Travels in au Kurdistan often begin with surprises and hazard. Well, generally, when trips start with trouble, the best is for the end, Inch Allah. In Frankfurt I escaped to a Japaneses’ crash, who tokk the escalator with their carts, full of luggages. Normally these escalators are made for carts also but I always doubt of my own reflexes… they did not, so the leader of the group, an old and rash man has blocked his carts on the last step, and then all the other people and their carts authomatically crashed against him. Seeing that I did follow the same way, I realized that the only thing to do is to go up the steps against the movement, until the Safety stopped everything. Beginning the adventure with a broken leg in Frankfurt, would have been so cool…
After, a long along time of waiting.. Kurdistan Airlines offices opened à6hpm foselling tickets. A 8hpm; checking and registration of luggages … and 11h10 the boarding, for a flight on 11h55 pm. Well, normally…. But at 12h00 pm we learnt that the plane had technical problems. Uncertained waiting in the boarding room with families and moarning kids, wonderfull … At last, at 2h am the flight is delayed until 10h00 am. And then a lightin a hotel is graciously offered. But after having explained the events to everybody, with German, English, Arab, Kurdish translations, after that all angry people expressed their opinion, and after having registered everybody for the hotel, and after that the bus came, and led us to Amadeus, we could sleep 4 hours… Sleepy breakfeast at 7h am, then we came back to the airport, and the plane left Germany at 11h. Quiet trip until Hewlêr, we arrived at 5h pm (local time) (2 h more than in France).Flying above Hewlêr, while the pilot get down a bit quickly, making nervous some people, I was so happy to see again these blond and golden mountains that I was not afraid … It was like finding a beloved after a long separation, it was only pure joy.
And going out of the plane, this good warm and dry air, that changes of the European summer-winter.
Control without problem, a visa is necessary, but if we have not, it is only asked to go to the Immigration Office for staying more than 10 days.
At the airport, a young man was greeting me with a funny way : ” Angelina Merkel is very nice !” I suppose he believed me a German. I laughed and answered in Kurdish that I am French. Obvisously Chirac is not so popular.
I was waiting by a charming driver holding a pannel with my name. Car with conditionned air, TV with Turkish clips inside, (Turkish songs are very popular in Kurdistan ).
Sheraton is a smart place : restaurant, bar, Chinese food, swimming pool, Fitness … Many Asian people work there, with Christians, Arabs from Mosul and Kurds These formers obstinately talked with me in E nglish until they realized that I speak Kurdish. Then, astonished, they asked if I am Kurd. And when I sayed that I was French but speaking Kurdish, I love their reaction : They are HAPPY. Not stupefied, full of gratitude, or doubtful like Northern Kurds. There all Kurds sepak Kurdish and they can’t imagine a Kurd who could be only Turkish-speaker. For even during Anfal Kurdish was taught in many schools The absolute negation of Kurds’ existence did happen only in Turkey.
Kurdistan hopes to become a secund Dubai. Far from romantic and revolutionnary dreams of course, but remembering how was the country 20, 10 years ago, I can understand this love of richness. After all, Gulf countries enjoy comfortable life and a safety they buy with petro dollars. The invasion of Koweit provoked the Secund Gulf War, and I guess that a Turkish invasion in Kurdistan woud not mobilize all the UN…. So KRG tries to buy Turkey with bakshishes, trades, petrol, and for the moment, it works.
