Kikapu wrote:Kikapu wrote:Kikapu wrote:This trip to Cyprus for in the making for over a year. I had intentions going last year, in 2006, just before joining the Cyprus Forum. I was discouraged from making that trip, and after 42 years of not going to Cyprus, I gave up on the idea, ever returning again. However, having spent a year on the Forum, I gained a new momentum to make the trip, so earlier this year, I asked the Forum members, to advice me on various questions, that were a concern to me. This started a long negative debate between myself and VP mostly, as to why I would visit the RoC at all, since my new country now was called "TRNC". I was warned of all the negatives and even sent bad wishes for my trip to Cyprus, which was to start, in mid April. Needless to say, I had a lot on my mind, as the days came closer and closer. Finally, the time of truth was here, and there was no turning back.
The day of departure did not start well. Our connecting train had broken down somewhere, so we had to divert to Zurich, before going to Zurich airport. Got there in time to check in, and while at the gate, I realised, I did not have the house keys with me. Upon calling my girlfriends mother to go and check if the keys were on the front door, and sure enough, they were. After connecting in Frankfurt to Larnaca, it was the longest 3 1/2 flight I ever had. I was practicing in my mind, how I would react to each possible incident with the airport officials, if they started giving me shit. Mrfromng had one time wrote, that he was not treated with respect, so I was prepared to get into a verbal match, with anyone, that were to flex their "official muscle". At long last, the plane had landed in the early hours of 2 AM. Coming down the stairs from the plain and actually stepping on Cypriot ground was an emotional experienced, that I kept to my self, from others. After 43 years of absence, I was once again home. Then the bus brought us to the terminal. As we walked to the immigration, I was greeted with a quite "hello" by the officer. My passport ( British) was checked and given back without an incident. It felt like a little anti climax really, but was glad to get through there, without any problems, because, according to Zan and VP, I had plenty of problems, that was waiting for me, as long as, I was going to be in the Roc.
Next we went to get our rental car, so after locating the Agent, paper work was done and with a map and instructions on how to get to our Hotel in Larnaca, which was only 6 kilometers away, we were on the way. It was almost 3 AM, and soon we run into a police check point. We were directed to pull to the side and stop. Now for sure, VP will prevail with his prediction on TC's being mishandled by GC's, so I thought. I stepped out of the car and was approached by 2 police officers. I gave them my drivers license, and when asked where I was from, I said, Switzerland, to try and conceal my identity. At that very moment, it was time to test VP's predictions, so I told the officer, that I was actually, a Cypriot, and that we had just landed, and was on our way to the hotel. With my "Turkish" name being very evident on my drivers licence, I expected some "power play" from them, but again not to be. He told me they were checking for drunk drivers and was allowed to go, with fresh directions from them, to our hotel.
Once at the hotel, I had my girlfriend fill in the registration card, since the hotels were all booked under her name, to once again, to conceal my identity. But I was asked to show my passport also, so much for that smart idea. Once again, no problems. We were told where to park, and was wished good night, which was about 3.30 AM. I immediately got on the hotels coin operated computer, to cancel the second rental car that I booked with the same rental company, under my girlfriends name, to be picked up, that afternoon. Once again, I was concerned what these GC might do, to anyone with a Turkish sounding name. I was afraid, they might just say, "sorry Mr. Kikapu, but we cannot find your reservation". Therefore, we made a back up reservation, so that, we would not be charged, an arm and a leg, for a on the spot car rental charges. If you called me a paranoid before going to Cyprus and soon after we landed there, I would say, that you were correct. This was all due to statesment made by some of our partitionist members, on the forum.
To be continued.....
At midday, we had finally woken up, but breakfast that we paid for ( Bed & Breakfast) was over 2 hours earlier, so it was time to get up, and start exploring Cyprus. After having something to eat at the promenade, by the Larnaca Marina, we visited the Larnaca's Castle / Fort, then to the Turkish sector. We visited the Al Kebir Mosque, which was under repairs, but was wide open, with no one there. I was thinking to my self, why were there no graffiti on the walls or damage to inside, by the Nationalist GC. As we walked around the corner, I could hear Turkish being spoken. Again, I was warned by Lana not to speak Turkish while visiting Cyprus, as not to create any problems for ourselves. So we approached these elderly gentlemen, about 4 of them. They were in fact 1 TC, 2 GC's and 1 Armenian. So I joined in the conversation, explaining to them who I was, and my purpose in Cyprus. I asked them, if there were any problems for the TC's living in Larnaca, which the TC said, " no problems at all, and that they got along just fine". He had a small shoes shop, and offered me any assistance that I may need, while in Larnaca. He also spoke Greek, who was originally from "Tahtagali", a name of an area, that I remember hearing when I was a child, in Cyprus. It may be in Nicosia. Soon after, another man, a TC came on his moped, to join in the conversation. We then visited the St. Lazarus Church.
As we walked through the Turkish sector, seeing some old houses, some occupied, and some were empty, I was beginning to feel much more at ease with myself, of being a TC, in a GC dominated, part of Cyprus. But I had to keep my guard up, because soon or later, VP's prediction would come true, and my trip to my Birth Country, would turn to crap.
That evening, we had our first Fish Meze at the restaurant called, the "Varoshiotis". After the meal, we had a good long walk back to our hotel, even going through some dark alleys, without any concern to our safety at all. It had taken less than a full day being in Cyprus, to realise, that all the negatives fed on the forum by the Partitionist, was falling apart, piece by piece.
Next day, I woke up with a different attitude. I had lost almost all of my anxiety and concerns. It was also my 52nd Birthday. I don't remember, ever having celebrated my birthday as a child, my first 9 year, in Cyprus, so for me, this was going to be my "First Birthday" in Cyprus. It was time to start enjoying my country of Birth, and be myself. I wasn't going to hide my identity any longer. It was time to be a "True Cypriot" again. After getting my Birthday present, a Digital Camera, it was time to have our first Cypriot breakfast.
After breakfast, we drove to visit the "Hala Sultan Mousque" by Larnaca Airport. Then we drove to a little village called "Lefkara". It was a very nice place, and got to talk to a shop owner, who were GC's, but moved back here from the UK. He was pleased that I had come back to Cyprus, after 43 years, of being away. We had lunch there, and drove back to Larnaca, through the "back roads".
That evening, we went to have dinner at a Meze Tavern, but was told, they would open after 8.30 PM. I got talking with the owner and told him about myself and that it was my birthday. He reserved a table for us. When we came to the restaurant, which is called the "The Black Turtle", the owner introduced me to his GC friend and his party of 6, who was also celebrating his 50th, which was few days earlier. We talked for few minutes, knowing who I was and little bit of my past. As the evening got underway, with great live Greek music, we were told by the owner, that his friend was paying for our bottle of wine. I went over a shook his hand. Soon after, he cut his birthday cake and sent over some for us. Again, I went over and shook his hand. We stayed until 1.00 AM. The Food was great and the Music was fantastic. It was the perfect 52nd Birthday evening. I was beginning to feel at home more and more, and only after 2 days being in Cyprus. All of my fears of being amongst all these GC's were now becoming a distant memory.
To be continued...........
Now the time had come to explore more of Cyprus, so we drove to Cape Kiti, near Larnaca, before going to visit Stavrovouni Monastery. Only men are allowed into the Monastery, so the women can only visit the gift shop or just remain at the parking area. I was told, that the women may arouse the Monks, as not to allow them inside. I did not see the Monk in the gift shop complaining too much about women being in there.!! I wonder if he drew the short straw for that duty.!!
While we were up there, which must be at least 1,000 meters high, I could see the mountains in the distance, toward Nicosia. Then I was able to make out a rectangular shape of a white shade, with a naked eye. We are talking about almost 40 kilometers away, as the crow flies. I know I have a 120% vision, but even I was amazed, that I was looking at the "TRNC" flag on the Pentadaktylos Mountain. I knew it was big, but to be seen from 40 Kilometers away, just blew me away.
We then drove to Pyle / Pile and stopped to have a Cypriot Coffee at a TC owned cafe directly in front of the UN-129 post. Once again, I asked many question to the owner regarding how they get along with the GC, which as you all know, is a mixed village. He said that they have no problems at all, and said that most people who were there playing tavla, were in fact GC's with some TC's. I was not allowed to take any pictures however, so we walked toward the hill, where there were Turkish and a "TRNC" flag as well as a ATATURK cut-out, with his famous walking stance. For the first time, I felt the Turkish Army's occupying force's presence. I can't tell you how disgusted I was, that they would put a cut-out of ATATURK on Cypriot soil, and into the face of the GC's. What was the purpose of that, I wondered to myself. I can understand a occupying force having their flag there, but ATATURK. In the past, I had visited ATATURK resting place in Ankara as a child and as an adult, but I was not very happy at all, seeing his cut-out there on the hill, overlooking Pyle/pile. We then drove down the road, and had a meal, at a TC run restaurant, called the "Maksim". Again, I had some conversation with the people there, and was told, that there were no problems living there, with the GC's.
Next day, we headed to Nicosia. We made a brief stop at my mothers village, several miles South of Nicosia. I really do not have any recollection as to what it looked like 43 years ago, but I knew for sure, it had changed quite a bit.
My trip to Cyprus was mainly to solve some problems, regarding my mothers land. I won't bore with all the details, but it is a little complex. Not because of the RoC Government, but the fact, all the deeds are in my Grandfathers name, and the living siblings of my mother, are living in the "TRNC", having exchanged those deeds to obtain GC land. I'll write more on that later on. I had arranged to meet with a GC lawyer a month before arriving, who is handling our case. After meeting with him in Nicosia for an hour, It was time to get some information from the Land Registry Department, which the lawyer warned me, may take me all day. I decided to leave it for another day.
We went inside Nicosia's walls, where our hotel was. we then walked the whole length of the "Green Line". It was a very depressing experience, seeing all those empty buildings and shops. I saw many metal rolled door shops, just like the one my uncle had, for his carpenter shop, which I had spent a lot of time as a kid, and even lived in one, after we were released, after a week of captivity by the GC's, during the 1963 civil war. To make the whole scene even more real was the fact, there were lots and lots of carpenter shops there now. It brought back many memories of my childhood. I only wished, I knew which one was my uncles shop. This place was such an active and vibrant place, even 43 years ago, but now, along the "Green Line", it felt like a Grave Yard. We walked back and stopped and talked with the GC guard at the Ledra Street check point, where the wall was taken down recently. There was a small room there, where pictures of the war victims were on display. It was a sad memorial of what has happened to us, as citizens of Cyprus.
To be continued.........
Next day we had rain in Nicosia, so I spent some time on the Internet, free of charge at the hotels computer room. By early afternoon, we ventured outside, to get some information as to where a school was, where about 700 TC's were kept as prisoners for a week, in the break out of the conflict in 1963. As an 8 year old and my family or 9, were amongst the 700. I was given the name of the school by a Forum Member, before departing to Cyprus. I also needed to know where the Land Registry Department was, as well as the District Office. The Hotel staff did not know, where these places were, so the next best place was to pay a visit to the local Tourist Information Office, which is very near Ledra Street. I have just noticed, it is spelt Lidras Street, so don't confuse it with Ledra Palace. Up to this point, speaking English was a major plus in the RoC, as most people spoke English. Some better than others, but was always enough, to communicate. I was also very impressed with the quality of the roads and Highways. Road signs were the best of all. It was very easy to find one's way around, because of good signs, giving you directions, to anywhere we drove in Cyprus. However, the street signs were too small to read, while driving in towns, so often, we made many u-turns to go where we wanted to go.
The Tourist board very very knowledgeable and made three large circles on our city map, as to where these places we wanted to go. We had a good laugh later, as I was imitating the lady to my girlfriend afterwards. The lady would say, " yes that place exists, and it's somewhere in this circle". So, we had three circles on the map, but no real address. It was time to buy a more detailed map of Nicosia, so directly opposite the Tourist Information Office was a gift shop. The owner came to me and said "my shop is nice, no"? I said, "yes, it is very nice. Then he asked me where I was from, and after saying Cyprus, we got started talking about the Cyprus problems. He was 43 years old, but looked 10 years older, who was also from Kaimakli / Kaymakli. He was also a twin, like my self. He said, we like the TC's, but we don't like the Turks. I told him, that I understood his feelings. I expressed to him, of what had happened to us in 1963, which he was sadden my this. My girlfriend bought some cards as well as some small things as gifts, and a detailed map of Nicosia, with all the Government offices, plotted.
It was already late in the afternoon, and knowing that Government offices close at 2.30 PM, we headed out to find the School. The school was in Strovolos, in the district of Nicosia, and named " Kikkos Female Lyceum", which is next to Cyprus College / Europa College. There were 2 schools there, with the same name, except one was "A" and the other had "B". It was the school that had the "B", that fitted the description I had made of previous writings of our captivity. The school was closed for the day, but one was able to walk into the court yard. There were workers working on the building where women and children were kept, which was the Gymnasium back then. Because of construction on this building, it was cordoned of, so that I could not get a closer look at it. There was no one to ask questions, so we left.
We then drove to Kimakli / Kaymakli, which is where I'm from. It was much more built up than I expected. It turns out, where we lived Kucuk Kaymakli, was either in the buffer zone, or even in the "TRNC", so there was not much to remember of my past from here, so we left.
We then went back to the city and went to Debenham's store on Lidras Street, to go up to the tower, to get a better lok at the other side, the "TRNC". we only had 10 minutes before closing, but managed to see few things. What was very forcefully was in our view, was the the flags on the mountain. I could now see the Turkish flag as well as the monstrous "TRNC" flag, that I saw from the Stavrovouni Monastery, some 40 kilometers away. I can say, that it was the worst kind of "Griffith" I have seen on and natural settings, even bypassing the faces of presidents of Mount Rushmore, in the USA. It was a total disrespect for all citizens of Cyprus. One would have to be complete supporter of Human Right Violators, to even feel good about having that "Griffith" on the mountain. If I had a hard spot for Partitionist before, it was now getting even harder. Anyone who enjoys those "Griffith" on the mountain, is no Cypriot as far as I was concerned. It was a overwhelming support for the occupiers of the North, and that's where their allegiance lies. I had lost respect for any so called Turkish Cypriot, who would welcome those flags on the mountain.
Once again, we made another round, by walking along the "Green Line", until we came upon a what seem to be a very small restaurant called the ZANETTOS. It was a Tavern, with Meze only. It was a little bit like the Dr. Who's Telephone Box. It Looked small on the outside, but big on the inside. As always, when ever we went to GC restaurants, we were greeted in Greek, and when I told them that I did not speak Greek, they would say, "yes but, you look like a Cypriot". I would tell them that I was, and the conversation then would last about 10 minutes, of my life story, the compact version. The restaurant was empty, and was encouraged to made a reservation. I thought for sure, she must be joking. It was already 7 PM, and the place was empty, which held around 100. We reluctantly made the reservation and went to visit the Hammam, which was just around the corner, and the Mosque next to the Hammam.
We returned back to the restaurant, and was still mostly empty, but within half an hour or so, the place was packed. Great food, but did not try the snails.
To be continued...........
