Paysages improbables de pays exotique, toujours. Aujourd’hui, l’Auvergne.

(English below)

Certains lecteurs* se sont émus et injustement inquiétés du long silence qui s’est soudainement abattu sur cet espace, auparavant crédité relativement aléatoirement de doux billets où se mêlaient joyeusement inepties de haut vol, humour potache, et informations d’un intérêt douteux sur des pays l’étant tout autant. Le tout généralement agrémenté de clichés dignes de mon séjour scolaire de découverte géologique, en 5ème, safari minéral caractérisé (déjà) par mon incapacité à fixer sur la pellicule d’un kodak  jetable les sauvages troupeaux d’éclats de roches volcaniques qui paissent paisiblement dans les campagnes auvergnates.

De retour, sur les rives de l’Allier, du coup. Soit. Loin, me direz-vous, de l’ambition démesurée dont je faisais l’étalage il y a quelques mois et qui devait m’emmener jusqu’aux abords de la Baie d’Along -abords qui ne valent de toute façon pas, paraît-il, ceux du Lac d’Aydat-. Diable. Diantre. Pourquoi ?

Bon, je sors de taule, en Iran.

Lorsque j’abordais dans mon « Hello World » les galères de voyageurs auxquelles j’escomptais me frotter, je ne m’imaginais guère pouvoir un jour vous narrer une mésaventure d’une telle ampleur. Chanceux que je suis, me voilà riche d’un épisode que peu de routards pourront jamais se targuer de vous conter.

« Il l’a fait exprès ? ». Certes non, même si une demi-douzaine de représentants de l’ordre iranien(s) [notez qu'avec ou sans ce "s", le sens change, la formule reste juste] s’interrogent encore à ce sujet, tant la démonstration de stupidité dont je suis l’auteur mériterait de rejoindre dans les manuels d’Histoire le tacticien ayant appuyé l’idée de la Campagne de Russie napoléonienne, l’inventeur du radar automatique, le Père Fondateur de Pompéi (« Oh ! Quelle jolie vallée ! ») ou le grammairien théorisant la concordance des temps alors qu’il avait connaissance de l’existence du plus-que parfait du subjonctif : c’est peu dire.

« Il l’a bien cherché ! ». J’admets que les contrées choisies par mes soins n’ont que peu de points communs avec la Belgique ou le Tyrol, surtout le Tyrol du Nord. L’occasion de rappeler, pour ceux qui en douteraient, que l’Iran, et dans une moindre mesure, le Kurdistan irakien, sont des destinations qui ne s’adressent qu’aux voyageurs chevronnés et prudents, et qui, si vous vous considérez comme tel, méritent un détour par le site des Conseils aux Voyageurs des Affaires Étrangères. Souvent taxé d’alarmiste, par les 95% de ressortissants pour qui le séjour perse se déroule sans anicroche, et d’encourager à exercer l’art de la baroude dans une poignée de pays européens sécurisés et onéreux dont le Bas-Rhin, il délivre des avertissements que vous aurez tout loisir de méditer depuis cet appartement d’une extrême fraîcheur, dans lequel on n’est jamais incommodé par le soleil gracieusement fourni par les Gardiens de la Révolution (Candide, Voltaire, c’est pas parce qu’on est taulard qu’on a pas lu). Mais donc, sans « l’avoir cherché » particulièrement, je me suis retrouvé derrière les barreaux. Une habitude diront certains proches qui remonte certes à bien avant mon voyage et dont j’étais déjà coutumier en Hexagone.

« En parlant d’endroit jamais incommodé par le soleil… ». Non. Je vous rassure, mon intégrité physique n’a même pas été menacé, et la liste des MST que je véhicule à travers le monde et que je conserverai, si vous le voulez bien, à ma discrétion, n’a pas été rallongée par cette aventure. C’est tout juste si l’acronyme « DTC », que je ne vous ferais pas l’insulte de développer, risque de hanter longtemps mes récits iraniens.

De retour, aussi et surtout, online. Ma voix porte de nouveau sur les réseaux sociaux, pour le plus grand bonheur des amateurs de Belles Lettres. Argh. Ce premier post sera bien sûr suivi de petits comptes-rendus de mon mois au pays des aryens (« Iran »). Surtout et je vous rassure, le voyage reprendra prochainement au pays de Gandhi ; une appellation qui par ailleurs fait déjà résonner aux oreilles des enfants des années 80 les paroles de la mélodie infernale du générique « au Pays de Candy » qui pourrira sans nul doute le reste de votre dure journée de bureau, et celle de vos collègues.

C’est plein de cette certitude et quelque part vengé -sur vous- des vicissitudes arbitraires dont ce monde m’accabla que je vous laisse, en vous  donnant donc rendez-vous très prochainement. En ces pages.

Bisou, bonne année,

Doudou

Au pays de Candy

Comme dans tous les pays

On s’amuse on pleure on rit

Il y a des méchants et des gentils

Et pour sortir des moments difficiles

Avoir des amis c’est très utile

… (espérons qu’un Iran libre érige cette chanson au statut d’hymne national)

* aussi surprenant que cela puisse paraître, ce blog a des lecteurs. Pas loin d’un demi millier de personnes meublent mensuellement leur ennui au bureau par sa lecture discrète, ou y échouent par quelque hasard malencontreux dont seuls les concepteurs d’algorithmes pour moteur de recherche ont le secret – concepteurs inconnus cristallisant les malédictions appuyées de ceux d’entre vous qui aboutirent ici suite aux requêtes « roux sorcieres », « pute à domicile », ou « drogue à Tel Aviv » -. (vous vous doutez bien que je ne remets ces mots clés que pour booster plus encore mon référencement)

L’occasion pour moi de les, de vous remercier (ndlr: mes lecteurs)

-

Ok, I am back. In France.

It wasn’t exactly what was planed, so for those of you which are not able to understand anything in French, and asked themself what exactly was happening on my facebook, I just spent the first 15 days of 2011 in jail, in Iran. Mostly cause I am stupid, as I will explain soon, but also cause iranian authorities is not exactly the most comprehensive and reliable system on Earth.

But well, I’m back. Online.

Which means that 1., the nightmare is over, 2., I am not traumatised Ad Vitam Eternam (and here I am asking myself if you do use/know a few latin words in English ??!? -> means « for my whole life »), and 3., I will be back on the road, soon.

Sorry for this long silence on this tiny space. Be sure that I am very happy to have the opportunity (again) to show how bad are French people in English, I will demonstrate my incredible skills in it as soon as possible.

Kiss you, see you soon

Doudou

(btw, doudoul means « dick » in farsi, so don’t use this nickname in Iran anymore)

On my scale: quite expensive country, if you are traveling alone.

1.500 Dinar= 1€

Visa (French citizen): Free. As for everybody. You can ask your visa at the border, they won’t bother you with a full interrogatory. I have read that you don’t need to extend your 10 days visa, it is true inside Kurdistan, but I was unable to have an exit stamp at the Iranian border, they sent me bacin Erbil! There is buses from Silopi (Turkey; 15$ / 20 TL / 10€) that let you just after the border, you will need a taxi after this to get to Zakho. You can enter from Iran also. You can not go in Iran if you don’t already have a visa (you can get one very easily in Trabzon, Turkey). The visa is available for the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan only, you can not go in Arabic Irak with it. You can cross some part of the Arabic Irak by bus sometimes, this is not a problem, even if there is a lot of checkpoints where they will ask your passport.

cigarettes: 1.000 Dinar / 0.65€. It drop at 750 Dinar in Sulaymaniyah.

sandwich: 500 Dinar / 0.35€ for falafel, 1.000 dinar / 0.65€ for meat (again, 750 Dinar in Sulaymaniyah).

beer: 1.000 Dinar / 0.65€. There is liquor stores in every city. Beer in a local bar is 2.000, in a foreigner bar, 5.000.

Accommodation:

- Zakho (alternatively named Zaxo):

Shash Hotel: 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€. Triple room (but I was alone), clean private bathroom, breakfast include, AC.

Zakho Palace Hotel: 15.000 Dinar /10 €. Double room (but I was alone), clean private bathroom with western toilets, AC.

The very good blog Backpackiraq provides older information about hotels, here.

Shash Hotel (up) is situated in Reka Barzan/Baderkhan street, next to the most well known hotel of the city, the Hotel Bazaaz. For the same level of comfort, but without breakfast, you will find in this street the Jihan Hotel, the Roger Hotel (20.000 Dinar) and the Hotel Zozek (20$, 24.000 Dinar). The Emin Hotel (15.000, privatized dormitory room with shared bathroom), looks scary, but you may have a good price if you are not traveling alone.

At the West end of the street, walk a few meters on your left  (Kurdistan Street) to find half a dozen of liquor stores.

At it East end is the roman bridge, only sights of Zahko (Golan intersection, turn on your right).

North to the Roger Hotel starts the Shorash street, where you will find the Zakho Palace Hotel. Surrounding this street are the Firat Hotel (30$), and the Zana Hotel, Zeitun Hotel, and Melvan Hotel, with closed door or sleeping personnel at the time of my visit.

There is at leas four or five other hotels in Zakho.

I found five or six Internet Cafe, but there you can not use your laptop. Check three of them next to the Roger Hotel (1.000 dinar per hour).

Shops will provide you a fair change.

Shared taxi to Dohuk are 6.000 Dinar. The Garaj is at maximum 2 km of the city center. At the north end oh Shorash street, turn left, after 100m you will see it on your left.

- Dohuk:

Slevan Hotel : 15.000 Dinar/10 € Double room (but I was alone), clean private bathroom with western toilets, tiny balcony, AC, fan.

The very good blog Backpackiraq provides a map of the city center, check this link. He also get information about hotels, here.

The most well known and expensive hotel of Dohuk is the Hotel Birjin, hotels are east to it in the Kawa street and the Ayloul Street. Face to the Birjin, the Darya (or sometimes “Daria”) Hotel seems to be a good value for 15$ (single room, private bathroom). Next in the Kawa Street, the Biryaety Hotel and the Sader Hotel seems crummy and have each a double room with shared bathroom at 15.000. Finally, the Parlaman Hotel have a welcoming English-friendly staff, a double room with private bathroom, fridge, AC for only 20.000 Dinar.

In the Ayloul Street, you will find first the Ashawa Touristic Hotel, which can be a good value if you bargain (it was full when I checked it), and face to it the Slevan Hotel (up). Go east to find the Kordo Hotel, 20.000 for a nice double room with bathroom and western toilets. Then you got more expensive hotels as the Aven Hotel (25$, nice double room, private bathroom and western toilets), the Duhok Palace Hotel (25.000 Dinar), the Harem Hotel (30$) and the Abin Hotel (full).

There is also a lot of big hotels and motels outside the city center.

Dozen of liquor shopsand at leas two bars are in Nohadra Street, which is the first road between Kawa street and Ayloul street after crossing the bridge, west of the bazaar.

There is numerous Internet Cafe but most of them won’t allow the use of your own laptop, except in Tarin Net, on the west end of Ayloul street.

Shared taxis to Amadya are on Kawa road, for 8.000 Dinar.

Taxis to Lalish are 40$, way back include. You can not go by bus, and won’t find a share taxi except on Muslim holy Friday, or Yazidis holy Wednesday and Saturday, if you are lucky. You can call Dakhil, a friendly Yazidi taxi driver, who speaks a good Kurdish, Arabic and Deutsch, but also a few English and Turkish, 0750-746-0037.

- Amadya (or Amedi):

Sulav Tourist Hotel: 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€. Double room (but I was alone), shared bathroom, no heat, friendly staff.

There is no hotel in pretty Amadya. There is some in nearby Sulav, but only one is open in winter. There is a motel in Kanya Mala, a village between Sulav and Amadya, 20.000 Dinar the room.

Liquor stores are in the only street of Sulav. You wont find any Internet access.

Going to Erbil is easier from Dohuk… I took a car to Chel’Aze for 5.000 Dinar. Here a taxi for Rezan (after Barzan) at 25.000, I almost cried. An other taxi to Spilek, on the Hamilton road, 10.000, with an other passenger. Spilek to a “garaj” next to Erbil, 4.000, with more or less two others passenger. And then 3.000 to Erbil itself. 47.000 for the all trip. At this price, you will see wonderful panoramas…

- Erbil (or Irbil, and in Kurdish “Hawler”):

Ali Hotel: 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€ (Single room), 25.000 Dinar / 16.60€ (Double room), shared bathroom, AC, Izidi friendly staff with little English.

Rayan Hotel: 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€ Double room, shared bathroom with western WC, AC, staff speaks little English.

Nassim Hotel 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€ Double room, shared bathroom with western WC, AC, staff speaks little English.

The very good blog Backpackiraq provides a map of the city center, check this link, and a larger one here. He also get information about hotels, here.

Sleeping in Erbil is expensive. Front to the citadel is the Qayzari Bazaar, you will imediatly see the Kandeelh Hotel (or “Kandil”, 30.000 the single room) and the Rahand Hotel (35.000). Still on the main place is Sarsang Hotel. Take the Sheky Choly street (or 10 meter street) on your right to check the Nish’Liman Hotel and Sulaiman Hotel (30.000 both), the luxuous Kotri Salam Hotel (50$, private bathroom, breakfast and Internet include), the Kasr Sheril Hotel (80.000 the four beds room, private bathroom), the Ya Halla Hotel (30.000 the double, you can share for 15.000), the Nassim Hotel (up), Motel Karoz, Fanar Motel and Rayan Hotel (up). Take on your right to go back to the citadel: here are “group hotels” who wont accept the lonely traveler, as the Zagros Hotel, Hazhar Hotel, Zheen Hotel, Shakhan Hotel and Samira Miss Hotel (’hope they’ll find her). The Dana Hotel is 35.000 and here is also the Ali Hotel (up). Shahan Hotel on the Qalaat’ street is 30.000. East to the main place in a little street are the other Sulaiman Hotel (30.000) and the Dar es Salam Hotel. Other backpackers I have met here have been victims of a stealing staff, in Dana Hotel.

You will find one of the only ATM of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region at the Erbil International Hotel (formerly “the Sheraton”), 200m south to the main place, on your right. Visa only. Most of people thinks it don’t work, here is the tip: there is a software mistake. When you introduce your card, the first screen may ask you “choose your language”, instead of what you will directly see the screen in Arabic asking your PIN code. You can try any number on the keyboard, it will not react. In fact it is waiting for you to answer “English” (button on the left side of the screen, on the top), or Arabic (right side, top). Press English to come back to the normal procedure. Legendary, it is limited to 120.000 Dinar, I asked for 500.000, it worked.

The same tip may work with the two others ATM of the Bank of Irak, first one in the New City Mall, close to the Sheraton. The other one is in Majji Di Mall, next to the Uzgari Intersection (&  hospital). By feet, it is a one hour walk from the Sheraton. Go south to the 60 Meter Street, then left until the circle intersection, then right to Sulaymaniyah, it is on your right, outside the city, after the 100m Street.

There is also a Mastercard friendly ATM in Majji Di Mall ! (was not working when I have been…).

The liquor shop is north to the citadel. Catch the 10m Street until you see a giant-bust-statue. It’s north to it, less than 100m. There is an other one on the 60 meter Street, south east of the Sheraton, and a couple of stores face to the American Compound entrance.

There is an occidental bar face to the American Compound entrance, the T Bar. There is a nightclub / bar / swimming-pool inside the American Compound, Thursday night is THE night. You must be previously registered to get inside the American Compound, ask to the friendly guards during the day how you can get there. The American Compound is bunker-village north-west of the city center.

There is an Internet Cafe on the main square (2.500/h), two other ones on the 10m Street, the first is west to the citadel, the second  is north.

Buses to Sulaymaniyah left from the Bagdad Garaj, four kilometers south west of the city center, costs 8.000 Dinar.

There is buses to Iran at the Best Van Tur, a 20 minutes walk from the citadel. Catch the 10m Street until you see a giant-bust-statue north to the citadel. It’s north to it again, 2km, on the right side of the street.

Sulaymaniyah :

Hotel Pasha : 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€ (Single room), private bathroom, AC, Internet, friendly staff speaks English.

??!? (Arabic name) Hotel: 20.000 Dinar / 13.30€ (Double room), shared bathroom, AC, friendly staff, no English.

Bahra Hotel: 10.000 Dinar / 6.70€, at this price you sleep with the staff, shared bathroom, AC, friendly staff speaks English and German. Double room is 20.000.

The very good blog Backpackiraq provides a map of the city center, check this link. He also get information about hotels, here.

In the middle of the Bazar, there is a central intersection, from where you will see the giant Hotel Pasha (up) sign on north. Here you will find Kawa street, going south west, and at the beginning of it, Zanko (20.000, double room) and Bakar Hotel (up). Follow it till a place to see the Shieratoz Hotel, behind it in a tiny street is the Babosi Hotel, which may be the cheaper of the city (but it was always full when I went there). Take Kawa street again to find the Naz Hotel, with an other hotel face to it (name in Arabic). I don’t have the name of the next hotel for the same reasons (see up). At the circle, if you go right, is the Paris Hotel (25.000, double room), and the Chwarbakh Hotel (30.000, double room), face to the clinic. In the middle of Malawi street, on the bridge, you will see an other hotel (with an Arabic written name, 20.000).

Liquor stores almost everywhere. The one on the main bazaar intersection close early, there is an other one at the western gate of the bazaar. It is close on Sunday evening. Other ones are in Salim street, Mamostayan street, Handi street, and south east of the bazar. There is a bar in Mamostayan street and a Chinese bar in Salim street, east to the Archeological Museum.

There is an Internet Cafe in the entrance of Kawa street (2.000/h)

From Bagdad Garaj, you can go to Halabja by autobus (3.000). You have some “luxury minibus” to Erbil for 10.000. Bus may be 8.000 but I was told they leave at 8am.

Others :

The security level is good in Kurdish Irak, and risks are minimum when you quickly cross some Arabic area by bus. There is more and more tourists here. There is a short Lonely Planet chapter in the last Middle East guide book, and you can buy this chapter separately in pdf on their website.

Be aware that it will be expensive for alone travelers to travel here, it is better if you share taxis and hotel rooms. Transport is expensive.

You may be invited for the night or to eat something almost everywhere, go on.

Patrimonial and historic sites are still rare here, so enjoy people. The few things to see are free, as the Erbil citadel (jump barriers and go inside ruins to enjoy the experience), the Archeological Museum and the Red Security Headquarter in Sulaymaniyah.

Hitchhiking is not recommended, and if you do so, expect to pay for it, everybody is a taxi here…

You can stay in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, Irak, for less than 25€ per day, alone. Less than 15€ per person in group.

This is just a feedback from my experience. If you got some useful prices information, share it in the Comments !

On my scale: expensive country.

2TL = 1€

Visa (French citizen): Free. For other European citizen, you may pay 15€.

cigarettes: 4.50TL / 2.25 €. Next to the Syrian border, prices are “suddenly” between 1.5 to 2TL!

sandwich: 3 to 5TL / 1.50 to 2.50€.

kebab dinner: around 8TL / 4€.

beer: 2.50 to 4TL / 1.25 to 2€. You can find Efes Pilsen -which is quite good- almost everywhere. You can bring back your bottles to the store for 10 to 25 cents of TL each.

More about Cappadocia especially : check this link

Accommodation:

- Istanbul:

Paris Hotel: 30TL / 15€. Triple room (but price per person), private bathroom, Internet, bar in the hotel, breakfast include. Nice place.

- Bogazkale:

Hattusas Pension: 15TL / 7.50€ Double room (but I was alone), scaring bathroom, no heat, Internet, helpful personnel. Few dolmus running for & from Sunburlu, ask for departure times.

- Trabzon:

Hotel Anil: 35TL / 17.50€ Single room, private bathroom, Internet and breakfast include. Picked up in the LP; there is more reasonable prices, but also lot of brothels, be careful.

- Konya:

“The very one” Hotel: 40TL / 20€. Indecent price (but I was beginning my trip), for a good value; an other hotel was under construction in the city. Double room, private bathroom.

- Antakya:

Seker Palas Oteli: 15TL / 7.50€. Single room, shared bathroom, scary place, you got what you paid for.

- Sanliurfa:

Istiklal Hotel: 20TL / 10€ Double room (but price per person), shared bathroom.

Hotel Ipek Palas : 20TL / 10€ Single room, shared bathroom, Internet and breakfast include.

Hotel Ugur : 15TL / 7.50€, musma63@hotmail.com, 0(414) 313 13 40, Double room (but price per person), friendly personnel. Haven’t tried, seems to be a good place to stay.

- Harran:

Geleneksel Konik Kubbeli Evi (Traditional conical dome house): 15TL / 7.50€. Dinner and breakfast include; may double the price in high season.

- Kahta:

Pension Kommagene: 25TL / 12.50€ Triple room (but I was alone), private bathroom.

- Diyarbakir:

Diyar Hotel: 15TL / 7.50€ Double room (but I was alone), shared “bathroom” (hum… old style shower), welcoming personnel… but no English spoken. Ask for room 301, wonderful view of Ulu Mosque. Situated in the old city, just front of Ulu Cami entrance.

- Hasankeyf:

Hasankeyf Motel: 20TL / 10€ Triple room (but I was alone), shared bathroom, no heat.

- For Cappadocia (Goreme and Güzelyurt), check this link again.

Others :

Everything is more expensive in Ankara, in Cappadocia, and most of all in Istanbul.

Access to touristic places is expensive in most of case, and they are numerous! As oil is expensive, transport is. Check for trains if you can, and there is a very good Istanbul-Ankara night-train. There is buses and dolmus (minibuses) everywhere; and some buses companies provides you WiFi Internet. Hitchhiking is easy and a very good way to encounter people. Turkish people usually pay for it, but they will understand you want to hitchhike for free, just check before getting in the car or don’t be chocked that some drivers ask for a few money ;)

People will invite you for food or a tea everywhere, go on!

Good nightlife in most of big cities.

You will be very unlucky if you encounter somebody trying to trick you, except in Istanbul or in Cappadocia. People in Diyabakir told me that their city was home to the best robbers, 10 minutes later, a pickpocket stole my cigarettes in my pocket ??!? Be careful.

You can not afford your Syrian visa at the border since october 2010. careful.You can not afford your Iranian visa at the border but you can ask for it in Trabzon.

You can stay in Turkey for less than 25€ per day.

This is just a feedback from my experience. If you got some useful prices information, share it in the Comments !

It all begins with Shafcat...

As I was on my way to Jarablos, a border next to the Kurdish area, I was tricked by a classic traveler’s ambush: the bus driver who gives you as many “kwaïes, kwaïes*” you want to justify how he does understand your request, and then drives you directly to the other side of the country.

That’s how I’ve met Shafcat at the bus station of Aleppo. I was kind of lucky this day, cause I also learned that my border was closed… and asking myself what to do next. Shafcat invites me to join him on his way back to his village.

Sife Ali seats on the high lands surrounding the lake Al Assad. Fertile fields cover the sweet hills around a group of few houses and the school, delimited by dusty paths where you will only see motorcycles and tractors: the asphalted road is a few kilometers away. Arabic shepherd tents pop-up as they are following their flock, but almost everybody is Kurdish here. If they speak currently Averroes language, for English, it is very rare. Hopefully, young generation learn at least a few words, and Shafcat is fluent.

Amina, Jan and Khader

I slept to his family’s house. Khader, is father, have calloused hands of farmers, deep eyes and a permanent smile. Enough to communicate. Most of his children are gone now, married, or studying in Aleppo. He shares the home with his wife, younger son and daughter. A few chickens and three cows in the garden. Nothing rich, nothing poor. But a huge sense of hospitality, as his son.

One of the two class rooms of Sife Ali school. During holidays, little birds take control of the place

During my days – yeah, I finally slept three nights over there –, I got time to hang around. Quick touristic tour include a few old Roman stones, and a look to the Euphrate river, which, at this season, flood the road. It is provided by my local My Hell’s Angels crew, demonstrating easiness skills in steeps rocky paths. Next day was dedicated to visit family and relatives of my hosts. Received as a prince in each place, I enjoyed tea and fruits as we take some fun doing videos of everything and everybody.

A bunch of buddies: Magid, Firas, 'Christiano Ronaldo' and Ahmad, facing the flooded road.

At night, lot of people joined us at “Khader’s headquarter”. What I enjoyed the most was spending time with Shafcat and his friends. Many people, hard to tell a word about everybody, even if they deserve it… Ahmad have a lively loud laugh every ten minutes. ‘Christiano Ronaldo’ and Magid give me some Kurdish vocabulary, and learned me a local card game with Firas and Ali. Jehat is the singer of the village.

Tonight, he sings a beautiful sad song in his language. Every Kurdish song have the same sad story.

A story of people looking for their country.

* “Good”, “ok”.

Wants to see some video of kurdish dance ? Check the link ;)

On my scale: expensive country.

2000LL = 1€

1500LL = 1$

Visa (Fr): free

local cigarettes: 750 LL / 0.40 €. Smokable. Marlboro’s are around 2500LL

sandwich: 2000 to 4000LL / 1 to 2€

beer : 750 to 3000LL / 0.40 to 1.50€ You will need to be lucky

Internet cafe (1h): 1000 to 3000LL / 0.50 to 1.50€

If you are in Beirut, please go at Le Chef: a restaurant with reasonable prices for a very good food and a warm Welcome! (or a few hundreds of “Welcome”, you’ll see). It’s in Gemmayzeh, the modest place is well known.

Accommodation:

- Beirut:

Talal Hotel: 8$  /12000LL / 6€. Roof, without breakfast, beers, Internet (slow) access, when the power supply is working, nice personnel. Dormitories are 10$.

Alternatively, Pension al Nazih (street face to Talal) & Hotel Shahbaa (Rue Pasteur) have durmatories for a reasonnable price.

- Saida (Sidon):

Hotel d’Orient: 13$  /20000LL / 10€. Double room, without breakfast, dirty, shitty place

- Tripoli (Trablous):

Hotel Koura: 20$  /30000LL / 15€. Dormitory, with breakfast, the personnel send you to bed at 22 o’clock ??!? If you are really stucked.

Others :

Here you’ll use both US dollars and Lebanese Livres.

Notice that most of the more expensive prices refers to Beirut city, otherwise it is cheaper, especially if you can escape from touristic places.

Looking to the price level, access to touristic places is quite reasonable. Transport inter-cities also, but some bus drivers gonna try to trick you, be vigilant.

In most of bars, the local beer is 7000LL, strong alcohol is around 12000LL. Entrance to nightclubs is between  15000 to 20000LL. Very good club in Gemmayzeh is the Lakay (check on Facebook for further information). BO18 is the most well known (and impressive) disco. The Basement, and unbelievable DJ Jade is THE  Electro place.

You can stay in Lebanon for less than 20€ per day,.. Or a lot more if you want to enjoy the nightlife.

This is just a feedback from my experience. If you got some useful prices information, share it in the Comments !

Articles: Beyrouth l’Ecartelée, My Crazy Brothers (Eng), Les Soeurs à l’Oeuvre, Baalbek et les Cités Phéniciennes

Rafting. This guy was the less helpfull I have ever seen on a boat. The most funny too...

It all began with a 10’s shots contest. I loosed.

Gilbert is the co-owner of the Lakay, one of the best bar of Gemmayzeh, a place I have explored with Pierre, a French journalist who had already spent one month in Beirut. We met Omar, his roommate, friend and business partner this same evening.

I was already hanging around with a group of nightlife-travelers, mostly French, as Sylvain and Adeline, the Parisian/Portuguese Maria, but also Huida from Argentina and Richard, Armenian/British documentaries-maker. Each of those people deserved a Portrait, but well, lets be reasonable, once. No more 3 pages articles anymore.

Shade stop next to a phenician ruin

This shots contest was just the opening of an amazing week end. Lets do it short, but with those two Lebanese guys, you are welcome everywhere, everything is just possible. Except sleeping. Behind the closed doors of the bar, Lakay became a dance floor. Rising sun? “ »Let’s go to a private beach. “Tired of the swimming pool?” Back to the bar, till it’s closed, then nightclub, VIPs of course. One time. Twice. “Ready for rafting?” (Rafting? Drunk and out of sleep since three days?) Of Course We Are!

Beirut’s nights are impressive. Ours were unbelievable. Cause its didn’t stop with sunrise.

As it was too dark to take good images in this place, I just "borrowed" this one on Facebook... Pity work

As sharing nights in discos is not the best place to talk, I know them little to little. They don’t have a car, but easily borrow ones. They manage a company , Skyline Extreme Sports: paragliding, diving, caving,… A friendly business linked to the bar, also. But still, Omar gets three jobs to pay bills. He won’t complain. Always laughing, he is the only one able to sing and dance after 72’s hours partying, when we can barely found enough neurons to order our bodies to stand up. Speaking about dancers, take a look to Gilbert. See him in action must be the best attraction of the bar. Flying from a table to an other one, speaking to  customers, chatting with girls, checking lights, playlists… Those two have more energy than a nuclear reactor, and believe me, Beirut needs it.

Between two counters, we spent few time to their flat. In Hamra, the most expensive streets of Lebanon. But here they share the same room… Here night goes on… quietly. Drinking last vodkas. Smoking some “Lebanese tobacco” (don’t misunderstand: this is legal. But special.). Joking about anything. Talking friendly. Gilbert is singing scouts songs, in French. Christian Cross on a necklace. “Don’t speak about politics, man”.

A French affliction…

Nobody needs it here.

* by “Brother”, understand -in Lebanon- two guys involved in a tight connection. A tight tight one. Ok, directly involved in a man/man relationship. I swear this title is just a joke.

On my scale: pretty expensive country.

1JD = 1.1€

Visa (Fr): 10 JD / 11.1 €

cigarettes: 0.900 JD / 1 €. King-size only.

humus: 0.500 JD / 0.55 €

sandwich: 0.250 JD / 0.30 €

beer : 2 to 3 JD / 2.20 to 3.30 € [during Ramadan. Must be cheaper otherwise]

Internet cafe (1h) (in Amman): 3 JD / 3.30 €

Accomodation:

- Amman:

Abbasi Palace Hotel: 6 to 8 JD / 6.60 to 8.80 €. Dormitory (but most of time you are alone :) ), inc. breakfast , Internet access, lovely personnel.

Cliff Hotel: 3JD / 3.30 €. Rooftop, Internet access during half of the day, lovely personnel.

- Petra:

Valentine Inn Hotel: 4 JD / 4.4 €. Rooftop, unsane, Internet access, be careful:very cheaty people.

- Madaba:

Madaba Hotel: 7 JD / 7.7 €. Rooftop, inc. breakfast, Internet acces, helpful personnel.

- Ramtha (Jerash) :

“The very only one hotel of Ramtha”: 10 JD / 11€, maybe less. Single room, inc. breakfast, swimming pool in summer maybe?, helpful people.

Others :

Buses are quite cheap in Jordan. Everything else is expensive, especially touristic places access (Petra was 40€, and prices were about to raise; if you want to get in for free, check this link, in French). And everything is more expensive in Petra : cigarettes, sandwiches, food…

You’ll easily find an Internet connections in hotels.

A good place to eat in Amman is Hashem Restaurant, front of the Cliff Hotel. One of the best of Middle East in fact, but also cheap.

This is just a feedback from my experience. If you got some usefull tips, share it in the Comments !

Articles : Petra, The Lost Girl (Eng), Peacefull Madaba, Amman La Moderne

Isn't it adorable ? This is my barrier, close to Jericho, next to Allenby Bridge

Once upon a time, there was a barrier. In Jericho, Palestine. A lot in fact. But one is special.

I leaved Tel Aviv out of money. Just what requested to pay the checkout of Israel. It was a Friday, Shabbat’s day. I have read that border was open till 3 pm, I was there at 2 & a half. It was closed since thirty minutes.

And so here I am, in the middle of a desert, alone on this day off, with no idea where to go, where to sleep… Jericho is just a 5km’s walk, but in the Palestinian side, and hotels look expensive. First of all I need to cross the checkpoint. The gate is close. No incoming sound. “Hello? Hey? Somebody to heeeeeelp me?”. No answer. But next to the no man’s land is an open field: ‘300 yards to go’ and I’ll be in the Arabic side. And so do I.

Overview from my "room". The Israeli's checkpoint.

As happy as I was not to take a bullet to infringe this 43 years old quarantine, I was still wondering what to do next. I founded a road, which brings me back to the Israeli checkpoint, but on the West Bank* side. Which brings me to a barrier in fact. My barrier.

It is a tiny barrier, especially looking to the impressive checkpoint just next to it –2 watch towers, high walls and barbed wire-. My steel barrier is less than 2m high, on her lovely little wheels, and, when the night come, it close a little and quiet countryside’s road.

A 55 y.o. man spend is day in the shade of the barrier. Keeping it. Watching carefully it won’t run away. You’ll never be careful enough with those little barriers. His only task is to open it at 8am, and to close it around 11pm. It’s not paid a lot, but you must admit that it’s just the cooler job you’ll ever seen.

The barrier keeper invites me for tea. He speaks a bit of English, cause, when he was student, he worked during summers in one of the 6 or 7 hotels of Jericho. Today, only two hotels left. He is diabetic. He doesn’t play well to chess. He only got two children, cause he get married late, he needed to earn enough money first. So he spent twenty years next to Jerusalem, doing chitty jobs. He succeed to get his engineer degree. Never used it.

He doesn’t know well why the barrier is here, or he doesn’t want to tell me. What’s the point?, it’s just a barrier. In Palestine, it grows like mushrooms or palm trees grows in other countries. One day, you wake up, and it’s just there, that’s all. An other barrier.

If you guess why this road need a barrier, just send me an email please.

The barrier keeper rents me his little hut. 5 m², a few light, a few water. One of the wall touch the Israeli checkpoint. 20 shekels, half the price of any dirty dormitory. Deal. I spend the very evening in Jericho, and surprise!, there’s not as many walls as you imagine in the city. Opposite, Christians and Muslims seems quite happy together. Even if my keeper tells me they doesn’t mix. No need of a stone wall for this.

Back to my barrier with falafels, the place became suddenly busy after sunset. Kids on bicycles asking for cigarettes, or trying to sell me hashish. Old guys taking tea and sharing with me how they are living.

I slept on an uncomfortable steel bench. All the night long, cars and motos came to my barrier. My  barrier is closed. But there is no lock. Palestinian people live since long time with barriers, they know how to cohabit. Just don’t forget to close it again after you crossed.

When I wake up, Israeli’s snipers where back to their watch towers. The barrier keeper finally refused me to pay. Friends don’t pay…

This morning, he opened his barrier again, while the checkpoint remains closed for cars and buses.

*Cisjordanie en français. C’est assez moche, West Bank, comme appellation nan ?

@ Wadi Mujib waterfalls

I’ve met Machteld at the Abbasi Palace Hotel, in Haman. She was traveling since a few weeks: Transiberian, Beijing, and fleeing a bad experience in Thailand. She just spend her birthday alone, the previous day, in Dubai airport, and was expecting to join a friend of her in Tel-Aviv – which wasn’t here in fact -. We spent good time drinking unreasonable expensive beers for her 26 years old on this evening, and the next one… and another one.

What was she doing in Jordan? Close to be short of money? Hesitating to go in this, or this place? (we just share a one-day-trip to Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve)

Machteld was a good student, she just escape her last boring trainee experience in her native country, Netherland, and an anticipated-as-boring-job as a legal expert. Not a big fan of all the old stones stuff, she is traveling to encounter persons, foreign cultures. And so she does, well, with her ability to speak about everything, her open mind, her French basis, and an empathic personality.

She doesn’t allow herself to take time to rest. Time to feel? Time to waste. Always thinking about next move.

She left as suddenly as she comes, four days after discovering Amman.

I don’t doubt she’ll find her way, at home. I just hope she’ll do fast.

I don’t know well yet what I’m expecting of my own travel. By her side, I have learned that I’ll may go home without finding my own answers.

Who does? Who cares? What’s the point?, just don’t give a shit: enjoy the time you can spend traveling.

On my scale: cheap place !

60 £SYR = 1 €

Accommodation:
Al Saada Hotel: 350 £SYR (6 €) roof, incl breakfast,
Al Rabie Hotel: 400£SYR (6.50 €) roof, incl breakfast, nice place
Al Haramain Hotel: 400£SYR (6.50 €) roof, incl breakfast, Internet for daily extra 150£SYR (try to share the password with other travelers
To eat:
- sandwiches : 25 / 50 £ (40 cents / 1€)
- meal at the restaurant: starts at 300 £ (5 €)
beer : 75 £ (1.30€)
pack of cigarettes : 50 £ (90 cents)
One hour of Internet: 50 £ (90 cents)

Others:

Both transports and entrance to touristic sites are cheap. As usual bars are more expensive, and you will pay an extra for service, be careful. Chicha cost 100 to 200 £ (1.80 to 3.5 €). Please, try the Bekdach ice-cream, one of the best of Middle East, in Souq Al Hamidiyya.

You can stay at Damascus for less than 15 euros per day.

this is just a feedback from my experience. If you got some useful information, share it in the Comments !