More Iraq

Sorry for the delay, changing my OS to windows7 put this blog lower on my computer related todo list.


The next morning I met Vamen at his shop and waited for Mohammed who was going to take me on a tour of the city in his truck. Before we went for the tour we went for breakfast. Which was similar to all other meals, consisted of far too many appetizers some salty meat soup, some pita bread, then more vegetables. It felt more like what I you would expect for lunch in Canada.
After finishing our meal off we went around the city. They showed me a number of sites around the city. Went back to see the dam, but this time at the bottom rather than top, we went to see the court buildings, but they were closed. We went to a couple other cool places and the off to the University of Dohuk.

The U impressed me. 6 years ago this place was living under a central government that unlike Turkey recognized them, but had tried to eradicate them on multiple occations. This U expanded 10 fold in 6 years, impressive to say the least. We went into the fine arts building and met Vamens sister, pretty little thing taking drama to become an actress, we went to the cafeteria and had something to drink. I met a whole slew of people, although there were fewer people gawking at me, there were more who had the guts to come up and say hi. I posed for a dozen or so pictures with people who wanted their picture with me. It was alot of fun.

After that we went back to the shop, and I walked around the market looking for a Keffiyeh while Vamen worked. We met up later to go check out the lookout spot.
It was dark by this point and we stopped a couple places to pick up the rest of Vamen's friends, and some food and beer.
Off we went, and they hadn't lied, the lookout gave an amazing view of the city, imagine any stereotypical lookout from any movie or TV show, up the beauty by throwing in a sunset, and put it in Iraq where you have to go through a passport check to get there and thats it. Also alot of garbage, I'm sure i've mentioned it before, but everybody just tosses their garbage where ever they are at the time.

We ate we drank we swapped stories, they asked alot about Canada, and I naturally obliged them, told them about health care, the stampede, scantily clad girls and a bunch of other stereotypical Canadian things that set us apart from the Americans.
It was pretty cool, but they had plans to we had to move.
Off we went back down the hill and off to a secluded piece of highway, halfway between two military outposts, because apparently they don't like gunfire close to them, they also don't like automatic gun fire which arouses suspicion, but handgun fire doesn't.

So we pull to the side of the road, we all get out, set up a couple cans to shoot at and away we go. I ended up not firing all that much, 3 times, but by the last shot I hit the target which was pretty exciting. A glock and a Soviet era Chezh gun.
These guys live in a place where carrying guns around is expected, because there is a legitimate threat. I said to them, the only reaso you have a hand gun is to shoot people, they agreed, they knew why they had their guns, one of them had even killed a man(on the order of a judge). This was a part of life, War exists 15mins away from where these guys live. Apparently the big bomb blasts can be heard from Mosul. For these guys it was real. I was just visiting, but these guys live it.

The next day consisted of travel out of Iraq and to my staging point for entry to Syria, although travel sounds boring, this is the Middle East, and the Mid East finds a way to make everything memorable