In case you were looking at the pictures in the posts below and thinking, "Wow! your weekend looks just like a weekend camping trip in Canada (or wherever)!" this picture serves as a reminder that yes, Berwari really is in Kurdistan. What you are looking at is the lights of the Turkish army. They have many camps as these mountains are close to the Turkish border and the army has to be on the lookout for the PKK.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Reality Check
In case you were looking at the pictures in the posts below and thinking, "Wow! your weekend looks just like a weekend camping trip in Canada (or wherever)!" this picture serves as a reminder that yes, Berwari really is in Kurdistan. What you are looking at is the lights of the Turkish army. They have many camps as these mountains are close to the Turkish border and the army has to be on the lookout for the PKK.
Berwari Beasties
There was plenty of wildlife in and around the villages we visited; donkeys, boars, swallows, and incredible blue winged dragonflies to name but a few. But there were also a number of pets. Below please find each of our favorites.
Below is Sarah's pet. She saved it from the irrigation trough.
And this was my favorite pet. Although there are sheep everywhere in Kurdistan (and in Iraq I imagine), I have never seen a pet sheep... Most people herd their sheep in groups along with their goats with a big stick. This is the first time I have ever seen one on a leash.
And finally, we have Lesley's favorite. She took many photos of Lorene's cat. Although common in Canada and the UK (where us guests are from), cats are not such common pets in Kurdistan. People generally don't seem to like them. This one was terrible cute, however. It never stopped playing and when its favorite toy (a walnut) was taken away, it played at catching its own tail.
Below is Sarah's pet. She saved it from the irrigation trough.
And this was my favorite pet. Although there are sheep everywhere in Kurdistan (and in Iraq I imagine), I have never seen a pet sheep... Most people herd their sheep in groups along with their goats with a big stick. This is the first time I have ever seen one on a leash. 
And finally, we have Lesley's favorite. She took many photos of Lorene's cat. Although common in Canada and the UK (where us guests are from), cats are not such common pets in Kurdistan. People generally don't seem to like them. This one was terrible cute, however. It never stopped playing and when its favorite toy (a walnut) was taken away, it played at catching its own tail.
Kani Masi
And on the last in Berwari, we walked to Kani Masi. In the below photo (by Sarah) you can see Kani Masi behind the donkey. 
Unlike Iyate and Smaeli, which are primarily Assyrian villages, Kani Masi has both Kurdish and Assyrian residents. The photo below (by Lesley) shows a Kurdish woman.
And this was our destination; the Assyrian Culture Center. It was decorated everywhere with the star of Ishtar and (not shown) was flying the Assyrian flag. The building behind this was balancing with a Kurdish flag and one of the PDK party.
Inside the Culture Center, we received a tour of the building and a demonstration of how farmers in the region used to plow their fields using miniature tools. And finally, we received a quick lesson in ping pong from Lina, Lorene and Louanne. (See post about ping pong champ Lina for picture).
Unlike Iyate and Smaeli, which are primarily Assyrian villages, Kani Masi has both Kurdish and Assyrian residents. The photo below (by Lesley) shows a Kurdish woman.
And this was our destination; the Assyrian Culture Center. It was decorated everywhere with the star of Ishtar and (not shown) was flying the Assyrian flag. The building behind this was balancing with a Kurdish flag and one of the PDK party.
Inside the Culture Center, we received a tour of the building and a demonstration of how farmers in the region used to plow their fields using miniature tools. And finally, we received a quick lesson in ping pong from Lina, Lorene and Louanne. (See post about ping pong champ Lina for picture).
Smaeli
No, I didn't spell "smiley" wrong or forget the "I" in Ismaeli. Smaeli was the name of a village near to Iyate (by the way, although these were Assyrian villages, the names of these villages are the Kurdish names). At night, when it gets dark enough that it is necessary to turn on the generator, the family gets out their flashlights and goes out out walking to the nearest village. The picture at the left was obviously taken during the day, but it shows the church in Smaeli. 
When we arrived in the evening, we found that the church actually doubled as a social gathering place for the local women. They were all really taken with Sarah and we hadn't come to rescue her, we might have had to fight the women (who were trying to decide whose son she should marry) off. (Above two photos by Sarah). 
After chatting at the church, we sauntered across the street to the "casino"... a word which in Kurdistan means restaurant/cafe... But it really resembled to me one of the tents outside the markets in Japan or Korea where they serve grilled meat and all sorts of liquor.
And after a can of coca cola (I can't drink raki), it was time to walk home... about a 40 minute walk. But the walk home each night is even better than the walk to any given destination as the moon is up and the flashlights are no longer necessary. All in all, our second day in Berwar was spent doing lots of much needed exercise in the much needed fresh air, free from the dust storms and exhaust.Far from the roadside
Riding to our location in the back of a pickup truck and then hiking down a treacherous trail to our picnic site meant that we had complete privacy far from the fumes of traffic. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the site, everyone was a little tired, hot, and in some cases irritable (see below).
However, there isn't much a nice swim in a mountain stream can't fix. Everyone just swam in T-shirts and shorts... but as Sarah, Lesley and I didn't have shorts, we swam in our pajamas. (Photo by Lesley on Sarah's camera).
The two photos below are scenes from our picnic spot.
And finally, we have one of Lesley's favorite pictures taken on the hike back to the car.
However, there isn't much a nice swim in a mountain stream can't fix. Everyone just swam in T-shirts and shorts... but as Sarah, Lesley and I didn't have shorts, we swam in our pajamas. (Photo by Lesley on Sarah's camera). 
The two photos below are scenes from our picnic spot.
And finally, we have one of Lesley's favorite pictures taken on the hike back to the car.
Friday, June 27, 2008
on our way to a picnic
If you are a regular viewer of this blog, or have lived in Kurdistan, then the word picnic should conjure up images of cars parked at the side of the road, extended families and friends all dressed up in traditional clothing (sparkly sequined sherbet colored dresses and men in their baggy pants with cumberbunds) either preparing/eating or dancing in lines. This picnic was nothing like that. We loaded a truck with water, watermelon, chicken and, salad greens and beer and set off on our way. (Photo by Lesley). 
The roads and trails were a little bumpy, but it was nostalgic for me (like being on the back roads of a small town on Vancouver island) to ride in the back of a truck. (Bottom 2 photos by Sarah).
And suddenly it was even more like Canada!On arrival near our picnic spot, we had to divide up all the groceries and cooking equipment and hike, clamber, slide down a treacherous trail (where there was a trail) to the spot where we would picnic. All of us were a little tired and a little terrified of how we would, with all the cooking gear, make our way back up. (The photo below shows the less treacherous and better-known trail that we took on the way back). Note that Lorene's uncle (the one to thank for the boar, carries his boar-hunting rifle).
The roads and trails were a little bumpy, but it was nostalgic for me (like being on the back roads of a small town on Vancouver island) to ride in the back of a truck. (Bottom 2 photos by Sarah).
And suddenly it was even more like Canada!On arrival near our picnic spot, we had to divide up all the groceries and cooking equipment and hike, clamber, slide down a treacherous trail (where there was a trail) to the spot where we would picnic. All of us were a little tired and a little terrified of how we would, with all the cooking gear, make our way back up. (The photo below shows the less treacherous and better-known trail that we took on the way back). Note that Lorene's uncle (the one to thank for the boar, carries his boar-hunting rifle). 
Mrt Shmony Shrine
This little hut (photo by Sarah) shows a shrine to Mrt Shmony, who we now know to be Hannah, thanks to Eszter. I also post the information on this later. But would like to get all the photos up first.
Saint George
I have to research before I write about Saint George to finish writing this post... so patience please... But I have posted Lesley's photo of a plague of Saint George to accompany the story to come. 
Lesley also managed to capture Lorene showing me the hand and footprints of St. George; he apparently grabbed the two mountains and pushed them together to form this church.
And a close-up of one of the hand prints...
Can you see the indentation of the palm and the tips of the fingers?
Lesley also managed to capture Lorene showing me the hand and footprints of St. George; he apparently grabbed the two mountains and pushed them together to form this church.
And a close-up of one of the hand prints...
Can you see the indentation of the palm and the tips of the fingers?
Iyate's Church
Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about this church, it's history... or even it's name at the moment. It was in the mountains of Iwate and we had to go to a relative's house (that house with the thatched porch roof) to get the key. Then we were off following our guide, Lorene, up the trail. (As you can tell, Iraq has good cell phone reception even in the mountains!) 
The church (at the top of this path) was in a cave that was said to have been used as a church since the time of St. George. But of course, the door is more recent.
Lesley's photo shows the door from the inside looking out.
An the alter, as you can see, is really set against the cave wall and is hidden by a maroon curtain embellished with golden crosses.
And finally, we couldn't leave the church without making a wish... If you place a small stone against the wall and it sticks, your wish will come true. Mine didn't stick... wish I had tried licking it first.
The church (at the top of this path) was in a cave that was said to have been used as a church since the time of St. George. But of course, the door is more recent.
Lesley's photo shows the door from the inside looking out. 
An the alter, as you can see, is really set against the cave wall and is hidden by a maroon curtain embellished with golden crosses. 
And finally, we couldn't leave the church without making a wish... If you place a small stone against the wall and it sticks, your wish will come true. Mine didn't stick... wish I had tried licking it first.
Water
The first chore that needs to be done each morning is to collect water. The water from the taps is cold and clear, but not for drinking. There are two sources for drinking water, both bubbling up from the ground. The first four pictures show us collecting water (thanks to Sarah who documented it). This top photo shows us going to the first source over a little makeshift bridge. 
And the collection...
And this is the way to the second source:
It is also the way to the town of Kani Masi.
(Above photos by Sarah)
This final photo shows Lorene's dad demonstating how the local villages water their orchards. Water from the mountains runs through several villages in the cement trough shown in the 2 photos above. Farmers use hoses topped with 2-litre soda bottles to collect and distribute the water to their thirsty trees.
And the collection...
And this is the way to the second source:
It is also the way to the town of Kani Masi.
(Above photos by Sarah)
This final photo shows Lorene's dad demonstating how the local villages water their orchards. Water from the mountains runs through several villages in the cement trough shown in the 2 photos above. Farmers use hoses topped with 2-litre soda bottles to collect and distribute the water to their thirsty trees.
Beautiful Berwari - Idyllic Iyate
As we arrived at night, we didn't know how beautiful Iyate was until the next morning. here is just a small glimpse. 
This is Lorene's mom sitting on the front porch the first morning.
Lesley loved the flora and fauna, could correctly identify much of the vegetation and took many photos, including this one. I think she called it a globe flower?
This is the little hut the mountain boar babies were kept in... plus some other flowers (which I can't identify).
Imagine having a summer home perched on the edge of a valley, with a thatched roof porch...
and a swing... (The bottom two photos were taken by Sarah).
This is Lorene's mom sitting on the front porch the first morning. 
Lesley loved the flora and fauna, could correctly identify much of the vegetation and took many photos, including this one. I think she called it a globe flower?
This is the little hut the mountain boar babies were kept in... plus some other flowers (which I can't identify). 
Imagine having a summer home perched on the edge of a valley, with a thatched roof porch... 
and a swing... (The bottom two photos were taken by Sarah).
Wild Mountain Boar
Berwari is quite far from Hawler and I now understand why more of Lorene's classmates have not been to visit her. After a 2 hour drive to Dohuk, you should try to find a taxi willing to take you to Berwari... an area it seems most taxi drivers don't know well. Our driver, however, agreed to take us. Unfortunately Lina didn't wasn't so good at directions and we drove around in the mountains for several hours before we found Lorene and Lina's village of Iyate. Luckily, we ran into some of Lina's relatives as we got closer; men with rifles slung over their shoulders... Goodness knows where they were going in the dark (it was dark by then) in the treacherous mountain paths with rifles. 
We finally found our way around the hair pin turns and onto a path balanced precariously on the end of a drop into a valley which gradually narrowed into two tire tracks with grass growing in between... Lorene's family's house! We got out and went directly to her uncle's house... one of the men with rifles. There was a fire crackling and grilling on the fire were skewers of freshly caught wild mountain boar interspersed with the skewer of garden-grown vegetables.
As Lorene's family are Orthodox Christians rather than Muslim's, we were able to wash the chunks of boar down with plenty of beer and raki. Lesley said the Iraqi raki is smoother and more licorice-like than the Turkish variety. (I suppose you already guessed they weren't Muslim given that we were eating pork)
Although I am not sure that I can say that boar is my favorite meat, the leftovers, served a couple days later, cooked with fresh organic veggies from the garden in front of the house (tomatoes, onion greens, marrow, zuccini, etc) was fabulous. Lorene and Lina's dad is a great cook!
And in case you were wondering what Iraqi mountain boar look like, here is a picture of a few babies that the hunters managed to capture. Believe me, the adults aren't nearly so cute. (Top photo is by Sarah, bottom one by Lesley).
We finally found our way around the hair pin turns and onto a path balanced precariously on the end of a drop into a valley which gradually narrowed into two tire tracks with grass growing in between... Lorene's family's house! We got out and went directly to her uncle's house... one of the men with rifles. There was a fire crackling and grilling on the fire were skewers of freshly caught wild mountain boar interspersed with the skewer of garden-grown vegetables. 
As Lorene's family are Orthodox Christians rather than Muslim's, we were able to wash the chunks of boar down with plenty of beer and raki. Lesley said the Iraqi raki is smoother and more licorice-like than the Turkish variety. (I suppose you already guessed they weren't Muslim given that we were eating pork)
Although I am not sure that I can say that boar is my favorite meat, the leftovers, served a couple days later, cooked with fresh organic veggies from the garden in front of the house (tomatoes, onion greens, marrow, zuccini, etc) was fabulous. Lorene and Lina's dad is a great cook! 
And in case you were wondering what Iraqi mountain boar look like, here is a picture of a few babies that the hunters managed to capture. Believe me, the adults aren't nearly so cute. (Top photo is by Sarah, bottom one by Lesley).
Middle East by Ping Pong
It has indeed been a long time since I last posted and I am sorry for the long silence, but life at work has been so busy since I came back from Istanbul - Intensive cramming courses for those who didn't pass their finals (there is to be a re-sit this Thursday). Anyway, last weekend, I managed to get away... but somewhere with NO INTERNET!
In this post, I'd like to introduce you to Lina. Lina is the sister of a student who passed already. She is one of six extraordinary siblings. From a tiny village in Berwar, all the kids in the family are super-acheivers. As you can well imagine, it isn't easy for many Iraqis to travel as even the process of getting a passport is difficult (forget the visa). But Lina has travelled all over the Middle East by playing an excellent game of PING PONG!!! The photo on the left shows Lina with just a few of her medals. She is particularly proud of winning bronze in Egypt.
And the bottom photo shows Lina playing her uncle in the Assyrian Culture Center in Kani Masi, Berwari. By the way, although they live in that small village (photos in post to come), most of her relatives speak English among many other languages. Her oldest brother has completed two MAs, one in the US on a Fullbright scholarship and the other in the UK on a British scholarship. Lorene lived 9 months in the US after being selected for an Iraqi exchange program. The two eldest have good jobs and the youngest... well, we will see what she does. What a lot of pressure to live up to her siblings.
In this post, I'd like to introduce you to Lina. Lina is the sister of a student who passed already. She is one of six extraordinary siblings. From a tiny village in Berwar, all the kids in the family are super-acheivers. As you can well imagine, it isn't easy for many Iraqis to travel as even the process of getting a passport is difficult (forget the visa). But Lina has travelled all over the Middle East by playing an excellent game of PING PONG!!! The photo on the left shows Lina with just a few of her medals. She is particularly proud of winning bronze in Egypt. 
And the bottom photo shows Lina playing her uncle in the Assyrian Culture Center in Kani Masi, Berwari. By the way, although they live in that small village (photos in post to come), most of her relatives speak English among many other languages. Her oldest brother has completed two MAs, one in the US on a Fullbright scholarship and the other in the UK on a British scholarship. Lorene lived 9 months in the US after being selected for an Iraqi exchange program. The two eldest have good jobs and the youngest... well, we will see what she does. What a lot of pressure to live up to her siblings.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
The flight home to Hawler
Dear Saffron,
You will be happy to know that I made it safely back to Hawler. The unfortunate thing is that it took 2 days and was costly as I had to go back and forth between the airport twice and buy plane tickets for two alternate routes home. (But at least they will refund almost 70% of the cost of one of the tickets).
On Thursday, I waited until 8:00 pm to go and buy my ticket in the airport. At 8:00, the agent asked me to come back at 9:00 as the computer was down. At 9:00, the agent told me the flight was postponed and that I should go home and come back on Friday. I stored my luggage at left luggage and took a bus back to Beşiktaş.
The next morning, I woke up early to a phone call from Cengis (you will remember him the post about Batman). I don't really understand Turkish, but it seemed like he was asking when I would be there. So I took a quick shower and rushed out to the travel agency to try and find a ticket to Batman or Diyarbakır. Unfortunately, the earliest flight wasn't until 6:55pm... but the travel agent helped me to call Cengis only to find out that he probably wasn't really inviting me along since he was already at the border.
Anyway, I decided to hold off on the ticket until 1:00 pm in case Laveen decided to fly. At 1:00 pm however, they said that it was unlikely and that I should just buy my ticket to Diyarbakir. The flight to Diyarbakır had been filling up and as there were only 8 seats left, the price had increased by $20.00. I bought the ticket over the phone and slowly started making my way to the airport. At 5:50, just before picking up my luggage, I checked Laveen again to find out that they had decided that they had changed their minds and that the flight would (100% certainty) be leaving at 10:00 pm. I agreed to the $50.00 cancellation fee for the Diyarbakır ticket and bought a round trip to Erbil... And as you have probably guessed I made it home safely, but the troubles never cease! My phone battery died and I was unable to call and confirm my arrival time with Mu so there was nobody to pick me up from the airport. At least the taxi driver spoke some English and decided to bring me home (5 minutes) for less than the 'special' airport taxi fee of $25.00.
You will be happy to know that I made it safely back to Hawler. The unfortunate thing is that it took 2 days and was costly as I had to go back and forth between the airport twice and buy plane tickets for two alternate routes home. (But at least they will refund almost 70% of the cost of one of the tickets).
On Thursday, I waited until 8:00 pm to go and buy my ticket in the airport. At 8:00, the agent asked me to come back at 9:00 as the computer was down. At 9:00, the agent told me the flight was postponed and that I should go home and come back on Friday. I stored my luggage at left luggage and took a bus back to Beşiktaş.
The next morning, I woke up early to a phone call from Cengis (you will remember him the post about Batman). I don't really understand Turkish, but it seemed like he was asking when I would be there. So I took a quick shower and rushed out to the travel agency to try and find a ticket to Batman or Diyarbakır. Unfortunately, the earliest flight wasn't until 6:55pm... but the travel agent helped me to call Cengis only to find out that he probably wasn't really inviting me along since he was already at the border.
Anyway, I decided to hold off on the ticket until 1:00 pm in case Laveen decided to fly. At 1:00 pm however, they said that it was unlikely and that I should just buy my ticket to Diyarbakir. The flight to Diyarbakır had been filling up and as there were only 8 seats left, the price had increased by $20.00. I bought the ticket over the phone and slowly started making my way to the airport. At 5:50, just before picking up my luggage, I checked Laveen again to find out that they had decided that they had changed their minds and that the flight would (100% certainty) be leaving at 10:00 pm. I agreed to the $50.00 cancellation fee for the Diyarbakır ticket and bought a round trip to Erbil... And as you have probably guessed I made it home safely, but the troubles never cease! My phone battery died and I was unable to call and confirm my arrival time with Mu so there was nobody to pick me up from the airport. At least the taxi driver spoke some English and decided to bring me home (5 minutes) for less than the 'special' airport taxi fee of $25.00.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
In limbo
After a trying day (you will have already read about my day-long call marathon with Aras cargo after which no package arrived), I have finally made it to the airport. I took a cab and the driver offered me a cheap rate to drive me direct rather than to the airport bus stop. This was a mistake as the driver insisted on trying to teach me Turkish and Kurdish the whole way and asked me uncomfortable questions even though I tried to make it clear that I had a very jealous boyfriend. Anyway, now I am sitting in the airport cafe waiting not to fly, but to find out whether or not Laveen will permit me to buy a ticket since they still don't know whether or not the plane will leave this evening. This is unfortunate as I am not looking forward to another trying road trip. Ah, well... such is life. You will know that I made it if the next post is from Erbil.
Aras Cargo
My final (?) day in Istanbul this time around has turned out to be rather a let down so far. A package which I was waiting to have sent from Izmir didn't arrive yesterday and so I spend today calling, calling, calling... But no matter how many times and how many people I called, I couldn't locate the package. The man who supposedly sent the package could not locate the tracking number. The man who works for Aras Cargo could not find the name of the man who supposedly sent the package in his records of packages sent from Izmir. The man who asked for the package to be sent could not get through to the man who supposedly sent it. And all of this is apparently normal here?
And now, on top of all this, my flight -a charter- has been pushed back from 6:45pm to 11:00pm. And they won't make a booking for me, but ask me just to be at the airport 3 hours before to purchase my ticket. Remember, nothing is guaranteed.
And now, on top of all this, my flight -a charter- has been pushed back from 6:45pm to 11:00pm. And they won't make a booking for me, but ask me just to be at the airport 3 hours before to purchase my ticket. Remember, nothing is guaranteed.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Diş Doktoru
So in case you weren't aware, the real reason for my trip to Istanbul is that I am distrustful of the dentists in Hawler. I suppose this isn't such a nice things to say, but as Dr. T quit Sema Hospital on Doctor's street, I haven't felt at all inclined to go. Ok, so why not just not go to the dentist at all you might ask. Well, before quitting, Dr. T told me that I was likely in urgent need of a root canal. And indeed the dentist here told me that something has induced trauma and hence nerve damage has caused infection which could spread and damage other roots. They did half the job and I must return for the other half in 4-5 weeks... so I guess you will be reading more about Istanbul again soon. PS. Have you ever heard of dental tourism?
Toro in Taxim
Taxim Square is where I usually stay when I am in Istanbul, but not so this time. I was lucky enough to stay with a friend in Beşiktaş this time. I didn't realize what a great place Beşiktaş is... or how many places are more fun than Taxim. But then again, Taxim is better when you are not staying there. I went to Taxim 3 times this week...
The first to cut and color my hair, the second to eat sushi:
And the final time to go drink beer with Tizianna's friends at the opposite end near Tünel.
The first to cut and color my hair, the second to eat sushi:
And the final time to go drink beer with Tizianna's friends at the opposite end near Tünel.
Eminonu
Here I post the more usual sights at Eminonu. (This will make better sense if you read as a blog is written, from the post below upwards).
Balık ekmek served on a boat by men in fancy dress.
The view across the water from the fish sandwich boats (Galata Tower).
And a view of the bus loop from the restaurant at Storks.
Balık ekmek served on a boat by men in fancy dress. 
The view across the water from the fish sandwich boats (Galata Tower).
And a view of the bus loop from the restaurant at Storks.
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