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Life is a road with twists and turns. So also my travels.
I and a friend have for a few years travelled together on short trips to some places in the world. We do it for friendship and for the fun of it. Two years ago was the first time. We tried to get to New York, but the plane was full, so we ended up in Chicago instead. And went to visit a dear friend and her family in Milwaukee. The year after we planned to go to Tokyo, and we managed to get there. This year, I "won" the right to choose this year's destination. After a lot of back and forth, I decided on Buenos Aires. I haven't been to South America since 1998, and decided that it was probably about time.
We flew to Frankfurt to board the plane to Buenos. But we aren't riding on fixed tickets. We are riding on stand-by. Much cheaper, but also more uncertain. When we left Oslo, it looked like a sure-go. But when we finally managed to find our ways to the gate, they told us the plane was packed. We were a bit disappointed. And instead of looking for options, we just left the airport and found a hotel close by. A taxi driver zoomed us to the hotel at almost 200 km/h on the autobahn. After a good meal, we sat down and checked our options. After some searching, we found that the safest option was to try to get to New York. Our original goal for the 2011 trip.

Interesting detail in our bathroom of the hotel in Frankfurt. Do not turn these knobs...

The next morning, we had breakfast and went to the airport for our second attempt at getting somewhere. This time, we succeeded. We were on our way tot he Big Apple. We hadn't really planned anything, so we just went with what we knew we wanted to see. My friend also sat next to a New York resident on the plane, and he gave us some tips. A few days in New York is not enough to see everything. But we didn't mind. One of our main goals is to travel together as friends. Enjoying the trip in itself. Not necessarily to see as much as possible. So we decided to just go for the obvious. The Empire State building. Times Square, B&H photo store, the Hayden Planetarium and Central Park. We added a few other places too. Like Fifth avenue and Bryant Park.
We found the hotel we were planning to stay at in 2011. It was the cheapest option. And what a brilliant option it was. By no means the most luxurious hotel, but given it's location, it was a winner. A block away from Times Square, 15 minute walk away from B&H, a few minutes more for the Empire State building. And about 25 minutes from Central Park. Two avenues away from Fifth and Bryant Park. Smack dab in the middle of everything we wanted to see. And then some.

Out hotel

View from our room

Times Square

I found it interesting that millions go to a place famous for its giant ads... But we had to go there too. Of course. Benn there, done that and so on.

Times Square

On Times Square, we also found an interesting concept store. For M&Ms. Interesting to see what can be done with a chocolate if you really want to brand it properly. A store full of merchandize (in addition to the chocolate, of course).

Megastore

Chockolate wall where you could choose your own mix of M&Ms.

Streets of New York

I know that taking photos of streets in New York in black and white probably is a cliché, but I couldn't resist. I like the way it looks. Here is a sample of some street shots.

Famous buildings

New york has its host of famous buildings. Empire State building is of course a given to go to the top of. Unfortunately, when we visited, the clouds where low, and we could clearly see why they are called skyscrapers...

One of the original sky-scrapers.

The lobby

Our heads in the clouds...

Other famous buildings were the Chrysler building and the Rockefeller center.

Rockefeller center

Chrysler building.

Breakfast in America

We avoided the Mac and the burger joints, and went for the more healthier alternatives. Serving freshly made juices and sandwiches. A better start for the day than the othr options. Some where quite nice places too.

Sandwich and orange juice.

Our last breakfast in America place...

A walk in the park

Central Park is gigantic. Something we found out when we walked through it to get to Hayden Planetarium. It was a strange place. Not weird kind of strange. But the serenity in the middle of the bustling city around us made it a strange place to be. Just a few meters into the park and the city almost disappeared behind us. Birds chirped. Squirrels ran across the foot-paths. People jogging. Walking. Kids playing. A veritable oasis in the middle of New York.

South entrance to Central Park

Beautiful autumn colors

NAtives running around.

Serene spots

Bryant park is another park not far from our hotel. It houses a small marketplace where people sell handicrafted stuff. In additon, there was an ice rink with restaurants and cafees around it. They had placed a rack of powerful lamps on top of a nearby skyscraper. The lamps lit up the rink from above.

Hayden Planetarium

We didn't get to see much of this place, since we arrived a bit too late. And we had to leave eraly the next morning. So we only got a small glimpse of it. Would have loved to explore more of what it had to offer. Maybe another time.

Do we dear to enter the Dark universe?

Quote on the wall inside the musum of which the planetarium is a part

Going home

We opted to go home on Saturday since we were not sure to get a flight back on Sunday. And I had to be at work on Monday. The consierge at our hotel arranged for a pickup by a airport shuttle. We spent the morning eating breakfast and walking to the Hayden planetarium. After a short visit there, we cought a cab back to the hotel and got there just in time for the shuttle to leave. New York traffic... I now understand why many people prefer the subway...
The Sun was shining down on New York as we left. It had been a wonderful three days. We could probably spent several weeks if we wanted to see everything. But we were both happy with what we had seen and done during these short days. And it was good to come home.

On the airport shuttle bus. Well prepared for bodily fluid spills...

Oslo welcoming us in the morning mist

Under the light of the Moon

I stood and looked at the moon yesterday. It was about the same phase as when I left for vacation. four weeks ago. I had just had my last soft-ice. And my last shawarma.

The last soft-ice

The last shawarma

On many of my previous trips, I have wanted to make the most out of the last day. But I don't do that anymore. I have learned to let go. To accept that things come to an end. And it gives me ample time to contemplate on where I have been and what I have seen.
I looked back at the four weeks. Four different countries. I have barely scratched the surface of either, but have still felt like I have seen a lot. And they have represented deeply differnent things in their own way.
Mozambique. Previously torn by civil war. Floodings. Now a reasonably functioning country. Renamo is still active. Still fighting for their ideas. I have seen the poverty. The rich. The difference. I have heard beautiful music and eaten wonderful food. And met wonderful people.
Malawi. I have previously know very little of this country. Have heard less. I only stayed for a week. But got to see the beautiful country. The wonderful beaches of Lake Malawi. Seen the smiles of "the warm heart of Africa".
Dubai. With its exuberant wealth. Standing before a tower costing more than the GNP of several African countries combined. Walking through a shopping mall packed with fashion shops void of any price tags. "If you've got to ask, you cannot afford it." The contrast with the little girl in Tete is staggering.
Iraq. War-torn. Conflicts. Dictatorship. Friendly. Honest. Hospitable. The different nuances of this country makes it an exciting place. I have been to the peaceful part. A couple of hours drive south of here, three coordinated suicide bombings occurred in three smaller towns just a few days ago. That is what the outside world hears about. I have seen the other side. The one that we never hear about. And I like to think it makes me more sceptical about how the world is described through the media. They may not lie, but they do not tell the whole story.
So here I am. Last day in Erbil. Last day before I start the long journey home. Home to my day job. Home to my apartment. Home to parliament election. Home to friends. Home to church. Home to everyday life. And to more complaints about how much we suffer in "the worlds richest country".
I do believe that I become wiser from travelling. More knowledgable. And I wish more poeple would do just that. Learn more about people. Countries. How things are in the world. Get their heads out of their butt-holes so they can see that it's not all crap. But it is my sincere hope that my humble musings here in this blog may help those open-minded, to see more of the world they cannot travel to themselves.

Regards,
Ragnar
Globetrotter

At the edge of town

Sometimes, it is good to be reminded of where you are. I have walked around for days now. Meeting people. Greeted by them. I have felt comfortable. Safe. But I do know that not all is well in paradise. And I got a reminder of where I am yesterday. I started walking along a street out of town. I just kept on walking. Just to see where it led. A sign said towards Baghdad. I knew I wasn't going to walk that far. But I enjoyed seeing the area change. From the bustling bazaar area of the inner city around my hotel, to the more business areas in the outer. And I passed a few hotels along the way. And it hit me how some of them where heavily guarded. Guards with AK-47s. Thick steel gates. Metal detectors when entering the compounds. I realized that all of those were hotels with flags indicating they housed UN personell and/or American people. Luxurious hotels. And I know that if there was an terror-attack, they would attack these places. Nobody would attack Hotel El-Shait or Hotel Al-Dump. Because all the important people always stay in luxurious hotels. Not the backpacker shacks I normally stay in.
After a while, I passed a shopping centre. I felt the urge for some serious refluiding, so I decided to go there. I have to admit, the airconditioning was also a tempting feature... As I came to the entrance, a small sign was also a powerful reminder that I was not in Oslo. A sign that indicated "No guns allowed". It was obviously something they had to remind their customers of. And when I entered, I had to go through security. They checked my bag, and I had to go through a metal detector.

Two hours after I set out, I had reached the edges of Erbil. There were new buildings being erected further out, but I decided to stop at what would be a future intersection. An overpass had been built. And a road under construction extended to each side. Underneath, wonderful shade. People stood there selling fruits to travellers. I enjoyed the shade. A welcomed relief from the sun.
I walked up on the intersection. Looked around. Erbil is growing. Changing. It is a peaceful place in Iraq. But in a country like this, things can change. And the security I have seen, may be necessary for a long time. Maybe forever. But it is my hope it does not change the people.

New buildings at the edge of Erbil

Fruit seller

Street art in Erbil

More street art

Ad for a shopping center in Bergen, Norway...

Welcome down into Erbil city, where the sun is hot and the girls are pretty

After checking out from my first hotel, I started looking for a new place to stay. I had checked out hotels before I left, and found one that sound promising. It was located in Bata Street. I had no idea where it was. The porter of the hotel gave me the general direction. "You could take a taxi. But it is also good to walk!" I couldn't agree more. I thanked him and was on my way. The sun was hot. Very hot. I have just spent a few weeks in relative cold, so my body wasn't ready for it. But this is how I adjust. I spend many hours out of the comfort zone. Sweating my shirt soaking. After a while, the body gets the message, and I can move normally without turing into a pool of water on the sidewalk. I walked around for almost an hour before I followed a hunch, and lo and behold. The hotel suddenly stood right in front of me. I walked up the steep stairs and met a guy who spoke about 5 words of English. But he understood what I wanted. At least I think he did. They had no vacancies. Figures. This was supposedly the best of the cheapies. So I walked across the street and that hotel had a vacancy. So I checked in, emptied my bag of all non-essential stuff, and went out into the baking oven again. It was 40 in the shade. But precious little shade.
I found that the hotel was right beside one of the sights I wanted to see in Erbil. The citadel. The original part of Erbil. It is said to be the oldest city in the world. They are doing some excavations at the site, so we will probably know soon. I walked up to the entrance nearest the hotel, but was stopped by a guard. "No entry! Construct!". I saw a sign saying I had to go to the north entrance. No problem. I walked around the city walls. On my way, I saw a sign I wanted to take a photo of. I picked up my camera and took a picture. Suddenly, a police officer came up to me and put his hand out. I looked at him for a second and thought maybe he wanted to see the photo I had just taken. Some places, people are seriously paranoid about foreigners taking photos. So I started preparing to show him when he slapped his hands together. "Ah! I'm sorry!" I said and laughed. He laughed too. He just wanted me to shake his hand. I did. He opened up a broad smile. "Salaam my friend! Where are you from?" "Norway!" "Ah! Welcome to Iraqi Kurdistan! You work here?" "No I'm a tourist!" "Ah! Tourist! Welcome!" Another officer came by and said something about "Radio!". He picked up his radio and changed the frequency. Some policecars stopped nearby. "Ok! You can go now!" he said to me. I think what he meant was "You should go now!". I found it best to leave the area. I have no idea what it was about. So I just continued towards the north entrance. I passed a booth with a guy sitting there. "Sir!" he said and waved me back. "Your name please!" he asked. I said my name and my nationality and he wrote it down in a book. "Thank you! Please enter! Have a nice day!". I walked up the steep road up to the citadel. It was obvious that the temperature was getting to me. I was short of breath and I felt like I had never moved for the past five years. I had to stop to catch my breath before entering the citadel itself. I always find it interseting to see old cities like this. My imagination runs wild. I can sit for hours trying to imaging what it must have been like to live there. What people who saw it might have thought. This heavily fortified city on a hill. Impenetrable. With tall, thick walls. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so here. Most of the site was off limits to visitors due to reconstruction and excavations. So I could only walk the main street. And even then I was stopped from going the length of it, by a guard who politely told me that the street was closed of "Due to construct!" So I just took a few photos here and there and walked down again. A bit disappointed, I have to admit. But now I was getting seriously warm, and I could feel my body was drained of fluids. So I picked up a bottle of water and a can of coke from a guy on the street. I drank it all in one go. Now I started looking for a place to change some money. I found one spot where they had pictures of all the important currencies of the world. Dollars, British pounds, Euros and Norwegian Krone. I had to smile. Among the few selected notes they had on display, was a Norwegian 1000-kroner note. I took out $150 and got 180 000 Iraqi dinars in return. Stashed them into my side-pocket. Feeling rich. I walked through the bazaar. I love bazaars. I'm not the shopaholic type. But I guess if I was, this would be a vertitable mecca. But to me, it's just an incredible place to watch people. And all the things they sell. And how they sell. I read somewhere that shopping here is supposed to be a fair deal. There is no "special price for you". They give you the price they expect and that's it. No haggling. No back and forth. Just a price. And they give foreigners the same price as locals. No difference. And here's a new for me : Many places I've been, nobody has change. That's not such a problem here, but I have had a few encounters where the seller didn't have the correct change. And then I found something extraordinary that I have never seen before. The seller makes sure that the change I do get, is in MY favor. He actually accepts a loss because he accepts that it is his problem, not mine. I was a bit surprised the first time it happened. But now I see that it is common.
After many hours of walking, I decided to check out the many food stalls around. I wanted to try the local shawarma. I found one place and ordered one. The shop had many chairs standing by the wall. I sat down on one and sunk my teeth into the delicious freshbaked bread with juicy meat. Ah! After a long day, it was time to retire into my room. I had switched the aircon to 28 degrees. It actually felt a bit cold. But wonderful.
Today I continued my adapting to the local climate. I visited a park about half an hours walk from my hotel. And also checked out a couple of software shops. "If it exists, we have copied it". One of the shops, the proprietor spoke English reasonably well.
"You speak kurdish?"
"No, I'm sorry. Only English!"
"No problem! How long you work here?"
"I don't work here. I'm just a tourist."
"Ah! Welcome to Iraqi Kurdistan! Why you don't work here?"
"Because I have a good job back home."
"Where are you from?"
"Norway!"
"Ah! You must come and work here. Very good!"
"Nah! I like my home country."
"Ok! You are welcome here!"
I thanked him and left. I have to say that I found the hospitablility here rather awesome. People come up to me every now and then, shake my hand and welcomes me to their country. Makes me wish I knew some kurdish, or arabic, so I could've spoken more with them.
And I don't think I've been anywhere where the sheer precentage of pretty women are so high as here. In the first hotel I stayed in, when I came for breakfast, this incredibly stunning beauty entered the restaurant. With her mother. I would have said "hi!" if it weren't for her mother looking like she would tear my heart out and force-feed it to me on toast if I even smiled at her daughter. So I minded my own business and had breakfast. Stealing some glimpses every now and then. She saw it and smiled. But just walking down the street, I see beauties all the time here. Sigh! I admit it, I like to look at them. In China, I learned that the Chinese word for beautiful really meant "easy to look at". And I guess that is a fitting description.
Another good thing here is the soft-ice. Ah! The soft-ice. It is so delicious it is unbelievable. I could have lived off that alone. 40 cents will buy you a cone with this soft delight. It melts in minutes. But that's no problem. It is gone long before.
So there it is. My first couple of days in Iraq. I'm loving it!
Some pictures from my walks around the city.

View of the citadel from the city

View of Erbil from the Citadel

Easy to see why they didn't want me to enter

Some self-refelcting

I asked if I could take a picture, he said "sure!" Cool police-car

And the ones they are chasing...

And one of those they don't...

All the important currencies, including Norwegian Kroner...

Really? They have a branch here?

One night in Baghdad? Naaah! Maybe some other time.

Some images from the Minare Park. It had several niceely cut bushes and a row of statues of people I have no idea who are. 

Local powerstation. An large engine roared inside, and a million
wires going out.

Inside the bazaar next to my hotel. If they don't have it, you don't need it.