Category Archives: Uncategorized

Turkey – Mediterranean West (Antalya, Isparta, Burdur, Alanya) December 19-20, 2019 ALANYA This is a large beach resort city on the Mediterranean coast. Tentative WHS: Alanya (25/02/2000) Ataturk House Museum. Ataturk visited Alanya on February 17, 1935, arriving at 07:00 … Continue reading →

Turkey – Mediterranean East (Adana, Hatay, Osmaniye) December 17-19, 2019 HATAY PROVINCE ANTAKYA (Antioch) (pop 217,000) It was a populous city of ancient Syria and a major town in south-central Turkey. It lies near the mouth of the Orontes River, … Continue reading →

Turkey – Southeast Anatolia (Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Mardin, Batman, Urfa) December 14-17, 2019 From Kurdistan, Iraq, I turned west to drive along the Iraq border. It was the first sunny day in weeks of endless rain or snow. The interesting landscape … Continue reading →

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 →