TR: Iraqi Kurdistan

[AKbruin]

Great TR. Way to get off the beaten path.

I hope you'll post some photos from Syria as well. I travelled there for a few weeks in 2002, and it was amazing. Jordan is also great. Lebanon is kind of a trip.

[toast2266]

this is awesome.

[Diamond Joe]

Great stuff. thanks for sharing.

interesting to hear how welcomed you were & how friendly all the locals were

[SchralphMacchio]

Just when we got near the Turkish border gates a younger soldier saw us, pointed his rifle at us, yelled ''freeze! hands up!'

I think my undies would be stained

[OldLarry]

Truly awesome- one of the best things I have ever read, never mind on TGR. :rockon:

[Tuckerman]

amazing....

[flyandski365]

HOF?

5678

[*alli*]

I think my undies would be stained

He had a pretty big smile when he said it, so i only got the shit scared out of me for about a second. We'd heard horror stories about people being interrogated for over an hour by the turkish border officials, searching everything in their bags, etc. of course those were all single, male travellers so Im pretty sure the fact that Im a little blonde canadian girl helped us get through a bit easier

[The Dad]

I am here to post in this historically awesome thread.

[strawjack]

wow! nice to see a different side of Iraq...thank you.

[*alli*]

Great TR. Way to get off the beaten path.

I hope you'll post some photos from Syria as well. I travelled there for a few weeks in 2002, and it was amazing. Jordan is also great. Lebanon is kind of a trip.

Yeah Ill post some pics of syria up as well after that part of the trip. Itll be interesting to see whats changed since youve been there, probably a lot in 8 years.

In the final week of eastern Turkey. Ill post a few of my favorite pictures from here at the end of it, unfortunately Turkey seems to have it in for me, Ive had two seperate bouts of food poisoning (or something that makes my stomach do evil things) here so my travelling has been a bit patchy working around that.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Truly awesome- one of the best things I have ever read, never mind on TGR. :rockon:

x2, thanks for sharing.

[bennymac]

inspiring TR...worthy of Hall of Fame status as soon as it was posted

[AKPogue]

Good trip, next time before you go ask around on here when you are going places. You never know who is lurking on here and where they are at!! Might get some good info before you go.

[*alli*]

Just got into Aleppo late last night, crossing the border yesterday was a mission. The whole trip through eastern turkey has been during Ramadan, which (before I set out) I thought would be an interesting cultural experience. No, it's just a pain in the ass. Yestday was the first day of Seker Bayrami in turkey, the holiday at the end of ramadan (same holiday is today in Syria),so nearly everything was closed. I had the owner of my guesthouse phone ahead to double check that the border would be open, and as I was assured it was, I left for what I thought would be a simple, 3 hour trip to Aleppo.

After everything was over, it had taken 12 hours, and a combination of 7 minibuses, one big intercity coach, two legs of hitch hiking and one taxi to get to my hotel. Im setting up a blog online to make it easier to get photos out to people, so if anyone wants to have a look its at www.allisoncano.wordpress.com

[Spyplane]

Awesome TR. I've always heard travelling around the "axis of evil" as an american or a canadian was actually pretty awesome. People are just stoked that you decided to come to their country and meet with them.

[Grape_Ape]

I heard that part of Iraq was beautiful. Thanks for sharing!!!

[OldLarry]

Just got into Aleppo late last night, crossing the border yesterday was a mission. The whole trip through eastern turkey has been during Ramadan, which (before I set out) I thought would be an interesting cultural experience. No, it's just a pain in the ass. Yestday was the first day of Seker Bayrami in turkey, the holiday at the end of ramadan (same holiday is today in Syria),so nearly everything was closed. I had the owner of my guesthouse phone ahead to double check that the border would be open, and as I was assured it was, I left for what I thought would be a simple, 3 hour trip to Aleppo.

After everything was over, it had taken 12 hours, and a combination of 7 minibuses, one big intercity coach, two legs of hitch hiking and one taxi to get to my hotel. Im setting up a blog online to make it easier to get photos out to people, so if anyone wants to have a look its at www.allisoncano.wordpress.com

Bookmarked- very much looking fwd to it. Hope you write a book. Seriously.

[OldLarry]

A couple of months backpacking through the tamest parts of the middle east? Makes for an interesting TR or blog but a book? Come on..

thanks there, Captain Bringdown-

[flyandski365]

A couple of months backpacking through the tamest parts of the middle east? Makes for an interesting TR or blog but a book? Come on..

Any part of Iraq =/= tamest part of the middle east. You really are an idiot aren't you?

[OldLarry]

Any part of Iraq =/= tamest part of the middle east. You really are an idiot aren't you?

The fact that she is a white, blonde woman also adds to it.

[OldLarry]

The Kurdish north may as well be an entirely separate country from the rest of Iraq, especially the north west. I've lived in Beirut and Amman. Please, before you call people an idiot, at least know what you're talking about. The Kurds are very friendly and sympathetic towards westerners, probably as much as any other region in the middle east. There is violence in the mountains along the Turkish border but otherwise it's a safe area by middle eastern standards. The danger in traveling in the middle east (besides obvious war zones) is there are many areas where a large percentage of the local population is not at all fond of westerners, Kurdistan is not one of those places. Being a white blond woman traveling alone can present a whole host of problems in the middle east, but from her photos she appears to be traveling with one or more men, which makes all of those problems disappear. It's a great trip, one most people would never take, but to say she should write a book is idiotic. There are westerners who've spent years if not decades living in countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. who write books no one reads.

Bitter? Party of one? Bitter? Party of one?


So when did your book come out?

[OldLarry]

Yeah you're definitely an idiot.

tell me something I don't know.

Lighten up Francis.

[dumpy]

I'm just waiting for Old Larry to write a book...

[OldLarry]

I'm just waiting for Old Larry to write a book...

I'm self publishing it actually. It's called "Who Moved My Loafers? or What I had for Lunch, 2003- 2010"

A coffee table book actually. With a hollowed out center with a sesh tray in the middle of it and a little spot for a lighter and a hokus pokus.