Outside of Brazil, I spent the most time on this trip in Turkey. It is not happenstance as the two are among my favorite nations in the world to visit (I’d throw in Germany, England, and Australia as my top 5, if I had to pick). On my second trip to Turkey I spent 28 days, it was filled with smiles, laughs, mixed with tremendous fear and a whole lot of beer!

Here is what is cost me:

With my friends at my favorite bar in Van

For the first time on this trip, I spent the most money on beer. I spent more than twice as much as any other country (Peru $3.55 per day (PD)), I dropped $247 or $8.82 per day. To be honest I had no idea that I spent that much until I ran the final numbers. Kind of ironic that I spent the most money on beer in a Muslim country, isn’t it? There are a few reason for this: 1. Beer isn’t cheap in Turkey, the tax is high, coming out to $3-$4 per bottle. 2. All the people I was hanging out with were drinkers so I did what they did. I wasn’t going to be a party pooper. In fact, one guy I stayed with owned a bar! 3. Because my accommodation cost was so low I was a little more free spending that I usually am.

The famous Van breakfast

You can’t drink all that beer without some good eating. I love Turkish food, in particular the Doner. At one point I was keeping track of how many I had but I lost count somewhere in the 30s, I wouldn’t be shocked if I ate 40. Seriously, one of my favorite foods in the world. I spent $94 ($3.35 PD) on dinner and $68 ($2.42 PD) on lunch. I paid for breakfast once, and it was worth it, the famous Van breakfast. It cost $5 ($.17 PD). I also spent $18 on snacks ($.64 PD), mostly on popcorn that I loved getting at the corner markets. I also was hooked up many times with free food from the people I was staying with.

Smoking shisha in Cappadocia (with tea, of course)

The next biggest cost is also a strange one, other. I spent $106 ($3.78 PD) on things that don’t fit into my other categories. First, there was a $21 visa and I bought some medicine. I also lost $34. I don’t know if the bills stuck together or I got shorted on change or I just dropped it or what. It wasn’t outright robbery as I had more cash in my wallet. In any event, it was gone. I smoked shisha several times as well and at about $7 a crack it added to this high total.

One of my “couches” in Ankara

After beer, food, and other finally comes accommodation. It cost me $63 ($2.25 PD). Of course there is no place in the world (that I know) where you can get a bed for $2.25 a night. I was blessed that the Couchsurfing community was so generous to me. I stayed with six different people, none who I had ever met before I showed up at their doorstep. In many cases they also cooked me a meal or two. I can’t say enough about the Turkish hospitality! I also spent a night on an overnight bus. In 28 nights, I paid for seven. Six were in a hostel ($6.33 per night) and one was in a nice hotel, the hotel was deeply discounted ($25) because of so few tourists due to the bombings.

With so many people helping me, I spent $58 ($2.07 PD) on gifts.

Due to many nights at the bars, I used a good amount of cabs. I dropped $57 ($2.03 PD).

The crowded local bus in Istanbul

I covered 1,075 miles across Turkey on the bus (flew into Istanbul and out of Van). This cost me $53 ($1.89 per day). The buses were quite good quality and not many people on them, which I love. I also spent $26 ($.92 PD) on shuttles and $18 ($.64 PD) on metro/local buses.

Getting cultured in Ankara

I spent $40 ($1.42 PD) on tourist activities, most of which came on a classical music concert ($17). An orchestra isn’t my usual idea of a good time but I enjoyed it. The rest came for admission to four separate sites (Uchisar Castle, Akdamar Island, Rumelihisarı Fortress, and Derinkuyu Underground City). Fortunately, many sites and mosques are open to the public for free.

I drank what seemed like gallons of tea, which is usually free but I did spend $3 ($.10) on water.

All told, I spent $856 in 28 days in Turkey or just $30.57 per day. Thanks to the generous people of Turkey I spent less than what I averaged in South America ($32.62 per day).

“You are going to IRAQ!?!?” I must have heard that response 100 times, basically every time I told someone about my planned trip. “You know it is DANGEROUS there!!!!!!” Yes, it can be, but I did my research so I wasn’t worried.

I went and I had no real problems, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. I wasn’t really in Iraq. Yes, my passport now has an Iraqi stamp. Yes, the hotel had an Iraqi flag flying. When I brought up Google Maps, the little blue dot was smack dab in Iraq. However, I wasn’t in the Iraq that you are thinking of. I was in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan. Kurdistan is a semi-autonomous region in the northern part of the country. There, Muslims and Christians, Kurds and Arabs all live side-by-side without much, if any, issue.

The Citadel of Erbil with the Kurdish flag flying

Kurdistan has been essentially separate from Iraq since the end of World War I. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire the Kurds’ territory was split between Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Saddam Hussain pulled a Hitler and committed genocide against the Kurds, using chemical weapons on them by the thousands in the late 1980s. The Peshmerga, also known as the Kurdistan Army, was aligned with Iran and Saddam was getting revenge for their role in the Iraq/Iran war.

While not on your map, Kurdistan is a very real country to these people and the Peshmerga has been fighting for its independence for decades. Finally, in 2005 after the US led invasion of Iraq, and removal of Hussain, the new constitution granted a Kurdistan Regional Government. Today, Kurdistan has its own president, legislature, police, army, budget and everything else normal countries have.

The Kurds take security very seriously with armed checkpoints every few miles on the roads outside of Erbil. The borders are constantly patrolled by the Peshmerga. It is working, there have been just three bombings in the last nine years. This level of security doesn’t exist in the rest of the Iraq.

Mounted machine gun on the street

My time in Erbil was fantastic, I was treated almost as a celebrity. In current times, tourism has become limited to nonexistent because of the perceived threat of ISIS. The so called Islamic State holds the city of Mosul, a mere 50 miles to the west. People would walk up to me and ask where I was from, I would say the US and their response would be positive. On two occasions, I was saluted. I don’t know if they figured I was in the service or they thought that is how you greet Americans. I don’t know but it was a bit awkward for me, I wasn’t sure how to respond.

The city is a circle so it was easy not to get lost. Erbil is full of nice parks, great restaurants and the best shisha I’ve ever had. The human history in the region is mind boggling. Not far from Erbil, Neanderthal bodies have been discovered and are up to 65,000 years old. Just being in this cradle of civilization was exciting to me. Much more recently, but still long, long ago there was a citadel built in the middle of the city. It dates back to the fifth century B.C., which makes Erbil the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet!

While everyone was friendly, Erbil was a bit lonely. There no hostels and very few Couchsurfers. I didn’t meet another traveler (outside of the airport) in the six nights I was there. The women would hardly make eye contact with me, let alone speak. These problems are not unique to Erbil, but the region in general. If it wasn’t for one Couchsurfer who showed me around for two days and some guys I met in a coffee shop, I would have been completely alone. I look forward to the day I can return and see more tourists.

Kurdish Countryside

Of course everyone wants to read about my brushes to danger. Nothing really happened on that front but there were two times that I was unnerved. One day as I walking about the city, two guys on a motorcycle passed me. The guy on the back of the bike was wearing a black ski mask, mind you the temperature was in the high 70s or low 80s. This immediately put me on edge. The black ski mask is a staple of the jihadist’s wardrobe. Much to my chagrin, he motions to the driver to pull over when they see me. About 50 feet away, the guy jumps off the bike and begins to follow me on foot with the ski mask still on. I pick up the pace and decide I need to get around other people so I went into a store. There I hid for what seemed like forever. It was a real life, high stakes game of hide and seek. I don’t know if he followed. When I went back outside he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe it was a kid trying to look cool or maybe it was the real thing. Who knows, but it got my blood going a little.

The other time was while I was riding with my Couchsurfing friend. We went though many security checkpoints, it was never a problem, it was a car with an Erbil license plate and a Kurdish driver. Until on the way back, a soldier took one look at me and asked for my passport. “My passport? Why would I carry my passport?” I thought. I make it a point to keep it in a safe place and not on me. It was back in the hotel, about a 30 minute drive away. After saying that he ordered the driver to pull over and for us to go into their headquarters. We walk into a small room with four guys, AK-47s propped against the wall. They again asked for my passport and I gave them my Hawaii driver’s license. That wasn’t going to cut it as they laughed. This wasn’t good. For a moment I had thoughts of being detained. Luckily, my friend was a respected doctor and gave his business card while assuring them I was okay and he would be responsible for me. They took him at his word and let me go. Thank you Couchsurfing! He later told me that they let me go essentially because I was white and wouldn’t have if I was Arab.

Erbil is a city I would recommend visiting. I hope to return someday and check out more of Kurdistan and maybe, just maybe make a push south to the other Iraq.

City Center

Terrorism is one of those things that doesn’t happen to you. It only happens on CNN in faraway places. Except it can. This is my story of the Ankara February 2016 bombing that killed 28 and wounded 61.

My friend Ezgi had been telling me for a week about a famous doner place, knowing my love for the meat wrap. So we agreed to meet in the vibrant downtown district of Kizlay at 6:00 pm, accompanied by her friend. The dinner was normal, we talked about my trip. My confession that I loved Ankara was greeted by two high fives. We talked about boys they liked. We talked about family. Ezgi billed this doner as the best in Ankara, her friend went a step farther claiming it was the best in all of Turkey. It lived up to the hype, the doner was fantastic. It was a large portion and cheap. I was in love. I could eat at this outdoor café for the rest of my life.

With just a couple bites left, there was a great noise. One I had never heard before and one I hope you never have to. It was like all the 4th of July fireworks in my life combined into one. It was so powerful the ground shook. Everyone in the cafe stopped eating and looked at each other. It was as if we were all simultaneously looking for an explanation, other than the obvious. It could have been a… I had nothing. There was no way around the fact that it was a large explosion of some variety.

The friend said she wanted to go look and got up from the table. I thought this was a poor idea and remained seated. Soon Ezgi got up saying she didn’t want her friend to be alone, I joined. Once we turned the corner nothing apparent had happened. Then, like a winter swell on Hawaii’s North Shore, a wave of people starting sprinting towards us. And I do mean sprinting. Everyone was screaming, crying and scared. I ran as fast as I ever have in my life. Flashes of Carl Lewis in his prime. I was now almost leading the pack, running with no real aim. Just running.

Before long, I look up and see another wave of people running towards us. No one is sure where the bomb is, and if there are more. To avoid a stampede I cut down an alley. Then I hear a crackling sound. I assume gun fire in an ISIS style attack. I ran harder and faster still. I wish someone would have got my 40 time. It is amazing what the body can do under extreme duress. It turned out there was no gunman, but I didn’t know that. I was quite literally running for my life.

I eventually stopped running for fear I was going to run into another attack. I slipped into a bookstore and hid towards the back. The owner was telling everyone to be calm and settle down. I asked him what was going on. He said there was a bomb and the government was now on the radio warning of a second wave of attacks.

By now the night air was full of sirens and I could see smoke rising not far off. It turns out the bomb was about 1,500 feet from us when it exploded. I lost my friends in the madness, I was alone with no idea of what to do. I was staying at another friends place, about a 45 minute walk away. I tried to get a cab but they were all full. Not to mention traffic was gridlocked. So I started walking. Soldiers were running around with assault rifles yelling commands on the main street. Almost no one else was walking, but what choice did I have? I just wanted to get back to my friend’s house. I texted my loved ones and told them what was happening. I wanted them to know I loved them if something happened.

Nothing else did happen. I made it home, cracked a beer and watched Netflix with my host. Such a normal end to an unforgettable night. I want to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the 28 people who are never coming home. God bless Ankara.