Well, the New Year celebrations passed without much of a fuss in Sulaymaniya. We expats were all very nervous throughout the holiday. We considered moving to various different locations but most of us wound up staying put. We had an additional scare on Tuesday morning when one of our cars enroute to Kirkuk hit a mortar shell that was left standing in the road. The guys stopped (which brings up another question) and checked out the shell in the ditch. It was primed. So they called security to report the situation and get the shell picked up.
At the same time, I had occasion to talk to the military in Kirkuk and they told me things were a lot worse than when I was last there. There was shelling going on every night with RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenades) and frequently, after dark, cars were shot at on the highway. I am very glad I do not have to go to Kirkuk for a while.
I have mentioned that the price of gasoline is about 2 cents per liter here. It is mostly a result of the embargo of the last few years. Saddam shot up most of the gas stations here. While new ones are being built, it is not unusual to see people sitting beside the road with five gallon jerry cans of gas for sale. Even in town, it is not unusual to find gas for sale in what is by our standards odd situations.
(Click on the thumbnail to see the large picture)
One other strange thing happened. Last night I was just falling asleep when there was a huge crash outside my window. I stay on the 4th floor of the hotel, but my suite is at the front. No matter. They tell me most of the damage from car bombs affects the first two stories. I hope they are right! Anyway, when I heard the crash, I woke up and the first thing I thought of was "I'm alive, so whatever that was didn't get me." I slunk over to the window and looked out. A newer taxi was lying upside down on the opposite side of the street. There is a park across from me and they have been doing a lot of work to it in the past couple of weeks. Part of that work involves delivering truckloads of dirt, which is dumped on the edge of the street. The car had hit the pile and hurtled into the air, flipping over and sliding for 60 or so meters on it's roof. People were running toward the car from all directions and traffic came to a standstill on both sides of the road. After a few minutes, the crowd flipped the car over like a pancake. Then someone opened the hood and disconnected the battery. IT was quite an operation. No one appeared to have been hurt and the car was gone the next morning. I had a great view but I had to call Heather to tell her I was a bit shaken up. I must have been, because I slept poorly that night, jumping at every noise.
I guess I should put in a few pictures of what I see when I go back to my humble abode at the Hotel Ashti. The Ashti is rated 4 or 5 stars here. I can assure you that this would be a fleabag hotel anywhere in Europe or North America. I have a nice view though. Here is a sort of panoramic thumbnail of what I see when I look out my window. This was taken three weeks ago and now it is much more springlike. I'll try to do an update soon.
There is public transportation here, of a sort. The roads are choked with hundreds of taxi's, white cars with fenders painted orange. There are also many little blue and white Nissan busses that do not seem to have any set schedule or identification. I suppose the locals know how to use them to travel, but I wouldn't travel on one if you gave me a Gondola Pizza... Well, let me rephrase that...
Again, our CEO has gone on holiday for a week. Last time he went out for a week, he stayed out for three weeks. We have agreed in principle that I should go home for a month, then return for two more months. Heather is on board as long as I agree to take the rest of the summer off for camping and relaxation, once I get home. Twist my arm. Plans for our mid-April to mid-May trip to Disney World and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville are in full swing. We've even been able to send a little bit of mad money to Pat and Kelly. And, just 25 more sleeps until I get home.
All the best to all of you,
Steve