To Choman
The next day, we were ready to go to Choman to then climb up Mt Halgurd. It was a full day drive with many military checkpoints. Occasionally, they checked our passports, but mostly it was enough to say that we’re under the protection of the foreign minister for them to let us go through. It was also incredible to see the landscape along the way. This area of Iraq was beautifully green and alive, with waterfalls, villages perched on cliffs etc. However, the most entertaining part of the drive was to observe our two drivers. They spent quite a bit of time adjusting their hair in the mirror, polishing their shoes and readying themselves for who knows what or who. It was quite perplexing I must say, I rarely see guys display such vanity so openly. Their impeccable looks for going to the mountains put the rest of us, especially the men, to shame…
Choman was supposed to be a more conservative town right by the Iranian border, but it didn’t really feel conservative. A few women were walking around in headscarves, but that was about it. We went shopping in the supermarkets and of course ended up being a local attraction. People were offering us tea, candies etc. One of our local contacts, Abdulkhaliq, wanted the women in the group to meet all of his five sisters to practice their English. We gladly accepted the invitation and found ourselves in someone’s living room for tea. The girls were shy, but Abdulkhaliq kept pushing them. It was nice to observe the dynamics between them. Clearly, this brother acted very lovingly towards his mom and sisters. He wanted to push them to not be shy, he wanted a better future for them, a future where their English skills could be useful in their jobs.
That evening, we didn’t end up doing a whole lot other than get our gear ready for the hike the next day. We ended up staying in the home of another local contact, Omer, since Choman doesn’t have any hotels. Omer pretty much left us his home and went to stay next doors. I felt a little bad for him with 9 people taking over his living room and making a mess out of it… His home was surprisingly modern, clearly he had money compared to others in the village. Unlike other families he had sofas (rather than just carpets on the floor), he also had a TV. He put his wedding photos into frames that looked like an ipad, and I caught his wife carrying a handbag with the Apple symbol. Looks like they are trying to embrace the Western world, perhaps as a status symbol. The most interesting part of the house was the kitchen though. The kitchen floor had a nice fluffy carpet (how do they keep this clean??) and all of the kitchen appliances were covered in aluminum foil. What a strange setup… After a dinner of kebabs, all of us slept on the sofas and the floor in the living room.
For more picture, go here.
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