Comments on: Stuff I’ve learned after a few days in North Cyprus

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:05:44 +0000

Hey – thanks a lot for stopping by and for your comment. I’m afraid I don’t know North Cyprus that well – I was just there for a few days holiday – but I’ll give you my best guess answers:

I’d be surprised if the ferry were running at the moment.
I think it’s sensible for an American to try to get a visa to Syria in advance – I do know people who’ve managed at the border, but I know people who have been refused too.
Levantine Arabic – one would assume there should be, and if there is, it would be in Lefkosa (Nicosia).
Again, Lefkosa. I’d guess there would be a school in Girne (Kyrenia) too, which would be a nicer place to live.
The impression I got was that the housing bubble was about to burst – a lot of expats were trying to sell up, and were worried about their futures. I’d research this carefully if I were you.

Sorry I can’t be more help. Good luck!

By: art selikoff

art selikoff — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:21:20 +0000

Nick:
Great post; many thanks for all the info.

Couple of questions:
Does ferry work between Syria and North Cyprus now?
Can an American get a visa to Syria if he arrives on that ferry from NC?
Any place in NC that teaches Levantine Arabic?
Best place in NC to learn Turkish?
In your opinion, best place to retire in NC?

Many thanks,

Art Selikoff
Zhuhai, China.

By: Nick

Nick — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:45:48 +0000

@ Mike – yeah you do mate, it’s a great game!

@ Rik – oh hell yeah I remember that trip! Specifically, I remember a bamboo jousting contest with Hamish, a snowball fight on the first day at the first location, and some lunatics rolling a rock down an asbestos mine. Ah, good times!!!

By: Michael Lynch

Michael Lynch — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 09:49:42 +0000

Damn, I only have about 8 real teeth. Hafta learn that backgammon game!

By: rik

rik — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:38:23 +0000

do you rember any of the geo trip – I found some random pictures and remember lots of bad hangovers. Seemed like a pretty grat place to be in the off season – not so sure it would be as good when the English lobster mating fest hit town…..

By: 10 Ways Cyprus Surprises (And Shocks) Us | Fevered Mutterings

10 Ways Cyprus Surprises (And Shocks) Us | Fevered Mutterings — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:03:12 +0000

[...] a lot to offer scenery-seeking visitors, from beach to abbey to mountain to monastery to harbour. And where else in the world can you see a flag that covers a mountainside [...]

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:36:27 +0000

Hi Adriana, thanks for stopping by. I passed through the Greek side briefly, since my flights were to and from Larnaca, but I didn’t get a chance to explore past the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia. (I did go to the Greek half many years ago as well, but that was on a Geology field trip!)

Where did you live?

By: Adriana

Adriana — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:35:19 +0000

I lived in Cyprus and it´s not so common to see blog posts of such a “random” place. Did you get a chance to go to the greek side?

By: Minniecat

Minniecat — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:03:24 +0000

hey I’ve been there myself but didn’t notice most of those things. having spent a fortune on my teeth I now know why I nearly always lose backgammon games

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:29:53 +0000

Hi guys – glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks a lot for the lovely comments! Backgammon is a real feature of the cafes here, and everywhere you go you hear the rattle-click-click-slam of the dice and pieces. Reminds me of Cairo, though with far fewer shisha pipes. And no, Sabina, I can’t seem to get out of the habit of wandering along the middle of the road, or in front of cars!!!

By: Lola

Lola — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:01:08 +0000

Wonderful post Nick! Just discovered your new blog and have subscribed to it!

By: Doriana (Traveleze)

Doriana (Traveleze) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:06:11 +0000

Hahaha, I enjoyed it so much! Hahaha “How good you are at backgammon is directly related to how many teeth you are missing” this is definitely my TOP sentence. Buy I also like all 8.
Great!

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:09:03 +0000

Don’t eat the ice cream they sell by the harbour, you can tell it’s made in an unrecognised state.

By: Candice

Candice — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:59:26 +0000

Awesome Nick, loving the blog so far!

By: Sabina

Sabina — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:32:36 +0000

“How good you are at backgammon is directly related to how many teeth you are missing”?! Ha! Now people can just smile at each other before they play and forfeit the game to the player with the fewest teeth.

These are all interesting observations.

And have you stopped walking in the middle of the road yet?