After a 24 hour delay in Istanbul due to a sand storm in Sulaimanyah, I was able to finally make it to this end of the world. The people I had met to get here – Mark, Paul, Omer, Carey, Frank, Chady, and Scott – were incredibly helpful and made my stay all the more welcome. I found it easy to travel and get around. Since tourism is non-existent, I found the locals (mostly Kurdish) to be very welcoming. I always felt safe and never felt as though I was being fleeced.