Author Archives: admin

In Istanbul, fat cats are a good thing A Turkish affection for street cats and dogs has blossomed online—and occasionally pits local people against the government   Atlantic Mar 11th 2017 Sprawling on doorsteps, on café benches, inside hamams: stray … Continue reading →

Kurds in Iraq are the largest ethnic minority in Iraq, comprising between 15% and 20% of the country’s population. The Kurdish people are an ethnic group whose origins are the Middle East. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in … Continue reading →

Iraq – Kurdistan (Erbil, Suleymaniyeh, Dohuk) December 9-10, 2019 Currency. Iraq Dinar (IQD). Exchange rates (December 2019). 1US$ = 1200 IQD. 1 € = 1,316 IQD. There is no black market for the Iraq Dinar. Diesel. At 600 IQD/litre this … Continue reading →

Turkey – Northeast, Central-East Anatolia (Erzurum, Kars, Van, Malatya) December 4-6, 2019 I entered the far north of this area from Georgia. Turkish immigration was the usual bureaucratic nightmare where they check the same documents 3 times. With a great … Continue reading →

Turkey – Northeast, Central-East Anatolia (Erzurum, Kars, Van, Malatya) December 4-6, 2019 I entered the far north of this area from Georgia. Turkish immigration was the usual bureaucratic nightmare where they check the same documents 3 times. With a great … Continue reading →

Azerbaijan – Nakhchivan    December 5-6, 2019 GETTING IN Visa. My initial e-visa to Azerbaijan was a single entry and terminated with that use. When I wanted to enter Nakhchivan, I had to get a second visa on an urgent basis … Continue reading →

Nagorno Karabakh December 2-3, 2019 GETTING IN From the south shore of Lake Sevan on basically snowless roads, I drove through a NM “XL” series sight – Vardenis area (East of Lake Sevan). On my way to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh, … Continue reading →

The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust) was the systematic mass extermination and expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians within the Ottoman Empire (most of whom were citizens) by the Ottoman government from approximately 1914 to 1923. The starting date is conventionally held to be 24 April 1915, the … Continue reading →

Armenia – Syunik, Vayots Dzor (Kapan) December 3, 2019 After only about 8 hours in Nagorno, I left Shushi to return to southern Armenia. Although I thought I had climbed as high as I could, the road continued to climb … Continue reading →

Armenia – Yerevan, Ararat, Kotayk, Aragatsotn, Armavir   November 30-December 1, 3-4, 2019 Day 2 YEREVAN (pop 1,073,000) Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia as well as one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, it is the administrative, … Continue reading →