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Africa Sudan Sudan-South Sudan trip 2022

A trip to Sudan

Plans

I had wanted to go to Sudan as soon as I read about it (beyond what I saw in the news). Looking past the corruption, instability, poverty, and violence, I learned that it was a country of stunning deserts and desolate antiquities. Any travel article about Sudan will tell you that it has more pyramids than Egypt; that’s true, but there is a lot more to it than that. I was only there for a week and just around Khartoum, but the little bit I saw I loved and cannot stop thinking about.

I planned to go to Sudan in 2020. We know how that turned out. When I returned to international travel in 2021, I planned to go at the end of that year, but in October 2021 the government was overthrown by a coup, so I put off the trip again. November of 2022 I finally got there. The last of my covid-delayed trips to be carried out.

A smidgen of history

Sudan is a country of superlatives. It is a massive country (it was the biggest in Africa until South Sudan split off in 2011). It has the most pyramids. Its history dates back to the Pharaohs (about 2500 BC). It had a series of kingdoms (Kerma, New Egyptian, Kush, Nubian), was settled by Arab nomads, and then from about the 16^th century, it was dominated by encroaching forces (including Darfur, Ottoman, and Egyptian). In the first half of the 20^th century, Sudan was governed / occupied by the British and the Egyptians, until finally gaining independence on 1 January 1956. I know that is like 4.5 thousand years of history summed up in a paragraph, but the point is: Sudan is big, and old, and because of its location was a hub for trade, transport, and invasion, which has led to it being a culturally rich and interesting country today.

Since independence, things haven’t been easy for Sudan. Its territory has been fractured between factions fighting for independence or control. From 1989-2019 the country was run by a military dictatorship led by Omar al-Bashir that was accused from everything from genocide in Darfur to supporting terrorism. Al-Bashir was overthrown in April 2019. He is, as of the date of writing this, on trial and in prison.

Since the military coup, things in Sudan are…well, it depends on who you ask. Some people I talked to said it is better (more stable, less violent), others said it is worse (more corrupt, more expensive). Right now, the country is led by two military groups reluctantly sharing power. They have passed a constitution and are in a transitional period. There are multiple police and military forces each of which seems fairly corrupt and fond of patrolling in costume-y uniforms and with guns, or lounging on tanks. Weekly protests in Khartoum were ongoing when I was there. No one I spoke to was optimistic.

[***April 2023 Update: on 15 April 2023, the two military groups sharing power entered into an armed conflict with guns, missiles, bombs, and planes being deployed. The airport was seized and shut down, electricity was lost, and civilians are being killed. People are running out of food and water and medical supplies/help, and are risking their lives to get the things they need or to escape out of the country. So all of the people I met who live there have had their lives and communities shattered. Some of them I am in touch with and some not. It’s very sad to think of this city and people suffering.***]

When I was there in November 2022, the Canadian government advised against all “non-essential” travel there and particularly against “all” travel to Khartoum due to threats of violence and terrorism. Administrative hassles and military presence aside, none of these was much of a concern to me. The parts of Sudan that I saw were nothing short of wonderful. Kind people, interesting sights, a relaxed vibe, and some of the best coffee I have had anywhere.

*Canadian advisory for Sudan in November 2022*

Visas and Requirements

Canadians need a visa to visit Sudan. I applied through the consulate in Ottawa, meticulously sending in all the paperwork, photos, and fees. The processing took 6 weeks. Despite there being no requirement for it, the consulate would not issue my visa unless I booked a tour. Not just any tour, but with one particular tour company in Sudan and I had to tell them that the Consulate in Ottawa referred me. So I begrudgingly booked an expensive day trip from Khartoum to the Pyramids at Meroe. (I had originally planned to hitchhike.) It was such an obvious scam/kick back, but what was I to do? It was annoying, but as soon as I had my passport back with the visa in place, I didn’t care.

Fun Facts

Sudan is right below Egypt, with the Nile running through it. The capital is Khartoum. (Not to belittle it, but it is a name that just sounded to appealingly exotic to me.) About 49 million people live there; mostly Sudanese Arabs, but there are over 500 ethic groups throughout the country. People mostly speak Arabic. The median age is just over 18. (Compare that to Canada where it is just over 41.) It is a Muslim country but not as rigid or restrictive feeling as some countries I have visited. Officially alcohol is not allowed, but there seemed to be lots in supply if you know where to look. About half the population lives in poverty. A lot of that sounds bad, but it has the pyramids, vast and diverse natural environments and wildlife, and some of the nicest people I have met.

This post is already long enough so I will start the actual experience of my visit in another post, but I’ll say here that I loved Sudan. I am writing this well after the fact, and I am still thinking about it and, even though I am committed to travelling to new-to-me countries, I want to go back someday.

Around the World 2022 Asia Singapore

Impressive Singapore: first impressions

Singapore is one of those places I had no interest in. I never doubted that it was clean or safe, that it had world class restaurants, a high standard of living, and excellent shopping; I just don’t care about those things. Give me dirty, overcrowded, dodgy, chaotic cities. To be fair to Singapore, because I quickly dismissed it, I didn’t spend any time reading about it. I might not have gone at all, except that on my flight back to Vancouver from Bangladesh, many of the flights had layovers in Singapore. It was my opportunity to see it for myself.

I would spend two full days and two nights in Singapore, which was enough. I saw what I wanted to see in that time – but it was at an exhausting pace. I think stretching it out to three days would be more reasonable.

A teensy bit about Singapore

The micro country of Singapore is an island at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, just above the Equator. Singapore was a trading port city back in about the 14^th century. In the early 17^th century, the Portuguese destroyed it and then then it remained in relative obscurity until the British colonel and governor Sir Stamford Raffles (his name is everywhere) arrived in 1819 and ‘founded’ it as a new port. Singapore became a British possession in 1824 and it became an important trade location and, later, military base. It was occupied by the Japanese in WWII and the British lost control to the Japanese in 1942 at the Battle of Singapore. It then fell into more bad times post war with a loss of infrastructure and continued discord in the region as it and other former British colonies moved towards sovereignty. Singapore was part of Malaysia for a time and then became its own country in 1965.

Today Singapore is very wealthy and multicultural. Known for being clean, expensive, and modern, having great food, having a ban on buying and selling chewing gum for non-medicinal purposes, having the death penalty for many crimes including drug trafficking, and having caning as a possible punishment for many offenses including voyeurism. Oh, and it is illegal for men to engage in sex with each other. Not women though. Countries are complicated.

First Impressions

I landed at about 5am. Breezed through the airport where, disappointingly, they do not stamp passports, even if you ask. Twice. I took a taxi to my hostel. There is no train, there are buses, but I just wanted to get to where I was going with maximum efficiently. It wasn’t too expensive. I forget exactly how much. Maybe about $30 cdn.

My hostel, KINN Capsule Hotel, was located right in the centre of downtown, in a perfect location near restaurants, the harbour, the subway, a hawker centre – pretty much everything I needed. The hostel was tidy with clean and comfortable dorms; the kind that are like little pods, closed with a curtain. It was great in many respects, except that it didn’t have a kitchen, just a coffee station and the hang out area was designed in such a way that it seemed like they didn’t want people to hang out. Anyway, I was there such a short time I just needed a place to sleep. The hostel was pretty cheap by Singapore standards ~$70/night cdn.

My failure was thinking that I did not need to book a bed the night before I arrived. (I know better but was trying to save money.) I got there at 5:30am to drop off my bag. What I really needed was maybe 2 hours of sleep. That would have to wait.

As I walked out, the sun was just about to come up and I stopped for a coffee. Once up, the city was illuminated but still quiet. People were out jogging and doing tai chi along the waterfront promenade. The city did look flawlessly clean, and the tall, skinny towers gleamed and reflected in the still waterways. Lower to the ground were British colonial buildings, with buttercream columns, and pristine white statues of British figures.

My first impression was that it was a very impressive looking city. I would not say it is beautiful and it did not excite me, but it did feel impressive and, importantly, it didn’t remind me of any other city. It wasn’t like Seoul or Singapore, Hong Kong or Taiwan. It seemed more refined, more uptight. Well put together in way that looked great but doesn’t seem like that much fun. That’s why the word that I keep coming back to when I think about it is impressive.

Day one

I spent my first day walking around the central downtown neighbourhood, the waterfront, the harbour, and Chinatown. I walked along the waterways and to the Merlion Park, which is a scenic view of the water with a large Merlion statue/fountain. Merlion? Yep. The city’s national icon is a Merlion: half fish, half lion. It is supposed to be a reference to Singapore’s origins as a fishing village combined with the original name for the city, which translated to ‘lion city’. I was told that many people hate the Merlion statue. I liked it. It’s white and pretty and different.

From this view you can see over the water to some iconic modern structures. It is all quite scenic and impressive. I got a fresh juice and continued to wander.

En route to Chinatown, I sopped and had breakfast. I went to a coffee and toast place. Or more specifically a Kopi and toast place. Singapore has its own coffee traditions. First, they call it kopi. It is roasted differently. It is strong coffee served in small portions with sugar or condensed or evaporated milk or many other variations. “Kopi-O” is coffee with sugar. “Kopi-C” is coffee with sugar and evaporated milk. And so on. The Kopi is served at breakfast with toast. You can get the toast a myriad of ways, but the traditional way seems to be butter and kaya (some kind of sweet coconut jam), served with soft boiled eggs. I ordered the breakfast set but didn’t have the eggs because eggs are gross.

I walked to Chinatown. I visited the temples, including the Buddha Tooth (replica) Temple (I think it is hilarious that they just openly admit that it’s not an actual relic) and the Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple. I liked the Hindu temple much more. The Buddhist one is very new and feels it. It looked impressive (there’s that word again) but felt a little cheap.

Chinatown was great for a walk though. The streets are lined with these pretty two-story buildings, painted pastel colors and with wooden shutters. Lanterns hung in the streets. And there were lots of appealing cafes and shops to poke around in. I was also looking for (and found) a cigar shop/lounge but it was closed.

Feeling peckish, I visited the Chinatown Complex Food Centre, one of Singapore’s famous hawker centres. A hawker centre is kind of like a food court, but it is partly outdoors, and each food stall is of the highest quality; often with a family making a few dishes for many years to perfection. There is even a Michelin star hawker centre stall. And it is cheap. I had a bowl of some sort of laksa type of vegetarian soup for less than $5 and it was excellent.

I spent the late afternoon doing more of the same: walking and poking around the streets. I took shelter at a café for an hour when a torrential downpour made the streets impassible. I had a cigar along the water at a Thai restaurant. As the sun started to set, I headed out again after a short nap and went to the Gardens by the Bay and did more eating and walking, but I will put that in a separate post.

My first day in Singapore was really good. Not exciting, but pleasant. I enjoyed the walking and the sights. while it is quite modern, it has enough of its own character that I still found it interesting – and impressive.

Europe Latvia Riga Long Weekend

Riga: The Historic Centre and Beyond

I had the morning to myself on the second day and wasn’t quite sure what to do, but the decision was made for me a bit when I awoke to blue skies.

The previous day had been grey. Now, with this improved backdrop, Riga looked even more beautiful and so I walked around many of the same streets I had the day before and took new pictures. This included taking pictures of the famous ‘Three Brothers’.

The Three Brothers are three dwelling buildings built right next to each other, each built in a successive century (more or less) between 1490 and each built by men from the same family. (Not sure about the veracity of that latter claim, but that the story.) They are amongst the oldest in the city. The buildings are interesting and photogenic but I did note that while every picture I saw of them on Instagram depicted them as being technicolor, in reality their colors (yellow, green, and white) are very muted. They are very cute and a have a fairy tale quality I thought.

I walked over to the House of the Blackheads, which was originally built in the early 14^th C as a house for single men who were members of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads guild. It was entirely rebuilt after being destroyed in WWII. This is a fact that was a bit of a disappointment to learn. Like wandering the old town of Warsaw, for example, I am left thinking: this is beautiful and I am thankful to see it, but it’s just a copy. It could be Disneyland. It was open to the public and I went in. It is worth a visit but honestly the interior pales in comparison to the crazy beautiful exterior. And the history, which includes that it was the site for the first ever decorated Christmas tree in about 1510. There is a fact that I plan to pedantically pull out at some future time to the mild interest of my conversational companion.

I had a coffee and a snack and met up with my tour guide for the afternoon.

I had booked, the night before, a private tour of ‘alternative Riga’. There are loads of free walking tours of Riga, but I really wanted to get out of the city centre, and I didn’t feel like trudging along at a glacial pace with a bunch of strangers that I would judge harshly the moment any of them asked a stupid question. That’s how I felt on that day anyhow. So I booked a walking tour where I could have a guide all to myself and see what I wanted to. It was the best decision I made that weekend.

I booked it through E.A.T. Riga. My guide, Arturs, was great. We got along and I appreciated his knowledge and his sense of humour. He walked me out of the centre to the Jewish Ghetto area, telling me tales of Riga though the wars, highlighting the experiences of the Jewish community, immigrants, outcasts, political figures, and ne’er-do-wells. In doing this, we walked through neighbourhoods that were formerly sketchy but had recovered and were just becoming a bit cool, with great coffee shops and neighbourhood bars.

We visited a sort of artist hang out yard (sort of a hippy vibe), saw some graffiti, and an installation of a giant fox, meant to draw attention to the cruelty of the fur industry.

We wrapped it up by having a bite to eat in a little backyard restaurant in a mostly residential neighbourhood. A few of Arturs’ friends came by and joined us and we hung out for a while. It was great. Not planned, and probably my favour thing I did in Riga.

We parted ways and I walked back to the old city, taking a detour to visit this excellent anti-Vladimir Putin banner that as hung on a museum directly facing the Russian Embassy. I spent the evening walking around, soaking up the evening atmosphere, and looking for a bookstore/bar that I never found.

Riga was great. I really liked it and felt comfortable there. I left really early the next morning and flew back to Vancouver via Munich again, where I enjoyed an excellent layover in the city. Of all of these international long weekends I have done from Vancouver (not including those in the States), Riga ranks highly. Maybe top three. Mexico City is still my favourite, I think. If money was no object, I think I would visit a new city every long weekend. More to come in the future.

Europe Malta

Malta Long Weekend

The Plan

I had an extra day off work on Easter weekend, which gave me four clear days off. I canvassed my list of possible international trip ideas for a four day weekend and decided on Malta. It looked lovely, it is tiny, and it isn’t packed with too many sights for a couple of days. Plus, it was Easter weekend, which meant processions and ceremony. Done. I booked the flight.

An overnight trip from Vancouver to Frankfurt, a short connection, and a flight to Valletta. I left Thursday after work and was in a taxi heading to my accommodations on Friday afternoon. Like magic.

Arrival in Valletta

Malta is a couple of small islands in the Mediterranean, just south of Sicily. It is a country. A beautiful island micro country, like a tiny jewel in a magnificent setting. A few fun facts about Malta: they speak English by and large but they have their own language which is Maltese, which seems like is a mix of Italian and Arabic, but then there are unique letters like an H with an extra line through it. Interesting.

Malta is immediately impressive. In that first taxi ride, the sun was up and it was stunning to see that light reflecting off of the sand coloured buildings and churches that lined the hilly streets, which led to the sea in every direction. Domed churches, clusters of cemeteries red, blue and green wooden balconies — all lovely.

I stayed at what called itself a hotel but was really more of an Airbnb in that I let myself in with a key pad and never saw anyone. Not my favourite, but the hostels were not in central Valletta and the hotels that were, were expensive. This place was fine. Not cheap, but about as good as can be expected for a destination like this. I was happy enough.

On that first day I did what I always do: I walked. I walked fairly aimlessly to get my bearings and see what there was to see. Valletta was even better on foot than it was in a taxi. So many narrow streets with tremendous views, beautiful architecture, and inviting cafes and bistros.

It was a bit cold when the sun went down but I found a restaurant with some heaters on its patio and I had dinner, a cigar, and a martini. It was a great introduction to the city.

Valletta Day Two

This is normally the part where I would break to a new blog post for day two, but, I don’t have that much to say, so I’ll carry on. Here’s the thing, Valletta IS beautiful and it IS a great choice for a weekend break, but two and a half days there felt long. Valletta is small and easy to walk and see in a day (a busy day). I would have spent more time in galleries and museums, but many of them were closed; some due to renovations or maybe covid, but almost everything was closed on Easter Sunday. So mostly, I walked. I explored the narrow streets, enjoyed the architecture new and old, visited the library, MUZA (the National Museum of Fine Arts), and the 17th C historic house of Casa Rocca Piccola.

When I needed a rest, I stopped for a coffee and a small cigar. (Weirdly, there are no cigar lounges in Valletta, but smoking outdoors is fine, if a bit chilly in April. I SAW “weirdly” because Valletta seems quite posh and classic and it seems like it should have dark wood panelled cigar rooms filled with posh men in leather chairs. But it doesn’t — or maybe it does but they are so posh that they are off limits to me.)

I visited the Upper Gardens, which, as gardens are fine, but the impressive thing is they have the most incredible views of the water, the rooftops, and of the neighbouring islands. Cannons line the edges, facing the sea.

From the gardens I took the outdoor elevator, running parallel to a cliff, down to the lower part of the city and got on a small ferry boat. Tiny things, they only hold about six passengers and look a little like gondolas. The ride across to the “Three Cities” is cheap and pleasant and, if you take the crossing on a super windy day, as I did, it is a little exciting. The boatman did not share my enthusiasm for the wind and waves.

Taking the boat across to explore the other side is reason enough, but I had a more specific purpose. The Fort of Saint Angelo. It is open to the public and is fine for a visit, if not very interesting, but what I wanted to see was the visit to the upper fort.

The upper fort of Saint Angelo is technically, kind of, it’s own sovereign state. It isn’t one of the 193 universally recognized countries on the UN list, but it is recognized by the UN as being sovereign. It is the territory of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (or the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for short.) It has no land per se, but has this space in Malta and some in Rome. The Order has relationships with and is recognized by over 100 countries and had its own stamps and I have read that it also has passports and currency but I’m not sure about that.

So will I add it on to my list of countries visited? No. But it is pretty cool, like visiting Transnistria or the Vatican or Christiania. I love these geographical/political rebels.

I expected some kind of fan fare, but sadly I just stepped across the threshold of a black gate, under a seal, past a sign, and I was in.

There wasn’t too much to see on the other side. I had hoped for cloaked figures in the shadows at least. But I walked around and took pictures and then when I was satisfied I left and bloated back to Valletta.

The evening was an excellent meal and a negroni with a couple of cigars.

Reflections

It was all lovely and pleasant and pretty…and I am happy I went … but it wasn’t super exciting. I think Malta is one of those places where it might be nice to be there with a significant other (something I am sure I will never have or do); I say this because Valletta is just so romantic — romantic and a teensy bit dull — so I could imagine being there with someone with whole you want to linger over meals or glasses or wine with. Or maybe it is better for people who want to relax more than I do. Plus, being that Valletta is decidedly not a backpacker crowd, I had trouble meeting people. It seemed like everyone else was there for their own family or romantic weekend so people didn’t seem so open to chatting up weird Canadian cigar smoking solo travel women. Fair enough.

I don’t want to dissuade anyone from going to Malta; it is gorgeous and unique and historically interesting, and romantic. It’s just that for me, travelling the way I do, a day and a half was fine and I could have done with some (mis)adventure.

The next day, were it not Easter Sunday, I would have ventured to the ancient temple of the Hypogeum, but it was closed for the holiday and I really wanted to see the Easter Sunday festivities in Valletta. That I will save for another post.

Albania Europe Iraqi Kurdistan/Albania trip 2022

Museum Hopping in Tirana, Albania

Back from my long day trip to North Macedonia, I had about a day and a half left in Tirana.

I think that two days in Tirana is ok, but a bit tight if you want to go to museums and galleries, which I did. What this meant was that on my second day in Tirana, I didn’t have time to lose. My alarm went off early. (Yes, I set an alarm on vacation. I don’t travel half way around the world to sleep.)

I left the Tirana Backpackers Hostel and set off. First thing had to be first however, and I went to get the requisite covid PCR from a place that looked more like a cosmetic surgery office or a Kiehl’s store, with a gaggle of young looking, beautiful women in short dresses and white lab coats. I would get the results later. Negative.

I started off at a cafe. Fuelled by espresso I made a bunch of stops. I’m not going to recount all the museums I went to in detail and some of the ones I didn’t go to I missed because they were closed. Tirana has lots; I picked from what was available.

National Museum: interesting to get some insight into Albanian history. In poor repair and scruffy, but worth visiting. Educational and I felt like they needed the money.

Bunk Art 2: There are two Bunk Art museums. One in Tirana’s centre and one not. Bunk Art 2 is the further out one. I look an easy bus ride, which was fun in its own right. Bunk Art 2 is excellent. A great history lesson about the long reign of Enver Hoxha and his brutality and paranoia, the latter of which led him to build underground bunker tunnels all over the country – 173,371 to be precise, built obsessively and to Albania’s financial detriment. (Let that sink in: 173,371 underground bunkers in a country slightly smaller than the US state of Maryland.) Bunk Art 2 is a museum built into one of these huge bunkers, very far underground. It is super interesting and also an experience, given that it is a bit claustrophobic and creates atmosphere with music and sounds throughout its rooms and tunnels, but stops short of being too theatrical. Definitely worth a visit.

Bunk Art 1: Honestly, Bunk Art 1 was a bit anticlimactic after Bunk Art 2. It is more of the same, but smaller. You can’t beat the location though and if you buy a ticket for Bunk Art 2 No.1 is included.

*cold war bunker and a pretty pink building*

The House of Leaves: You think I would have been tired at this point by learning about Hoxha’s dictatorship and his tools of surveillance and torture, but I wasn’t. The House of Leaves is a former centre for surveillance and investigation turned museum. Really creepy and interesting. Lots of information and artifacts about secret bugs and cameras, prison and brutality. There is a list posted of favourite torture methods of the regime. I’m still thinking about that.

To cleanse myself of the historical horrors, I walked in the sunshine over to an outdoor food market area and sniffed my way around various treats.

I went for a long walk to nowhere in particular and went for dinner and a cigar at this small outdoor area of international restaurants and cafes.

I had planned to finish the day at Perla Tattoo & Bar for some live music but it was having some guy’s birthday party that night (as best as I understood). It was just as well. I was exhausted. I went back to the hostel and hung out in the chilly courtyard.

The Next Day

I was flying out the next afternoon, which gave me the morning. I decided to take a leisurely approach. I had breakfast at the at the café at the Opera house building on the square. I had this very tasty Albanian breakfast dish. A kind of a savory porridge made from a grain and topped with white cheese and crunchy bread.

I had a cigar and walked next door to the bookstore, where there is a good selection of English books. I bought a couple of novellas by celebrated Albanian author Ismail Kadare.

I visited Et`hem Bey Mosque (the mosque on the square), which is uncharacteristically painted with scenes of fruit, trees, and scenery.

*buskers (and a dancer!) outside the mosque.*

I then went walking in search of street art murals. Tirana has a lot, but they are scattered around. I found some information online and planned a walking route that would take me to some of them and down some different streets. I stopped for coffee.

It was a pleasant way to spend the first half of the day.

I left Tirana feeling like I had done it justice in the time I had. Had my itinerary played out as I planned, I would have spent another 24 hours there, but due to a change of an Albania Air flight, I was instead flying to Belgrade, Serbia.

Europe Iraqi Kurdistan/Albania trip 2022 North Macedonia

Wandering North Macedonia

Roadtrip!

I couldn’t resist the Wandering North/North Macedonia mashup for the title of this post, but I really wasn’t wandering North Macedonia; it was a strategic strike. I didn’t see myself doing a proper trip to North Macedonia, but a day trip from Tirana seemed perfect. I looked at options to get from Tirana to Skopje (the capital of North Macedonia) by bus and regular taxis and it is do-able but seemed like doing it in a day might be an unwelcome challenge, so I looked for a guide to take me on the day trip. I am glad I did. I got see everything I wanted to in a single day and got loads of useful information about the area.

The tour I booked was through “Go As Local“. It wasn’t cheap as a solo traveler, but it was good value. I was picked up early in the morning by colleagues and buddies Andi and Skerdi. They were delightful. They gave me lots of good historical and present-day information and answered all my questions. As a bonus, they are really great company and quite funny. They get along and have a good vibe between them that was enjoyable. They were good companions for what was a long day.

Just a bit of History

If you haven’t been keeping up with the Balkans, here’s the deal with North Macedonia (big picture only). In the 20^th century it was ruled by Bulgaria and Serbia, then became part of communist Yugoslavia. After the Soviet Union fell, it became Macedonia. The problem is, according to Greece, ‘Macedonia’ is a region in Greece and they demanded a name change to the new nation. Macedonia relented and in 2018 Macedonia became North Macedonia. In the 21^st century there have been disputes with Albanian insurgents in Macedonia seeking independence, but that seems to be resolved.

Macedonia is mostly Eastern Orthodox, with about a quarter of the population being Muslim. They speak Macedonian, which in written in Cyrillic. They have beautiful currency (the Dener).

It was a nice drive. Rolling green hills, picturesque towns, the hillside dotted with mosques.

It wasn’t a long trip from Tirana to our first stop: Ohrid.

Ohrid, North Macedonia

Ohrid is notable for being beautiful and, at one time, although a small city (or large town) it had 365 churches. One for each day of the year. I guess they just took a day off each leap year. Most of the churches are long gone, but there are some, the most notable of which is an orthodox church sitting above Lake Orhrid. We walked up a hill though streets of houses to a picturesque fort at the top, Macedonia’s super cool flag flying from top.

(I do really like their flag. A yellow circle with bright, thick yellow rays on a bright red background. It is so bold. It looks like what you might see in a comic book when someone gets karate chopped or takes a kick to the head.)

Anyway, we walked up to the fort, then through the trees, down past the church, which looked stunning over the sparkling lake, then down along a boardwalk on the edge of the lake, past wooden boats and charmingly rustic waterfront dwellings.

It is lovely. That said, I really didn’t need to spend more time there. Sure, I could imagine having a meal and a cigar at one of the outdoor, lakeside restaurants, maybe even spending a night, but I wouldn’t necessarily have seen more; only relaxed. So I prefer the way things actually transpired, which is that we sped off to Skopje.

Skopje, North Macedonia

While Ohrid is an easy day trip from Tirana, Skopje is pretty far. This leg of the journey was less picturesque, but still pleasant. I was looking forward to Skopje because, well, it looked weird. And I like weird. As it turned out all of Skopje is not weird. Much of it is normal and nice, but the part that is weird did not disappoint.

So, in 1963 a huge earthquake destroyed much of the city centre. Many years later the government undertook a project called “Skopje 2014” which was designed to give Skopje an identity, celebrate famous Macedonians (like Alexander the Great and Mother Theresa), and attract visitors.

The result is that the centre looks artificial and haphazard and like it is trying too hard to look classic and refined. Some people have compared it to Las Vegas, which is apt. Like Caesar’s Palace or the Venetian, it’s a grand and a bit tacky. It also feels a bit like a person with poor taste won the lottery and bought every ornate and fancy object they could in an effort to show off their wealth and new class.

The centre of Skopje has, on one side of a small river, a row of gleaming white neo classical / baroque buildings, each with rows of famous (?) historic figures in front. (As I understand it, these buildings are very poorly constructed and are already falling into disrepair. But, man, are they white.) There are foot bridges across the small river. Each bridge is crammed with statues of important persons. On either side of the river there are squares with HUGE statues. Like Luxor huge. Genghis Khan huge. And there are all the images you would expect from classical sculpture, but mashed up in jarring way. There are horses, lions, fountains, thrones, groups of men, solitary men, women in flowing robes, etc. And everything is just sort of plunked down, seemingly at random. It is a lot to take in.

If the goal was to connect Macedonia with important historical figures or make its history more important or to have people take it more seriously, I don’t think it was 100% successful. But if the goal was to increase tourism, I think it is a win for the diminutive nation. Instagram has tons of photos from curious travellers who seem to have been in Skopje to gawk at the weird, big statues. And part of the reason I wanted to visit was to seek the spectacle.

But there is more to Skopje than that. I really liked the area around the hammam, the Old Bazaar area, which was a pedestrian area of gently curving streets of one to two story buildings with rows of shops and some attractive neighbourhood cafes. It has a pleasant feel, even if I did get the sense that the majority of the people there were tourists.

Andi, Skerdi, and I enjoyed a coffee (and I had a small cigar) and then the three of us went for dinner in an old house serving traditional Macedonian food.

Dinner was good and it was a nice end to a great day.

Kosovo…sort of

Except it wasn’t quite the end. We still had the long drive back to Tirana, but (bonus!) we drove back through Kosovo! We went through border patrol and my passport was stamped and everything. I was delighted to be in a new country.

Did I see much of Kosovo? No. I still would like to visit Pristina and I am not writing it off as ‘done’, but I am counting it. We stopped, fueled the car, bought drinks and a bite to eat. It’s something. (I’ve been back and forth with myself on this, but I’ve decided I am counting it – and I will return.)

By the time I got back to the hostel, it was late. I think it was a 14 hour day, but well worth it. The Balkans area great in several regards, not the least of which is that the counties are tiny and crammed in together. The fact that you can visit three countries in a day is astounding. If I drove for 14 hours in Canada, I would still be in Canada.

I went to sleep as soon as possible. I had only one full day left in Tirana and I had a lot of ground to cover.

Asia Iraq Iraqi Kurdistan/Albania trip 2022 Kurdistan

Arrival in Iraqi Kurdistan

I decided to go to Iraqi Kurdistan in Northern Iraq. As with so many of my trips, I didn’t really have a good reason; just an interest and a winnowing down of alternative destinations based on weather, or covid restrictions, or where I went last. So I booked myself a flight to Erbil (also spelled Irbil or called Hawler).

Let’s get this out of the way right off the top: Iraq / Kurdistan / Iraqi Kurdistan? What I am I talking about? Iraq, as we all know, is a country. A high profile one. The capital is Baghdad. It is famous for, amongst other things, Saddam Hussein and Aladdin. That’s straightforward. Where things get murky is the Northern bit, which is where I went. I’m not going o attempt to break down the history of the Kurds or Iraq or the Middle East generally, but suffice it to say that the northern part of the country of Iraq is under control of the Kurds, which is why it is often called Kurdistan. Though Kurdistan also broadly refers to lands in several countries, like Iran and Turkey, where many Kurdish people live.

*Map of Kuridstan – where the Kurdish people traditionally and predominantly live*

The northern, Kurdish part of Iraq has its own government, flag, laws, visa system, etc…but it isn’t technically its own country.(At least not in the narrow, UN-defined definition of country.)This is always a treacherous topic and places like Scotland, Palestine, Tibet, Taiwan, and Kurdistan are amongst those places where statehood is…a matter of some debate. I’m not going to go down that path. According to the map and the stamp in my passport, the currency in my wallet, and the address of my hotel, etc, I was in Iraq, but I know that merely calling it Iraq is not entirely accurate and is also disrespectful to the Kurdish people, who have fought for their independence, so I have been saying I was in Iraqi Kurdistan or Northern Iraq, depending on my audience and how comfortable they are with geography and history.

Erbil is the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. (You will see it on the map above near Mosul.) As far as human civilization, it dates back to about 5,000 BCE. Over the centuries it has been a part of a long list of empires from the Assyrians to the Ottomans. It is all very interesting, but this isn’t ‘Wandering Encyclopedia Britannica’, so for a proper history, you should probably read a book, but it is worth looking into, even if all you is read the history section of an Iraq travel book.

People speak Kurdish there, but may also speak Arabic. It is a Muslim part of the world. It is in a mountainous region and in fact the month before I arrived, they had snow. So this is not the rolling desert terrain you might be imaging. I was there in February. It was cool in the evening and pleasantly warm in the day. A lot of the trees were still waiting for their spring greenery and there was not a lot of flowers, but there was some evergreen plants and grasses around. It would probably be more pretty in the Summer, but also brutally hot. I thought it was perfect.

I learned a few words and phrases in Kurdish, which proved to be mostly helpful in impressing people with my efforts. Those that spoke English were happy to do so, and with those that did not, I relied on my excellent combination of charades and smiling.

I landed at the airport, flashed my PCR test and vaccination status (the former was required the latter was not, which was different from what was on the government website) and got a visa on arrival, which is available to people from many countries, including Canada. The visa required no paperwork, but does demand a fee of $70 or $75 US (it seems to fluctuate). No questions asked, I breezed through. I changed some money to Iraqi Dinars. And I was in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The sun was just setting as I took a taxi into the city. It wasn’t immediately impressive, but nor was it off-putting.

I was staying at the Erbil View Hotel. Not a bargain, but one of the better options available. Erbil does not have hostels. It does have some budget hotels in the centre, but you can’t book them online and even in walking around, none of them were immediately apparent. So I guess if you are really on a budget, the thing to do would be to book a first night at a pricier hotel and then look for a cheaper option. I stayed put. The reception staff (who were lovely) upgraded me to a suite that was easily twice the size of my apartment and very comfortable. And…smoking was allowed!

But I didn’t have time to lounge in my room. I set out for the centre. It was dark but I had figured out my walking route ahead of time. (Time studying maps ahead of time always pays off.) In about 10 minutes I was at the centre, in between the citadel and the bazaar, surrounded by tons of people enjoying the evening in the square.

Everything was bustling. Families and friends out, drinking tea, people walked around selling nuts and fruits and cotton candy and balloons. It had a festive air. Not what you think of when you imagine Iraq – even Iraqi Kurdistan – after dark.

I did sort of a loop around, dazzled by how bright and colorful everything seemed. (Admittedly I was probably delirious from that cocktail of jet lag and excitement.)

I was starving but realized pretty quickly that none of the restaurants had vegetarian food. One man said he could barbeque me some tomatoes, but I passed. Fortunately, the streets radiating out from the bazaar were lined with street food vendors. Most of it was meat, but there was also falafel. Joy! Perfectly fresh falafel made for throngs of hungry people who crowded around. It was served in soft, pointy pita-style bread and covered with pickled vegetables and spicy yellow sauce. And it was about 60 cents. Canadian.

Satiated, and not ready to return to my room, I walked to the most appealing place: a 2^nd floor patio decked out with Christmas lights and producing plumes of fruity smoke. Shisha and falafel, the perfect combination.

It was packed, but I found a seat and puffed away on a lemon mint shisha combo, while sipping on lemonade and snacking on pistachios and cashews. It was mostly young, local people. I didn’t see any other tourists (nor did I for the rest of the trip.) I was content. I had made it and it was off to a good start.

I walked a slightly different path back to my hotel and slept, excited for the next day when I could really explore. (There will be more photos on the next post. Most of the ones on this first night came out dark and blurry. What can I say? It was dark and I was excited.)

Tag: history