Five really scary things about Kurdstan

While most folk worry about car bombers and suicide bombers, the reality is there have been only three such bombs in Kurdistan in the last 10 years.

Now these are things that I really worry about.

1. Exploding gas cylinders. Everyone here uses cylinder gas and given the usual state of affairs here, I very much doubt if any of these are regularly (if at all) checked for safety. At night when the stalls are set up along the footpaths of Salim Street there are portable gas cylinders everywhere and if one exploded it would cause havoc in the dense crowds.

2. Dodgy electrics. Much like the cylinders, there is little or no control on the standard of electrical work and wires just hang and tangle everywhere. See next item.

3. Fire escapes. Two years ago a hotel caught fire here and over 40 people died as there were no proper fire escapes. The fire was caused by an electrical fault. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuzb9X4lUD8

4. Earthquakes. With very little in the way of building controls, many building here have been constructed cheaply and badly. Crumbling concrete due to the lack of cement is a common sight and who knows what else lies hidden. This is an earthquake zone and a big shake would bring a good part of this city down.

5.Being run over. Kurds are not aggressive drivers and there is little of the pushiness and horn tooting of Lebanon or the crazy fast driving of the UAE.  They are, though careless, distracted, and like many things Kurdish, drivers have little regard for rules. Another disturbing factor is that there are no 'drink driving' laws and drunk drivers are too common especially on Thursday and Friday nights.

Throw into this mix a lack of pedestrian crossings and then getting across busy Salim Street becomes a game of Russian roulette. The vast majority of drivers are polite and slow down to let you cross  and the locals just step confidently into the stream of rushing traffic.But it just takes one.....

The mysterious Babylon Hotel

Two doors down from the Bayan Motel is the four star Babylon Hotel, but for the life of me I can't work out what is going on there and the staff at the Bayan don't know either. Most of the time it appears closed, the foyer is in darkness and the only lights on are at the very top floors. Mind you Kurds keep their curtains closed ALL the time so even if people were in the rooms it would be hard to know.

Then mysteriously on some days it is a normal hotel - the reception is all lit up with people sitting in the chairs and walking about. Last night there were lights on in several windows. It is not rundown, no one working on the building renovating or repairing so what is going on at the Babylon remains a mystery.

Nothing but blue sky.....

I know it is peevish to whinge about sunny weather, but while you are enduring the erratic weather in the southern hemisphere, I just want you to know that endless sunny days do lose their appeal. What is the point of opening the curtains and looking out at the day? It is just going to be blue cloudless sky... Three days we had clouds, but they were just a tease and by next day they were gone and the unrelenting blue was back.

The Kurdish Sky

There has been no rain here since early May and none due until the end of the month. Everything is coated in a gritty dust - leave your windows open and your house becomes a sand pit. Kurdish water consumption is three times the international average boosted by endless washing of courtyards, steps, paths and balconies and quite frankly I can't blame them. I would go mad with a hose. The last few days have seen some strong gusty winds which only  exacerbates the dust...  Cleaning grubby dusty shoes is a never ending daily task.

It is cooling off though with daily temperatures in the mid to high 20s and the evenings are turning distinctly cool.  I have been reaching for a blanket in the early hours of the morning,  the AC is now turned firmly off and some folk are wearing jerseys and jackets.

At the Lavo Cafe

One of my favourite places to eat from the very first time I came here is the Lavo Cafe - the food is Kurdish plus pizzas and they have great salads which are fresh and different every day. They have a menu in both English and Kurdish with prices, but more often than not several items have run out so now I just ask what they have left. And the prices on the menu never seem to match the price paid and I can't work out how they reach the final bill which is NEVER over 10,000 dinars ($10) and is always less than what I expect.

In the photo is the manager Arez who is incredibly friendly despite having limited English. When I pay he writes down the price in arabic numerals which I then have to read out in Kurdish and then he reads them in English - it is a great way to improve my language skills.

Arez is a bit on the tubby side and he is laughing because I told him to stand straight, stopping breathing and put in his fat stomach just like I was doing.....

Film extras?

Yesterday three English guys walked into the Melody cafe accompanied by a soldier toting a machine gun (I was close enough to hear their accents). Foreigners are unusual in this cafe - at one stage another customer stood about two metres from them starring at them. The staff made the soldier put his gun behind the counter - who has an armed guard in a cafe, I ask you - this is Kurdistan, not Iraq...

However, it was how they were dressed that attracted most attention. All three were tall, in their late 30s and dressed as is they were in an Indiana Jones movie - sandy coloured desert boots, loose tan trousers and a plain cotton collared shirts. The clothes looked brand new and it appeared as if they had all shopped together for this trip. The guard though was Kurdish and it seemed to me that he was just there to complete the 'look'....

Maybe they were geologists or archaeologists, but whatever they were doing in Kurdistan, they looked quite ridiculous...

Final election results

In short the final results are very close to the interim results despite the cynicism of many commentators. The Goran (Change) Party with 24% of the vote and KDP with 38% of the vote are the clear winners, with the PUK at 18% suffering a severe set back and with the two Islamic parties with 17% between them just nudging ahead of last time.

Post election disturbances have been minor and in testament to Kurdish political maturity, a spokes person for the PUK said that they would accept the result and spend the next four years rebuilding the party.

Now we just need to see the shape of the coalition government which is predicted to be a KDP/PUK alliance (as before) but with a very different distribution of ministerial posts.

Bayan Motel

I have now moved to a motel - like a small flat with a separate bedroom, lounge and kitchen and while not as central as the Mihrako Hotel, it is only one km away.

The address is just typical of Sulaimanyah - it might seem strange, street names and numbers don't mean anything here and everything is 'near' something else. Girdy Andazyaran is the Quarter or suburb - Bayan Motel, Girdy Andazyaran,  Near the Cultural Hall and the Dr Khrasraw Overpass,
Sulaimanyah. Easy to find!!

I have lots of windows which open and have clear glass! I can lie in bed and watch the traffic on the Dr Khrasraw Overpass, keep an eye on the Rand Galley Mall and listen to the call to pray from the Husseinyah Mosque, a Shiite mosque that only call to prayer three times a day. However they do rabbit on a lot on Friday. Just 100 metres the other way is the Mar Yousif Catholic Chaldean Church. They are ethnic Assyrians who worship in the Syrian eastern rite, but recognise the pope as head of the church - many have fled to Kurdistan to escape persecution in Arab Iraq

And I have a washing machine.... small domestic things bring great joy!.

Under the motel and part of the same business, is the Melody Cafe which is run by women, mainly from Nepal (the motel is staffed by men). Women working in cafes or restaurant is highly unusual here and I wondered if the cafe was a front for some other dodgy business. Being a single middle aged man I would be the perfect prospect, but after closely watching the behaviour of both the staff and the customers it all looks above board to me.