A sudden urge to travel

This morning as I was sitting in the garden, sipping a cup of green tea and smoking a single cigarette, I read a heart-warming article in the paper. It was about Iraqi Kurdistan, and the hopes you Kurds have for the future. I tell you, it was front page stuff, boasting a big picture from outside of the university in Suleimaniyah. How I wish I could be there with you, right now!

A couple of years ago I was travelling with a friend in Iranian Kurdistan. We ended up in Merivan close to the Iraqi border, and opted for a night in the local mosaferkhune. While there we met a young Kurd from Iraq, currently living in Frankfurt. He went to an art school there, and mostly did video installations.

He was on his way to visit his family in Suleimaniyah. As there wasn’t any flights going in that direction, he had stopped by in Teheran, picked up an old Ford Mustang, and was now cruising for the Iraqi border. We wanted to go with him, we wanted to go with him real bad, but apparently they didn’t let people without Iraqi passports or special invitations across the border. That’s how we reasoned, anyhow. I’m sure, if we hadn’t been so lethargically Danish, we would have gone for the ride, and arrived safe and sound in Suleimaniyah the following day.

Reading about that cosmopolitan hot-spot of politics and arts today makes me even more regretful that we didn’t at least attempt to get there. But as it looks we might get a second chance without having to go to Merivan again and hooking up with stray video artists from Frankfurt. Recently, a small airport was opened in Suleimaniyah, and there are weekly flights going there right from Kastrup, Denmark. Something to do if I can still manage to climb the wall they built to keep you guys out. It’s sure getting higher and higher.

So, for all my unknown friends in the world that matters – see you in Suleimaniyah!