Northern Iraq (Kurdistan) 2008
 

Citadel of Erbil - Erbil, Iraq

I stayed at the Hawthore Suites in Erbil on my last trip. The hotel is nice and a quick walk to the Citadel. The Sheraton is right across the street and has a disco on Thursday nights. Worth checking out. The hotel also has a wonderful buffet and two bars every night of the week. Lots to see and do. Don't miss the newly opened Nasdak Mall a few blocks from the bazaar.

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Al Sulyamaniyah, Iraq with over three feet of snow at the higher elevations.

The name escapes me of the hotel that I stayed at in Sulyamaniyah. It was mediocre but fairly centrally located. Within walking distance of many restaurants and a few decent bars. The bowling alley seemed to be the place that most of the young people hung out.

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Awesome dude. How was the daily flow of life over there? Was there a lot of differences from other places in Iraq? Most of all... was it safe?

Wow great post and cool photos! Thanks for sharing! I may wait a few years before I backpack in Iraq though ;)

--Joey

Daily life in Kurdistan is completely different than that of other areas in Iraq. It is almost like (and according to some, you are) entering a different country when you cross the Kurdistan Border check point. The traffic lights work, the police aren't corrupt, there are liquor stores, and people are generally friendlier. No weird stares, bad looks, or anything. They are genuinely kind and in most cases they will go out of their way to help you with directions etc. There is a new development of houses going up in Erbil and now Sulyamaniyah conveniently dubbed the "American Village". Rumor is that the prices range from the mid 100's to low 200's. Sulyamaniyah has some excellent mountain views. The new terminal in Erbil is now open and EIA is receiving daily flights from central / southern Iraqi cities as well as Amman, Istanbuhl, Vienna, Stockholm and Beirut. You may still want to wait a few years but I would not hesitate for a second going back.

You had me at "there are liquor stores"