This is the next guest post in a series by Kevin Post. Check back each Wednesday to follow his unique adventure. If you want to guest post on Go Backpacking, please read more here.
The author at the Turkish-Iraqi border
Upon entering Iraq, I was searched by boarder police who had no idea how to open my Gregory Z-35R backpack and had me try on my Colombian poncho to see what it was used for; it was kind of awkward. A few minutes later I was dropped off by my taxi driver outside of a currency exchange office.
While I waited outside, I was greeted by three Pêşmerge (Kurdish soldiers) which was both awesome and uncomfortable. While trying to have a conversation in broken Kurdish and English, one of the soldiers held up his cell phone playing ” My Heart Will Go On”? by Celine Dion softly in the background. Seeing a tough, armed to the teeth Kurdish soldier listening to this song was strange enough for me, but he continued to say something along the lines of, ” Listen! Titanic! Don’t let go!”? as if James Cameron’s ” Titanic”? had just come out in theaters a few days ago. I understand that he was trying to relate to United States mainstream culture but all I could think was, ” Yeah, that movie came out when I was like 10 years old.”?
After a few minutes expressing the friendship the Kurds and Americans share, I said my khwa lagal (goodbye) to the pêşmerge and went into the currency exchange office. There were roughly ten men chatting and laughing that hot afternoon while sipping sugary chai (tea) in the exchange office, and as I make my presence clear, all attention was on me.
I changed every cent I had from New Turkish Liras (YTL = pronounced ye-te-le) to Iraqi dinars. Everyone laughed as I checked for counterfeit bills, because I’m sure that they knew that I had never seen Iraqi currency in my life. After being offered incredibly sweet hot chai, I left with nothing but Iraqi dinars, my backpack, a notepad with important Kurdish words and phrases, and illiteracy of the modified Persian alphabet.
Note: The literal translation of pêşmerge is ” One who faces death”? pronounced Pesh-mer-ga.
Note: Kurdish is one of the few languages that still doesn’t have an official alphabet. In Turkey it is written with the Latin alphabet, but in Syria, Iraq and Iran it is written with the modified Persian alphabet. The Modified Persian alphabet is similar to the Arabic script but contain more letters due to the fact that Arabic doesn’t contain as many sounds as Kurdish or Farsi (Persian).
The road from Zakho to Dohuk
The graffiti on the walls was unreadable to me as I walked towards the town of Zakho, and for the first time in my life I truly felt illiterate. I wanted to take pictures, but there were military instillations everywhere and I didn’t want to take my chances. I was a little nervous walking into Zakho because I had no idea what to expect, no contacts nor the linguistic capability to communicate effectively with the local population (remember, there isn’t much of a tourism infrastructure in Iraq).
It was getting late, and I hadn’t a place to sleep, but luckily I met several taxi drivers who spoke English and they recommended a hotel to me. It wasn’t bad for $10 US a night, and the receptionist seemed incredibly excited to have an American who wasn’t a soldier in his hotel.
After a long day of traveling in 46ºC (114 ºF) degree heat from Turkey into Iraq, as well as being overwhelmed just thinking that I was Iraq without telling my friends and family, I was exhausted and ready for bed before the sunset.
Before calling it a day, I took some time to people watch outside my window, as well as watch Kurdish Iraqi television. While surfing the channels I stumbled upon an Arab porn channel which was something I wasn’t expecting to find in my hotel room. After listening to some Kurdish music and staying informed about happenings in the world via Al jazeera, I fell into a deep sleep, and slept incredibly well that night.
I woke up around 5am to catch a ride from Zakho to Irbil (also known as Hawler). I hugged the receptionist goodbye, not only because it’s common to hug here,but because it was my way as an American to spread love and good vibes.
It was a four hour drive, with a stop over in Dohuk, and a short lunch break near Mosul. Dohuk is a beautiful city that I believe will have a lot of potential for backpackers due to its mountainous terrain and cultural interests. Sadly, I didn’t have the time or the money to spend more than a few minutes there; I had to get to Irbil quickly because my host that a friend of mine in Istanbul connected me with was expecting me.
Note: Many cities and towns within the ethnographic region of the Kurds (Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria) have two names. For example, if you ask an Arab the name of a town in Iraq he will tell you Irbil but if you ask a Kurd he will tell you Hawler. The same happens in Turkey with larger cities such as Diyarbakır, a Turk calls it Diyarbakır but a Kurd calls it Amed.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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About the Author: Kevin Post from Orlando, Florida, U.S.A at the age of 18 decided to utilize travel and living abroad as his classroom with aspirations to study in the Middle East, Latin America and to become a wilderness first responder, mountaineering & rock-climbing guide. He currently works at an outdoor retailer while moving to and from Florida and Colombia to be with his wife Tomasa del Carmen. For more information regarding Kevin Post check out his blog www.amanofnonation.com and follow him on Twitter @amanofnonation.
Article Series - The Road to Halabajah
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Categories: Features, Iraq
Post tags: blogsherpa, Iraq, Middle East
2 Comments
Definitely excited to see the second post in this series. Not too much is written about Iraq – especially by a civilian. It is nice to see that someone is taking the opportunity to visit the country. Can’t wait to read the follow up and to see what becomes of his blog once it’s up and running.
Definitely excited to see the second post in this series. Not too much is written about Iraq – especially by a civilian. It is nice to see that someone is taking the opportunity to visit the country. Can't wait to read the follow up and to see what becomes of his blog once it's up and running.