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@soulohio wrote:
how’s that stiv? i mean, the guy seems entertaining enough but it’s rather bad form to gloat over much money you make on an internet board and piss yourself everytime a defence contractor gets another no bid contract….don’t you think?
No, I don’t see it as bad form. I see it as a valuable resource of information.
@Lee wrote:
James,
I hate to be overly critical, but I’ve noticed that your website has a repetative spelling mistake:
ICheers,
Lee.
Dearest Lee,
It is repetitive. Not repetative. Hate to be overly critical!
Cheers,
CharlotteIndeed. The PKK goes a few steps further even. Recall Daniel’s visit to the PKK camp in N. Iraq (reference here on PB.) He told me that the leadership structure of the guerrilla camp was over 50% female, as the dictates of their regulations require gender equity.
That said, Kurdistan is a tribal society with their share of ultra conservative elements here and there. Honor killings are not uncommon in some of these areas.
On the other hand, there are quite liberal factions as well, such as the Alevi Muslims in the Tunceli, Turkey region.only one week? yes you can get your visa upon arrival. Cairo is like a slice of hell. My advice to you: go straight from airport to train station (reference http://www.sleepingtrains.com) Take the sleeper train to Luxor. Spend your week in Luxor. also reference: egyptwithmara.com
you can rent an apt. from her in a residential neighborhood away from the tourist ghetto.@starvinggeek wrote:
Although I’m interested in Syria I don’t have enough time on this trip. I’m thinking maybe I can fly from Istanbul to Sanliurfa and then wander back east. Do you know what internal flights are like?
Eli
Yes, flying throughout Turkey is cheap and plentiful. Go Onur Air or Turkish Airlines to Diyarbakir …. worth a day and night to take in the beautiful basalt black walls that surround the city …. you can stroll along the top of them. Visit the Kurdish Cultural Center, a place the Turkish govt. considers to be highly subversive. They are happy to see Westerners there. It’s a neat place. Sanliurfa is about 2 hours away I think. In that area you’re likely to be shadowed by a Turkish undercover military agent but don’t let that bother you. In fact, you’ll see plenty of Turkish military around. Invariably you’ll be checkpointed now and again. Just show your passport and answer their questions politely. Be careful of pickpockets in Diyarbakir. Sanliurfa is great. Good food ….. the esteemed Urfa Kabob …… the birthplace of Abraham with shrine, a beautiful mosque and a fantastic souk ….. in fact the best souk I’ve visited so far, like going back in time.
@starvinggeek wrote:
I just read up on it and it sounds great. I’m just a wee bit concerned about it being so close to Syria/Iraq. Is there much real concern in this?
I nearly didn’t make it back from my last trip so I’m being a bit more cautious this time out.
Cheers,
EliNo. No real concern. Last summer I traveled in Syria, N. Iraq and SE Turkey. You may want to not linger too long in some of the smaller towns. I spent an unpleasant night in Nusaybin, Turkey while waiting to cross the border into Qamishle, Syria. No danger to me, just a creepy undercurrent and my presence seemed to contribute to some sort of tension that I was not keen to explore. By contrast, N.Iraq was much better although I was there for a very short time. (read David’s commentary here on PB for the trip description.) If you should go to Sanliurfa you can easily get over to Syria. Alleppo is a great town, very interesting and somewhat pleasant. Lee can hook you up with his Van contact who can make arrangements for you to travel over to Alleppo with a guide and a 3 day tourist visa for a very cheap price, which would prob. end up costing less than the route I took ….. getting the 100usd 3 month visa in advance and traveling solo.
Michael, I am glad you posted this query on the subject of working for NGO’s. It seems to get ANY job these days one must possess a degree, preferably at the Masters level or beyond. I’ve met some truly educated idiots but some who are smart as a whip, so I guess a little schooling doesn’t hurt nothin.
I too, am interested in working for an NGO and my situation is thus:
Ph.D. level from University of Hard Knocks, unfortunately a non-accredited institution of higher learning which gets me Jack Shit.
I’m 50 years old and about 2 years away from early retirement, working for a government agency as a grant writer and administrator for emergency preparedness following a WMD or CBRNE incident, disaster mitigation and critical incident stress management.
While I’ve not yet provided direct service in this field should our Emergency Operations Plan become activated ….. or should the CaCa hit the fan I’ll be required to hit the ground running in assisting with providing relief and recovery from our own personal Armageddon.
Prior to this line of work I was a crime-victim advocate where I assisted individuals and families in navigating the criminal justice system and prior to that I was a welfare caseworker where I implemented and maintained financial assistance to the American equivalent of “Chavs” (a new term I recently learned.)
My language skills are: passable English, a little Spanish, a smattering of words in Turkish and Arabic.
I know how to say “Open your mouth wide” and “This will hurt a bit” in Kurdish.
It is a goal of mine to seek work with an NGO but my lack of a degree could be a factor. I am hoping that life skills and experience will over-ride that. The Peace Corps is an option but the two year commitment is a minus. I would prefer projects of approx. a 12 month duration where I could earn wages that would sustain me in the local economy. Transportation (airplanes) would have to be provided as well. My pension would allow me to maintain my homestead for my college age daughter and ensure living digs for me upon my return. Provided she didn’t trash them, but she is becoming sufficiently adult so I don’t think that would happen.
So, for the next couple years I’ll be researching this and any postings for available resources would be appreciated.
The African project is quite worthy, Lee. Let me know how that is developing and enjoy your upcoming trip.
Cuidado!Cappadocia will be cold this time of year, but the rocks should be stellar amongst snow and ice. If you are interested in going to the east of Turkey and want to avoid the cold I’d recommend Sanliurfa. It’s south-southeast and pleasantly chilly in the winter but not cold. Goddawful hot in the summer though. Close is Diyarbakir and Mardin. Head 8 hours north to Van and you will find snow. Also, if you’ll be there around March 21 you can celebrate Newroz … the Kurdish New Year …. and you can bet they’ll be having a racketdy time. To celebrate Newroz in “unoffical” Kurdistan would be a culturally signifcant and rewarding experience.
The other day I read reports that two bombings took place in Istanbul recently. Some people were killed. Reportedly the perpetrators were the same Kurdish (splinter group of PKK, per media) militants who took out the tourists in the west of Turkey last year. That said, my guess is that western Turkey and Istanbul are the most unsafe regions of Turkey but still I believe the danger is negligible. I don’t know when you’re traveling but the big eclipse is also coming up, prime viewing sometime in March and prime viewing location somewhere around the region of SE Anatolia.@mikethehack wrote:
ANKARA [MENL] — Turkey has ordered a major military operation against Kurdish insurgents near the Iraqi border.
Officials said Turkey’s Gendarmerie Command has launched an operation against the Kurdish Workers Party. They said the counter-insurgency mission was taking place in Tunceli, a rural area near the Iraqi and Syrian borders.
“This is a major operation against what we detect is a large concentration of terrorists,” a Turkish security source said.
Officials said the Gendarmerie Command has deployed more than 1,000 troops in the offensive against the PKK. They said the ground force was supported by combat helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
They are referring to the city of Tunceli?
Maybe a 10 hour drive to the border, at least.@Stiv wrote:
Awww c’mon Char, Cairo aint so bad it’s like the NYC of the ME. The city that never sleeps. After kicking around in Ethiopia for a few weeks it was like coming home when we flew in there.
It takes some getting used to though. The Khan el Kahlili bazarre is ok but compared to some in Syria, Iran and Turkey it’s only so so.
Best,
StivI agree with you about the souks. The best I’ve seen, in my admittedly limited travels (compared w/some here) is in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The Alleppo souk is amazing as well …. narrow twisting lanes that go on forever. The Damascus souk as it segues into the Omayyad (sp) Mosque also is stellar. Even the tried and true Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, once you begin to explore it’s nooks and crannies, contains serendipitous charms and pleasures, particularly “Afghan Street” and the out of the way antique & curiousity vendors, hidden in various courtyards and upstairs shops.
Speaking of Turkey, and this is not a pun, the Bird Flu has hit Van province and taken 3 children so far. Health officials are watching very closely and trying to determine if the disease was caught by only being around infected chickens (which were contaminated by migratory birds) or by human to human contact. There is an unsubstantiated rumor that Dogubeyazit is under enforced quarantine with no one allowed in or out.
@Lee wrote:
I take it by Shanli Orfa, they mean Sianlurfa?
It’s Sanliurfa, commonly referred to in those parts as Urfa. The Shrine to Abraham there is spectacular and the souk is supreme.
