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[Tuberider]

Took the day off work and went to the occupied north yesterday. Have been to Turkey twice on business (man, THAT was an experience!) but never to my own part of the island where I was born. We drove round the whole place (except far tip of Karpasia) in one day. Morphou is called Guzelgurt. Famagusta is called Gazzimaguzzi. Ayios Georgios (my village) is called Gazilmaguzelgurt or something. (Turks are not too imaginative regarding the names they have given our town).

We did not really get out of the car except to take pictures and stretch our legs. We took packed lunches and bottled water. Didnt walk around too much. On the streets there are no families to be seen, no couples walking arm in arm and hardly any women alone. Just big gangs of Turkish men roaming around (God knows what they are - unemployed? off-duty soildiers? ) which makes you feel kinda uneasy.

Kyrenia is getting developed and starting to look like a European place. They are building like crazy around there, villas, flats, shops. Lots of casinos. Lots of cabarets. Their new houses are usually tasteful and well
designed. The new villas and complexes they are building are more aesthetic than the ones we churn out in the Republic, but I cannot comment on quality.

Morphou looks like we left it in 1974. Totally crap and run down. The surrounding villages are full of mainland Turks. Women in the hajab or whatever those black outfits are called. Little kids playing in dogshit next to junked out cars. Men sitting in depressing run-down coffee shops smoking narjile. You might think you were in south-eastern Turkey.

The planes of Mesaoria look deserted, whole place like a ghost town. Lefkoniko, Ashia, all those places that were the breadbasket of Cyprus are now broken down and very poor. Did not see any Turks working the fields like the Greeks did. Mostly the men appeared to be sitting in the cofee shops despite it being a workday (I am not being provocative here -this is just what I saw).

Famagusta pretty run down except the beachfront near Bogazi and Trikomo. Lots of big flashy houses have been built there. Otherwise the same: semi-empty villages, deserted factories and potholed streets.

Their side of Nicosia is quite run-down but not too badly. Again, big gangs of Turkish men in too-short trousers walking around or sitting by the roadside. Not many coffee shops or restuarants, not many young people hanging out in the few bars and cafeterias there is, like we have on this side day and night (or maybe I missed those streets).

Huge Turkish army camps everywhere you go everywhere in the north.

The countryside is natural and unspoilt. Very beautiful beaches. White sand, miles of dunes and crystal water. Thick lush forests, like you never saw on our side except maybe around Kykko. Amazing scenery. Gotta see the mountains around Kyrenia to believe how beautiful and breathtaking they are.

Cannot comment on the supposedly systematic destruction of our churches. Saw some churches which looked very well preserved. Saw some which had fallen into ruin. Saw some which were vandalized. Doesnt seem to be a firm policy there. I could be wrong. Many of the well-preserved churches were in Maronite villages, so this may be a factor to consider.

They expanded the motorways started in the 60's by the Republic which connect the main towns. They are quite good. You can move around really easily as there are much fewer cars on the streets than we have here.

In Mesaoria there are groups of Turks by the motorway trying unsuccessfully to sell you flowers and bags of oranges as you speed by at 120km an hour. Sometimes they jump into your lane holding out a bunch of posies or three oka of mandarins. You gotta swerve to avoid hitting them. Wierd and surreal.

Generally we had a good day, but sad.

Did any of you go ?

What did you think of it ?

[retired2cyprus]

I went soth to paphos on wednesday

The place was very clean ,

Stopped in the town to look in the shops very very expensive how can you afford it?

The people did not look at all happy shop asistant no smile people look very down.

The drive there was quite nice but not at all green like this side.

[twinkle]

Great report. Seemed as though you travelled miles in one day. Went to Apostle Andreas and noticed how from Salamis onwards the people get poorer and poorer. They are also dressed simialr to traditional Romany gypsies with the kids coming up to the cars to sell posies of flowers. In Nicosia, we walked (3 women) around the old town from Ledra Palace to St Sofias. We didn't see one other woman on her own. a few young couples and but loads of groups of men just sitting around, staring. Down one side street near Ledra Palace we came across 2 women squatting in the middle of the road plucking a chicken. a small child was playing next to them with the feathers and cr@p from this bird floating down the road. So Dickensian. I imagined chamber pots being thrown from the windows.

The main tourist areas and areas sold to foreigners are modern and you could be anywhere in Europe. But the original residential areas are appalling.

[Tuberider]

I was trying to figure out the significance of those huge groups of men roaming around the north.

Can anyone help me here ?

Are they off-duty soldiers ?

Are they unemployed ?

Or is it just a cultural thing ? I noticed the same thing in many muslim countries I have visited. No families, no women alone or couples, just huge groups of guys everywhere.

Answers please from out TC posters !

[stuff]

they are unemployed .and poor.what do you expect from people who has nothing to lose in life?

[Tuberider]

Maybe a little self-initiative ?