up. We had kebab for early lunch and a wander around the spice market. Neither of us feel like doing too much after a busy couple of weeks. And i am here for another 12 days so i can do my sightseeing when Andrew has gone home. 12 days? Well i thought it would take longer to get the visa sorted so booked my flight accordingly. Nevermind. All good, just sat around surfing. We sat on the hostel roof this arvo overlooking the Bosphorous; an excellent view, blue skies and the sun shining. Its chilly here, alot different from two weeks ago.
Tuesday 5th October
Not much to say really. Slept in late, then went to Macca's for lunch, Andrew's choice, as opposed to my choice of Burger King yesterday; its the only cheap food around except Kebabs of which i have eaten too many in the last couple of months. We had a quick look around the outside of the Blue Mosque. Will have a proper look another day, plus you have to wear long pants. Our bunk is in the hostel basement with 10 other bunks. No wallpaper or even plaster, just the bricks and mortar and some Egyptian art, and Native American arrows on the wall. So, its got character. Its peaceful and clean here and i negotiated a long stay rate with the manager.
Wednesday 6th October
Another long lazy day, by choice. As I say, Andrew isnt fussed about the sights so i will do them by myself next week. So today, i got up for the free breakfast, chatted to an Aussie couple, had a lie down while we waited for the power, and therefore the router, to come back on and surfed until lunchtime. Went out for a kebab and came back for more surfing. The joy of free wi-fi. We just went out to watch the baseball in the pub, Andrew's choice, but it wasnt on, despite the poster outside. So grabbed another kebab and came back. Its drizzling and cold so good for staying in.
Thursday 7th October.
Up for breakfast,despite warm bed and cool surroundings. Said goodbye to Andrew as he returns to Canada today. That makes me the last Af Trailer to leave Istanbul, and the first time I have been 'travelling', or in this case staying in the same place, by myself since Barcelona last November.
This morning I went to Topkapi Palace, one of the main sights of Istanbul. And it was good for 3 hours of wandering around. It was very busy in places and it was a bit of a crush and like being herded sheep. Also you were not allowed to take photos of any of the old artifacts. I managed without the audio guide and just used my LP to get around.
The palace was first lived in in 1453 and was home for the Ottoman Sultans until 1839. Highlights included some old Ottoman carriages, The Imperial Chamber where the council would meet to dicsuss imperial affairs while the Sultan listened in from behind a grille (why wasn't he invited in if he is the Big Cheese?). There were aso some imperial robes, kaftans and uniforms on display. The kaftans (cloaks) were so big you could have got a small family into one, nevermind one Sultan. They also had some of Prophet Mohammed's hair, his tooth and his sword, as well as lots of information about his life.
And there was a man seated near the exit of one of the rooms and he was, i think, making the call to prayer, or he might have been reciting the Koran. I guess i should have asked him, but it would have been rude to interrupt. But having heard the call to prayer so often in the last few months it was good to actually see a face behind the voice.
Other treasures included huge gold and diamond candlesticks, the Spoonmaker's diamond which is 86 carats and the fifth biggest diamond in the world, and the Topkapi dagger which features 3 enormous emeralds. A gaggle of Italian ladies were practically drooling over the ancient jewellery box that was stuffed with huge emeralds. Just after observing this i noticed they had pinned me into a corner of the room when i had been trying to just stay in the middle of the room, look over people's shoulders and avoid the herding.
The outside courtyard had a lots more room. There were good views of the Bosphorous and the mosques and bridges of the city. Three other pavillions, built at different times, are joined by a marble terrace, and outside and inside they have lovely tiled walls and patterned domes inside.
Well i have plenty of time on my hands while i wait for my Indian visa. Will upload some pix to facebook.
Would have loved to have slept in, having not slept much the last two nights, but things to do. Got my docos together and went to the UK embassy to get a Letter of recommendation, or something, from them for the Indian Embassy, for my Indian visa. Cost over $100. Then off to the Indian emabssy. There was hardly a queue and by 10am i was out of there, Fingers crossed i can collect it on Friday.
Back to the hostel, where Andrew had just got up. We had kebab for early lunch and a wander around the spice market. Neither of us feel like doing too much after a busy couple of weeks. And i am here for another 12 days so i can do my sightseeing when Andrew has gone home. 12 days? Well i thought it would take longer to get the visa sorted so booked my flight accordingly. Nevermind. All good, just sat around surfing. We sat on the hostel roof this arvo overlooking the Bosphorous; an excellent view, blue skies and the sun shining. Its chilly here, alot different from two weeks ago.
Tuesday 5th October
Not much to say really. Slept in late, then went to Macca's for lunch, Andrew's choice, as opposed to my choice of Burger King yesterday; its the only cheap food around except Kebabs of which i have eaten too many in the last couple of months. We had a quick look around the outside of the Blue Mosque. Will have a proper look another day, plus you have to wear long pants. Our bunk is in the hostel basement with 10 other bunks. No wallpaper or even plaster, just the bricks and mortar and some Egyptian art, and Native American arrows on the wall. So, its got character. Its peaceful and clean here and i negotiated a long stay rate with the manager.
Wednesday 6th October
Another long lazy day, by choice. As I say, Andrew isnt fussed about the sights so i will do them by myself next week. So today, i got up for the free breakfast, chatted to an Aussie couple, had a lie down while we waited for the power, and therefore the router, to come back on and surfed until lunchtime. Went out for a kebab and came back for more surfing. The joy of free wi-fi. We just went out to watch the baseball in the pub, Andrew's choice, but it wasnt on, despite the poster outside. So grabbed another kebab and came back. Its drizzling and cold so good for staying in.
Thursday 7th October.
Up for breakfast,despite warm bed and cool surroundings. Said goodbye to Andrew as he returns to Canada today. That makes me the last Af Trailer to leave Istanbul, and the first time I have been 'travelling', or in this case staying in the same place, by myself since Barcelona last November.
This morning I went to Topkapi Palace, one of the main sights of Istanbul. And it was good for 3 hours of wandering around. It was very busy in places and it was a bit of a crush and like being herded sheep. Also you were not allowed to take photos of any of the old artifacts. I managed without the audio guide and just used my LP to get around.
The palace was first lived in in 1453 and was home for the Ottoman Sultans until 1839. Highlights included some old Ottoman carriages, The Imperial Chamber where the council would meet to dicsuss imperial affairs while the Sultan listened in from behind a grille (why wasn't he invited in if he is the Big Cheese?). There were aso some imperial robes, kaftans and uniforms on display. The kaftans (cloaks) were so big you could have got a small family into one, nevermind one Sultan. They also had some of Prophet Mohammed's hair, his tooth and his sword, as well as lots of information about his life.
And there was a man seated near the exit of one of the rooms and he was, i think, making the call to prayer, or he might have been reciting the Koran. I guess i should have asked him, but it would have been rude to interrupt. But having heard the call to prayer so often in the last few months it was good to actually see a face behind the voice.
Other treasures included huge gold and diamond candlesticks, the Spoonmaker's diamond which is 86 carats and the fifth biggest diamond in the world, and the Topkapi dagger which features 3 enormous emeralds. A gaggle of Italian ladies were practically drooling over the ancient jewellery box that was stuffed with huge emeralds. Just after observing this i noticed they had pinned me into a corner of the room when i had been trying to just stay in the middle of the room, look over people's shoulders and avoid the herding.
The outside courtyard had a lots more room. There were good views of the Bosphorous and the mosques and bridges of the city. Three other pavillions, built at different times, are joined by a marble terrace, and outside and inside they have lovely tiled walls and patterned domes inside.
Well i have plenty of time on my hands while i wait for my Indian visa. Will upload some pix to facebook.
4.10.10
Dohuk to Istanbul
Friday 1st October
October already. I realised I had left my 'hunting' knife/fork/spoon set in the taxi yesterday. Its very useful and was a gift from Monty so wanted to get it back. Tried to communicate this to the staff at the hotel since they know the taxi driver. They went away and brought me a plate and fork! After a bit more sign language and another hotel guest's English, they called the driver and he brought it round about half an hour later.
We got a taxi to the garage and waited about 20 mintues for two more people for the shared taxi to Dohuk; that is the longest we have had to wait. This taxi driver was actually quite sensible and we could relax; there were also fewer cars on the road cos its Friday, Islam's holy day. We switched taxis about 50kms out of Dohuk and they delivered us right to the hotel. Dohuk was quiet.
This evening we went to Dream City which is an amusement park about 1km out of town, complete with rollercoaster, ferris wheel, bumper cars and games arcade. Groups of young men, and young women, but not together because thats not really allowed. As often happens, quite a few guys have come up to chat with us, which is good. We sat on the grass and watched the Crazy Disco' which was a sit-down spinning wheel thing. Booming Kurdish/dance music, flashing lights and dry ice. A very entertaining evening.
Saturday 2nd October
After a bit of internet, shopping and a hamburger and chickpea greasy soup for breakfast, we got a taxi from Dohuk to Zahko, for the border crossing back to Turkey. The valley looked great in the clear blue skies. We first had to hand in our passports and get a stamp out of Iraqi Kurdistan. Then after a while, into a share taxi with two Turkish guys. When we got towards the Turkish customs there was a long queue of cars and we had to wait around for maybe two hours which was frustrating; even our taxi driver seemed surprised. They only had a cursory check of our bags. Eventually we got stamped into Turkey, using multiple entry visa from before.
The driver took us as far Cizre, which was great, further than we had expected to go. We considered our options, but since we both felt we had seen enough sights in southern Turkey we decided to head for Istanbul ASAP. At least 24 hours. We waited for 3 hours and then got on the bus at 7pm. At one stop we were surrounded by 8 or 9 young teenagers. They were just curious and laughing at and with us. Cheeky ones ran onto the bus to steal cartons of water, no one seemed to care.
Sunday 3rd October
I couldnt really get to sleep, until about 2:30am. Then we had to change bus at 530am, and get on another at 9am which was a bit grim. But the scenery today has been great, and they have screens on the back of the seats, so been watching MTV this afternoon, mainly Depeche Mode montage. And they give you cake and coffee or cola. We stopped at the bus station in Ankara, and from what I saw, it looked nice. Clean.
We got caught in some heavy traffic and rain around 7pm so we didnt get to Istanbul until 12:30am, lots of stops on the way. But, fair play, the same bus company puts on free shuttles to certain parts of the city, so we got that so far and then a taxi to Sultanahmet, to the hostel we stayed at before. So it took us 38 hours to get from Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan to Istanbul. Phew.
October already. I realised I had left my 'hunting' knife/fork/spoon set in the taxi yesterday. Its very useful and was a gift from Monty so wanted to get it back. Tried to communicate this to the staff at the hotel since they know the taxi driver. They went away and brought me a plate and fork! After a bit more sign language and another hotel guest's English, they called the driver and he brought it round about half an hour later.
We got a taxi to the garage and waited about 20 mintues for two more people for the shared taxi to Dohuk; that is the longest we have had to wait. This taxi driver was actually quite sensible and we could relax; there were also fewer cars on the road cos its Friday, Islam's holy day. We switched taxis about 50kms out of Dohuk and they delivered us right to the hotel. Dohuk was quiet.
This evening we went to Dream City which is an amusement park about 1km out of town, complete with rollercoaster, ferris wheel, bumper cars and games arcade. Groups of young men, and young women, but not together because thats not really allowed. As often happens, quite a few guys have come up to chat with us, which is good. We sat on the grass and watched the Crazy Disco' which was a sit-down spinning wheel thing. Booming Kurdish/dance music, flashing lights and dry ice. A very entertaining evening.
Saturday 2nd October
After a bit of internet, shopping and a hamburger and chickpea greasy soup for breakfast, we got a taxi from Dohuk to Zahko, for the border crossing back to Turkey. The valley looked great in the clear blue skies. We first had to hand in our passports and get a stamp out of Iraqi Kurdistan. Then after a while, into a share taxi with two Turkish guys. When we got towards the Turkish customs there was a long queue of cars and we had to wait around for maybe two hours which was frustrating; even our taxi driver seemed surprised. They only had a cursory check of our bags. Eventually we got stamped into Turkey, using multiple entry visa from before.
The driver took us as far Cizre, which was great, further than we had expected to go. We considered our options, but since we both felt we had seen enough sights in southern Turkey we decided to head for Istanbul ASAP. At least 24 hours. We waited for 3 hours and then got on the bus at 7pm. At one stop we were surrounded by 8 or 9 young teenagers. They were just curious and laughing at and with us. Cheeky ones ran onto the bus to steal cartons of water, no one seemed to care.
Sunday 3rd October
I couldnt really get to sleep, until about 2:30am. Then we had to change bus at 530am, and get on another at 9am which was a bit grim. But the scenery today has been great, and they have screens on the back of the seats, so been watching MTV this afternoon, mainly Depeche Mode montage. And they give you cake and coffee or cola. We stopped at the bus station in Ankara, and from what I saw, it looked nice. Clean.
We got caught in some heavy traffic and rain around 7pm so we didnt get to Istanbul until 12:30am, lots of stops on the way. But, fair play, the same bus company puts on free shuttles to certain parts of the city, so we got that so far and then a taxi to Sultanahmet, to the hostel we stayed at before. So it took us 38 hours to get from Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan to Istanbul. Phew.
1.10.10
Iraqi Kurdistan continued
Tuesday 28th September
A guy working in the hotel reception, who lived in Wolverhampton for 5 years, got us into a taxi to the garage. There, we were joined by two married sisters and off we went to Koya on our way to Sulaymaniyah (Slemani). One reason to go via Koya, is so that the driver doesn't go via dangerous Kirkuk. Anyway, we easily caught another shared taxi in Koya, with a local guy who spoke near perfect English with a BBC newsbroadcaster accent. Has a good chat with him about politics, religion and not touching a girl until you are married; he is engaged. He was good company and when we got to Slemani garage he told the next taxi where to take us. We ended up in a different hotel from planned but its nice and has a proper loo, as opposed to squat loos we have had for the last week.
Went for a walk, and quickly got picked up by a local guy who now lives in Darlington. He took us for a tasty burger, tea at his best friend's tea stall and for a game of pool. At the back of the pool hall were big framed posters of scantily-clad western women, taken straight from FHM and Loaded. An eye-opener. Anyway, i went in-off on the black and lost. Bu he had played dirty and called himself Ronnie O'Sullivan, so i wasn't bitter. At all.
Andrew and I walked to the Slemani museum where they had lots of old pottery and artifacts from as far back as 15000BC. Just a quick look around. Then we went to Amna Suraka (Red Security). This is a complex where Saddam's regime imprisoned and tortured Kurds in the late 80's and early 90's until 1991 when the Kurdish Peshmerga attacked and freed the inmates, in a gun battle; you can still see the bullet marks in the walls, and there are tanks in the yard. We went into one building, and along the dark corridor, know as the Hall of Mirrors, there are 182,000 shards of mirrored glass on the wall, one for every each of Chemical Ali's victims. And it was quite spooky walking in the dark with the occasional flicker of light from the mirrors, it was difficult to see uphead.
There was a film crew in the complex and one of the guys showed us the prison and torture rooms. They had a few dummies to show how the inmates were treated and it wasnt very pleasant. And he showed us some enlarged photos of child victims of Chemical Ali.
We went and sat in the park for a while then came back into town and wandered around the streets and the bazaar. There were loads of people in the early evening, buying groceries and eating kebabs and sitting talking to friends. We had kebab for dinner, the kebabs are better here, mince meat and thinner bread.
Wednesday 29th September
A bit of a sleep in, then taxi to garage, then to Koya. At Koya shared taxi with two Iranian guys. Guy next to me talking Farsi (Iranian) even though we didnt understand each other. We got stopped again today at an army checkpoint. They looked at our passports and did a cursory check of our bags. No worries. Local taxi back into Erbil (Hawler). Cool to be back somewhere familiar after so many new places every day. Another kebab for lunch and around the bazaar. Bought some super-super glue and fixed up my beloved sandals. Watched Starsky and Hutch in our room then out to Ainkawa in a taxi for pizza; anything but kebab, which is the only food you can get in the city centre.
Kawon, the English-speaking guy in the hotel, has organised a day out for us tomorrow.
Thursday 30th September
So Andrew and I left in the organised taxi at 8am, destination being Haji Omaran along the Hamilton Road as far as the Iranian border, a 7 hour round-trip with great scenery and waterfalls along the way, very highly rated by the LP. On the edge of town We passed the lovely Jalil Khayat Mosque, which is like the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
There were quite a few army checkpoints but they checked our passports and waved us through. We stopped a few times to look at Ali Gali Beg canyon below, it got better as went. But when we were about 50kms from Haji Omaran, the army checkpoint stopped us and made us get out of the taxi. They were really friendly and polite but said that we could not go any further, 'its dangerous for you'. They also asked us a few times if we were journalists. And also, the Americans who were hiking and ended up in prison in Iran recently had started out from just south of here. The guy kept looking into our eyes and checking to see if we kept eye-contact, to see if we were being honest. Anyway, he gave me a friendly slap on the arm and said 'sorry', and we turned around. Pretty disappointed since we have missed out on a special place i think. We came back to Bekhal Waterfall where we climbed up the steps alongside the water, with loads of other people. Chat with locals about football and England.
Moved on to Gali Ali Beg waterfall which is Iraq's most famous waterfall, very popular with tourists and featured on the 5000 dinar banknote. In the natural pool under the waterfall, people were going round in full size dinghies. Slightly bizarre, but they were having fun. We came back through a small few towns and stopped for over-priced Kebab. So we were quite disappointed that we didn't make it to the end of the Hamilton Road, it would have been the icing on the cake for our Kurdistan trip. Oh well.
A guy working in the hotel reception, who lived in Wolverhampton for 5 years, got us into a taxi to the garage. There, we were joined by two married sisters and off we went to Koya on our way to Sulaymaniyah (Slemani). One reason to go via Koya, is so that the driver doesn't go via dangerous Kirkuk. Anyway, we easily caught another shared taxi in Koya, with a local guy who spoke near perfect English with a BBC newsbroadcaster accent. Has a good chat with him about politics, religion and not touching a girl until you are married; he is engaged. He was good company and when we got to Slemani garage he told the next taxi where to take us. We ended up in a different hotel from planned but its nice and has a proper loo, as opposed to squat loos we have had for the last week.
Went for a walk, and quickly got picked up by a local guy who now lives in Darlington. He took us for a tasty burger, tea at his best friend's tea stall and for a game of pool. At the back of the pool hall were big framed posters of scantily-clad western women, taken straight from FHM and Loaded. An eye-opener. Anyway, i went in-off on the black and lost. Bu he had played dirty and called himself Ronnie O'Sullivan, so i wasn't bitter. At all.
Andrew and I walked to the Slemani museum where they had lots of old pottery and artifacts from as far back as 15000BC. Just a quick look around. Then we went to Amna Suraka (Red Security). This is a complex where Saddam's regime imprisoned and tortured Kurds in the late 80's and early 90's until 1991 when the Kurdish Peshmerga attacked and freed the inmates, in a gun battle; you can still see the bullet marks in the walls, and there are tanks in the yard. We went into one building, and along the dark corridor, know as the Hall of Mirrors, there are 182,000 shards of mirrored glass on the wall, one for every each of Chemical Ali's victims. And it was quite spooky walking in the dark with the occasional flicker of light from the mirrors, it was difficult to see uphead.
There was a film crew in the complex and one of the guys showed us the prison and torture rooms. They had a few dummies to show how the inmates were treated and it wasnt very pleasant. And he showed us some enlarged photos of child victims of Chemical Ali.
We went and sat in the park for a while then came back into town and wandered around the streets and the bazaar. There were loads of people in the early evening, buying groceries and eating kebabs and sitting talking to friends. We had kebab for dinner, the kebabs are better here, mince meat and thinner bread.
Wednesday 29th September
A bit of a sleep in, then taxi to garage, then to Koya. At Koya shared taxi with two Iranian guys. Guy next to me talking Farsi (Iranian) even though we didnt understand each other. We got stopped again today at an army checkpoint. They looked at our passports and did a cursory check of our bags. No worries. Local taxi back into Erbil (Hawler). Cool to be back somewhere familiar after so many new places every day. Another kebab for lunch and around the bazaar. Bought some super-super glue and fixed up my beloved sandals. Watched Starsky and Hutch in our room then out to Ainkawa in a taxi for pizza; anything but kebab, which is the only food you can get in the city centre.
Kawon, the English-speaking guy in the hotel, has organised a day out for us tomorrow.
Thursday 30th September
So Andrew and I left in the organised taxi at 8am, destination being Haji Omaran along the Hamilton Road as far as the Iranian border, a 7 hour round-trip with great scenery and waterfalls along the way, very highly rated by the LP. On the edge of town We passed the lovely Jalil Khayat Mosque, which is like the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
There were quite a few army checkpoints but they checked our passports and waved us through. We stopped a few times to look at Ali Gali Beg canyon below, it got better as went. But when we were about 50kms from Haji Omaran, the army checkpoint stopped us and made us get out of the taxi. They were really friendly and polite but said that we could not go any further, 'its dangerous for you'. They also asked us a few times if we were journalists. And also, the Americans who were hiking and ended up in prison in Iran recently had started out from just south of here. The guy kept looking into our eyes and checking to see if we kept eye-contact, to see if we were being honest. Anyway, he gave me a friendly slap on the arm and said 'sorry', and we turned around. Pretty disappointed since we have missed out on a special place i think. We came back to Bekhal Waterfall where we climbed up the steps alongside the water, with loads of other people. Chat with locals about football and England.
Moved on to Gali Ali Beg waterfall which is Iraq's most famous waterfall, very popular with tourists and featured on the 5000 dinar banknote. In the natural pool under the waterfall, people were going round in full size dinghies. Slightly bizarre, but they were having fun. We came back through a small few towns and stopped for over-priced Kebab. So we were quite disappointed that we didn't make it to the end of the Hamilton Road, it would have been the icing on the cake for our Kurdistan trip. Oh well.
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