Authentic Chinese Restaurant...

... serving authentic Chinese food, with authentic Chinese staff. At least that's what the business card for Good Heart Chinese Restaurant says. The directions on the card are: Ankawa, after Saint Joseph's church take second right, the restaurant is immediately behind largest building (with Asia Cell tower on top). Typical directions for Hawler/Ankawa. The truth is, whether good or not, it is excellent to have something so different here. I like Bakery & More and the other Lebanese owned establishments that keep popping up, but food from places outside the Middle East is even more savored. Now we have fake Indian at the fake Sheraton, a new Turkish grill (just in time to replace two other Turkish restaurants which disappeared over the summer - rumor has it the owner left the country to avoid having unwarranted trouble with the police) and CHINESE!

Chinese already existed in Sulemania and just before summer, Tf paraded a bunch of colleagues into a new Chinese restaurant in Ankawa that appeared to be more brothel than restaurant. The owners were purportedly surprised to see so many women in the group and had to go out shopping to accommodate the food orders (seemingly corroborating suspicions that food is really the highlight of the "restaurant")... and the bill was exorbitant. Anyway, I regret that Tf has moved on to... Saudi? Like me, he speaks Chinese (only better) and would love this new place. Only open for 10 days, but it already seems like a keeper.

Public eating banned in daytime Ramadan

It is always an additional culture shock (piled on top of the already sizeable back-in-the-Middle East culture shock) when returning to Iraq after the long summer holiday as the country is usually already well into Ramadan, the month of fasting. People are grumpy, work slowly and try to go home early if possible, shops keep unusual hours, women who normally do not wear hijab are headscarfed... and you have to search harder to find restaurants that are open. On the plane on the way back to Hawler, I picked up a newspaper and this was he first thing I saw:

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The Iraqi Ministry of Interior on Wednesday announced that it will ban eating in public places and close down restaurants and food stalls during daytime hours in the holy month of Ramadan. "Concerned authorities should take necessary actions against the violators," according to a ministerial statement received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI). The statement noted that all liquor stores will be closed down during the holy month. All restaurants and food stalls will be closed down from sunrise to sunset, with the exception of those inside factories, as well as student, first-class and tourist restaurants, the statement explained. Cafés are also included in the ban, the statement noted.

Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an began to be revealed. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which Muslims don't eat or drink anything from sunrise untill sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience and humility. Many scholars are of the view that competing in sports or exercise should be refrained during the daylight hours since it causes one to be more thirsty, and thus, less patient. Most people who keep fasts choose to exercise in the night after the fasts are broken.

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/refid/E2F-30-09-2008/article/35746

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Understandably, I was worried as I thought about how much harder this ban will make this year's return. No restaurants open during the day... NO ALCOHOL!!! That meant no late afternoon cocktail hour on my balcony.... and I thought I was living in a "secular" region.

Well, today is the beginning of Eid. Ramadan ends today and while everyone has been talking about how we are not aloud to eat or smoke on the street this year, I think the Iraqi ban had no effect on us here in "Kurdistan". We do not seen to fall under Iraqi laws at all as several of us went for lunches at Bakery & More... and with the restaurant on the second floor, there weren't even sheets on the window. At 10:00 am in Ainkawa (granted this is a Christian enclave) the only shop already open was a liquor shop! Anyway, this year was the first year I really participated in anything Eid-like. Last night we had a house full of non-practicing Muslims from Turkey who spent the night eating and drinking... and then before leaving, they taught me how to kiss all my elders' hands and press them to my forhead before asking for Eid money. I think my Turkish friends/neighbors are on their way down now for theirs!

And back to Oak Forest

After seeing K off, Fra met me downtown for a morning session of Birkram yoga and too me back to Oak Forest. It was kind of nice to hang out in the suburbs; lolling about in the little pool that was set up in the back yard for the kids... and Fra's dad to splash around in on at the wedding. We also made Banana splits and watched movies. The bottom picture is because there are lots of things I forgot about the US... like buying stuff on ebay. The picture is of a J-shaped cheesy that J plans to see on ebay! If only I also had pictures of the muscle cars that J rebuilds - J and Fra have started their own business which will have a name something like, "Plumcrazy Mopar Muscle Cars." I wonder how these would sell in Kurdistan; I think people might like the noise and power, but seeing as anything smaller than an SUV gets its bottom scraped going over the bulk of the speed bumps...

Vacation Stop 4 - the Magnificent Mile

A few nights before returning to Chicago, I received an email from K, a friend I met in Japan and who quit her MA one credit short to join the LAPD. She had booked a flight to meet me in Chicago and made a reservation at Amalfi Hotel on the magnificent mile. We did all those things one does in Chicago... well except eat pizza; saw fireworks at Navy Pier, visited Bacherlor's Grove - a haunted cemetery and dumping spot for the mob, shopped on the magnificent mile, ate America's best burger at Rockit Bar & Grill... and went to the aquarium. Below are a couple of photos taken downtown.

Cuba - Havana

On my last day in Cuba, I took a bus back to Havana where I wandered around looking for my last taste of live music. It didn't take long and I stopped her at the sidewalk cafe of Hotel Inglaterra for a late lunch and music.

A last view of Havana from the tallest building, somewhere near the National Hotel.

Cuba -Viñales

The last place I visited in Cuba was Viñales, a lovely area with forests, valleys and mountains like I haven't seen since Vietnam. This is where the famous Cuban tobacco and some of the coffee is grown. Too bad my flight path takes me back through the US or I would have tried to take more of both back with me. The picture below is the guide who took me through the valleys and past the tobacco farms on horseback. We also visited a cave with a natural pool inside where we went swimming.

Below is my Viñales neighborhood. At sunset, the whole city was GORGEOUS!
And finally, the nice Belgian couple that stayed in the same casa as me. The girl wore really cute mini skirts everyday and confessed that they live in a primarily Turkish area in their city and that she feels shy to wear anything short there. Welcome to my world! I would sooner die than wear a mini skirt in Hawler. One day when a student saw me wearing a skirt halfway between my knee and my ankle, he commented on my nice "mini skirt"! And I have fond memories of her guy as well as they locked themselves out of the house one night and came around to my window knocking and whispering, "Rita, Rita..." to get me to wake up and let them in. Nevermind that my name isn't Rita.

Cuba - Iguanas

I don't know about you, but I have never seen wild iguanas. I took a boat trip in Cuba, despite the fact that there had been a hurricane (which incidentally leaked its way into my Santiago de Cuba bedroom and soaked all my money and waterlogged my poor passport, which subsequently was placed on a hanger in front of a fan to dry. The money stayed in hiding and mildewed). Although the water was still murky and the visibility for snorkeling not so good, the trip to a little island where the iguanas run wild was interesting. The guy pictured here convinced me to try and pet them. Nice iggy!

Cuba - Trinidad

After Santiago, which I reached by domestic flight, I went to Trinidad (the Cuban city, not the country) by Viasol bus service. It was an overnight trip taking about 13 hours, during which the overly air-conditioned bus stopped every hour. Trinidad was nothing like Santiago, a UNESCO heritage site, every little street was picturesque, overun with tourists, and prices were commensurate with places frequented by travelers. The thing which struck me here was not so much the city, but the family home I stayed in. It was truly lovely... a room with ensuite off of the back patio of the home. From the balcony, there was a staircase leading up to the roof where I could hang my washing. The first photo is of the view from the roof.... a view you may not find if you you do a Google image search of Trindad, Cuba.
Adjacent to my room was another occupied by two French women. They were mostly interested in taking a little bus to the beach each day, but we met in the evenings for dinner on our patio and outings to the clubs for live music. The picture below is of a group that played one afternoon. Unfortunately the first night there was a black out and we had to wait for hours until the lights came back on and the music started, but it was fun. Not as authentic as Santiago however, as they played a lot of popular salsa tunes to appeal to the tourists who pay money to learn to salsa. Why not son or Cutumba?

Cuba - New friends in Santiago

A salsero from Taiwan, Tony "Cubasia" gave me the details of his friends who dance and drum for Ballet Folklorico Cutumba de Santiago de Cuba. In the evenings, I went out to listen to music with the Yoanis, son of the founder (and one of the group's drummers), and prima ballerina Laima (if you check the website, she is the one in the yellow dress on the top left-hand corner). Thanks to them, I can now dance just a little son. Yoanis is the guy at the far left and Laima is second from the right.

And the second photo is of Yoanis' half brother. I include this photo as it shows him seated in a rocking chairs, something that will now always remind me of Cuba. In Cuba, rocking chairs are not just for old folks; everyone has at least one and often 2 or 3 in their living rooms and are for the use of all, old and young.

Cuba - Big Rock Day Trip

From Santiago, I only went on one day trip - to a place which I can only remember as being called "Big Rock". I have no photos of that, nor do I remember why it was historically important, but I do remember the journey there... past a lovely garden and a coffee plantation (so I guess I can now share the photos with Sarah as we didn't manage to go in Ponce, Puerto Rico).
The photo above is where the donkey pulls the plough around the circular tough and grinds the coffee. The photo below is of coffee beans.
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Above is a sea of Anthuriums. I have never seen them growing in such profusion. And below is "Starlice" (Turkish) or "Bird of Paradise". I have one of these in my kitchen in Hawler (Erbil), but it has yet to flower

I bought the only souvenir I have from Cuba- a red seed bracelet- from the lovely lady above. I can see why people consider this to be the most caribbean of Cuban areas as this looks just like Trinidad and Tobago.

Cuba -Santiago de Cuba

The bulk of my stay was spend in Santiago de Cuba, birthplace of Son, one of the origins of salsa and THE place to experience live Cuban music. I went out to listen to live groups and dance almost every night: Casa Tradicional, Casa de la Musica, Patio de los dos Abuelos, Artex... venues and bands abounded.

As there were fewer tourists here, perhaps as Santiago is not quite as picturesque as some of the other colonial cites. Instead it is touted as the most Caribbean of Cuban cities. I don't know as I didn't travel as much as some of the tourists, mostly Spaniards, Italians, French, Canadians and other Europeans. But I did find a measure of freedom I haven't felt in the past 2 years. One day when cleaning my room (I stayed in a room I rented from a local family... Casa Andres), the lady of the house asked me if I was going out. I was wearing a tank top and something resembling cycling shorts. I told her that I had to change first, but she said that what I was wearing was fine. I tested the waters by going out to buy some fruit. Not only was it OK (nobody looked at me funny), but suddenly people thought I was local. I gave them 1 convertible Peso (CUC) for my fruit and they gave me 22 National Pesos in return (24 national pesos - only used by locals - to one CUC).

Cuba - Vacation Stop 3

From Puerto to Cuba was a journey even worse than from Chicago to Puerto Rico... From San Juan to Miami, from Miami to Panama on American Airlines (the AA part should suffice for you to understand how terrible this part was - rude and unhelpful ground staff, incorrect flight numbers shown at boarding bays, old planes, no food... ), pass immigration, collect luggage and check in again to the Copa flight from Panama to Havana. The pictures below are scenes of Havana (more posted on Facebook for those interested).

Puerto Rico -Day 5 - Back to San Juan

The last morning in Boqueron, I had to get back behind the wheel of our rented car, passenger-side mirror removed and stashed in the trunk like a hidden corpse. How dreadful! We made it to San Juan without incident however. Luckily, the GPS made it easy. We checked into the HoJo and went to explore San Juan...







Old San Juan was lovely: Beautiful pastel colored buildings, colonial buildings, fortresses, and charming boutiques. We lunched at a little Mexican place, shopped and drank coffee in the square.
And in the evening, we sat at the bar which supposedly invented the Pina Colada! Our bartender was funny and as you can see (below), we were thoroughly "happy" by the time we left.

Puerto Rico -Day 4 - Rincon & San German

The last day in Boqueron, we rented a car and went to Rincon... a beach featuring a couple of 5 star hotels. We parked and pretended to be hotel guests, sipping drinks and reading novels in the lounge chairs on the beach. Then we had the first really really good food we had had in Puerto Rico - jumbo coconut shrimp and scallops washed down with Coronas. In the early evening, we rushed back, changed and headed to San German for the reception of the couple who married the day before in Ponce. (The bride is from San German... Groom is Spanish). The happy couple is pictured below.
Unfortunately on the way to San German, on a winding, narrow, ill-lit road pocked with potholes, I swerved to the side of the road to avoid an oncoming car and took the passenger-side rearview mirror off when I sideswiped a mac truck parked on the side of the road. What was such a BIG vehicle doing parked at the side of such a tiny road? Anyway, I went to the police station and the only real question they asked was, "Did you kill anyone?" And since I didn't, they didn't even make me return to the site of the accident, but got in their own car and escorted us to the party we were on our way to.

Puerto Rico -Day 3 - Ponce

Day 3 took us to Ponce for a wedding at the Hilton... where my real achievement was to go online and book a hotel for my first night in Cuba, which was fast approaching. Again, in the absence of public transit, we accepted a ride, this time not with a friend, but the daughter of the Boqueron travel agent... She had to go to Ponce for group therapy after she had a kind of breakdown at her university in San Juan and crashed her car... twice. Anyway, Ponce is famous for its colonial history and architecture. The first picture is in one of the main squares. The presence of the motorcycle cops is because that day, August 7th, was the day of the funeral of the Ponce mayor. The second photo is the Ponce Fire Station.
And the final picture is of the cathedral opposite the cafe where we had horrendously bad coffee. Unfortunately what we really wanted to see in Ponce was a coffee plantation that was closed for renovations.

Amazingly, that night we discovered Boqueron was not THAT dead. It seems that things start to open from Wednesday. We stopped at the bar of the son of the Boqueron travel agency and sampled his very special own "chichaito" - a rum and aniseed infused drink which he flavored with lemon peel, cinnamon bark and cloves. On the way home, we stumbled into a table at a nearby bar with buffalo wings and stopped for wings, mohitos and a chat with a completely crazy and contradictory couple from Brooklyn... everything out of their mouths was completely politically incorrect, but everything they do is so.... no words. They provided kids from developing countries needing specialized medical treatment a home in the US.

Puerto Rico -Day 2 - Parguera

The first evening in Boqueron, it quickly became clear that I was NOT going to be able to purchase the things I needed for a beach holiday. August 6th and summer vacation was already over. The town was deserted, the stores and restaurants mostly closed. So we hitched a ride with the friend of the Boqueron travel agent and went to Parqueda in the afternoon.

From Parquera, we joined a tour group on a boat to the mangroves and went snorkeling: fan coral, brain coral, parrot fish, angel fish, etc... Then we boated back to the shore for beer and empanadillas (something we had already noticed that locals seem to LOVE). After dinner, we waited until the sun set and the moon, which lucky for us was waning, was coming up. The waning moon meant it was dark - better for swimming in the bioluminescent bay! Amazing! Impossible to photograph, but something really worth experiences. When you move around, the plankton glow and sparkle. We swam for a while before heading back to shore for the trip back to Boqueron. At the beach in Parguera, there was an outdoor Italian movie festival taking place... definately a more happening beach than Boqueron.

Puerto Rico - Day 1 - Vacation Stop 2

Unfortunately when I arrived in Puerto Rico late at night, I discovered that the hotel I booked online was NOT in San Juan near the airport, but in an inland town in the mountains called Caguas. I finally haggled with a taxi driver to take me for $40. At least the hotel, Four Points (real Sheraton, unlike the fake one in Erbil), was great... best bed, best sleep I have experienced in AGES. The next day, I discovered there is no public transit to speak of in Puerto Rico. So it was yet another taxi to Cabo Rojo, Boqueron Beach... $120 and a few hours later I arrived at the hotel with a suitcase packed with completely inappropriate clothing (remember I was living in Kurdistan and I have no need there for shorts, tank tops, beachwear). I unpacked and while I was trying to decide what to do next, Sarah arrived in swimsuit and sarong (the last time she appeared in my blog she was wearing traditional Kurdish dress!) The picture above is of Boqueron Beach, the beach we stayed at for the next 4 days. How surreal to be with My Kurdistan colleague on a beach wearing swimsuits! (Obviously, this blog being what it is, the pictures of us in our swimsuits will NOT be posted).

Wedding in Oak Forest - Vacation Stop 1

Although my mother was NOT pleased, I decided that instead of a typical summer vacation where I visit her in New Brunswick via friends in London, I would go to Chicago... and a couple of Caribbean islands.
First Stop, Chicago... or more accurately, Oak Forest, a South suburb. So as Fra (we won't use her real name in case her friends Google her) already had a big wedding in Vancouver planned, almost nothing aside from invitations and the purchase of gazebos (see pics 2 &3) for the garden was done. To be fair, she really had her hands full with setting up their new house and starting a business.

As maid of honor, I was kept busy shopping for a wedding dress, helping with decorations and various other small tasks. But it was FUN. Never been to such a casual or fun wedding. And the most surprising outcome of my visit... Fra and her husband (in bottom picture in white shirt) have agreed to actually visit me here in Erbil on their honeymoon trip around the world. For Fra, a seasoned traveller and risk-taker, not so surprising, but for her husband - imagine venturing into Northern Iraq on your second trip abroad (the first being a Caribbean cruise).