'Slow down Mr' ! Our kurdish taxi driver was a speed deamon as he drove us from the Iran-Iraqi Kuridstan border towards Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, 170 km away. We must have passed 40 or so army checkpoints but I guess that's a good thing...we felt safe! There were plenty of hairpin bends as we descended like Schumacher from beautiful mountain and canyon scenery to the warmer, drier plains surrounding Erbil. All our polite requests to slow down went on deaf ears. Obviously one of our fellow passengers had to throw up....we blamed it on the reckless driver! Erbil is a fascinating city with plenty of atmosphere. The city centre surrounding the historic Citadel is full of tea and kebab houses, fruit juice stands and a huge easy to get lost bazaar. It's a great place for people watching. Kurdish men wearing the funny baggy pants smoke shisha, woman are nowhere to be seen (especially in the morning). There are also lovely rose gardens for great siesta taking and a large mosque that resembles the Blue mosque of Istanbul. All in all a great start to Iraqi Kurdistan! Having spent two fun days in Erbil we were hoping taxi driver number #2 would be more safe-safe. Well he definitely was a slower driver as we left Erbil in the direction of the mountain town of Akre. But why was he heading west towards the dangerous city of Mosul (84 km away) instead of taking the northern route?? Panic, panic... just before the border with the other Iraq (Arab) he took a new road towards Akre which appeared in none of our maps! Phhhhheeeeeew! After two not so good taxi rides we decided it would more fun and safer to hitchike. It was soooooo easy. In the space of a couple of hours we must have hitchhiked half a dozen times and maximum waiting time was less than 45 seconds! Next day, same story. We were hitchhiking in wonderful green countryside with meandering streams and small quaint villages perched on rocky outcrops....perfect place to cycle through or have a camper van.....next time! Like in Iran the hospitality we have received has been incredible. Random people would pay for your tea without letting you know, the man making the morning bread would invite you to a delicious breakfast of dip the bread in my homemade aubergine-tomato sauce. We were invited to dinner by a group of guys that had given us a ride.....amazing....we should be paying for their dinner not them! the generosity list goes on and on... Our time in Iraqi Kurdistan was short but sweet. Forget the other Iraq you see on the news and come and check it out. You will leave with a big smile and some good pub stories!
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