Thanks for sharing this great report! ^

Do the falcons travel as Lap infants?
You need to pay 10% of F fare (assuming the gents were traveling F)
Need a birth certificate to prove they are <2 and don't need a ticket?

Spectacular and heartwarming!

We in the US only get the terrible news and ghastly imagery - it's wonderful to see normal life still exists and to see the joy in so many of these faces.

This TR is much more than a record of an awesome trip... it's a reaffirmation of the best values we hold dear!!!

Thank you

We went to the Falcon Hospital in Abu Dhabi last month. It's the largest falcon hospital in the world, and treats over 900 falcons in a year. I can't answer the ticket issues, though I do know you can buy a first class seat for 2 falcons. But i do know that a falcon from the UAE must have a passport of its own and requires visas to fly. Oddly to me, despite the over 1MM falcons in the UAE, you cannot use them to hunt there. Thus, you must travel to countries such as Pakistan.

Excellent TR, including photos.

You really piqued my interest in visiting Kurdistan, though I might hold off until if and when the threat of ISIS more clearly recedes. I also like the Doha shots and descriptions as well...I've only transited through there once on a shortish overnight, but might try to make the next transit (such as on the way to Kurdistan) longer.

Though you took many fine photos, the one of the falcon carry-ons really stood out!

I'm curious...in your brief visits to the two cities, did you develop a preference for one over the other?

Thank you. Great stuff...

Another superb TR with your usual amazing pics. Thanks for sharing.
Loved the pic of the two men at the gate with their traveling companions.

OK, this would have been enough to make me think twice. :eek:

Do you ask for permission before taking photos of people, or are you just taking them?

Gorgeous photos...really makes my old Doha pics look like crap :P

What camera are you using, if you don't mind me asking?

Another amazing and stunning report DanielW! Once again you take us for an adventure to another new destination that likely will not be repeated on TRs anytime soon. Spectacular - and of course falcons are awesome.

This was a different side of Doha than I had seen on the typical trip reports, though those are likely next to the five star hotels. Was where you stayed more interesting and less sterile?

Thanks for another great TR of places where I'd love to see (but unlikely). Just love those colorful markets!

A Trip To Northern Iraq
 

Amazing TR - thank you! Some erbil pix made me think of less glamorous parts of hangzhou (china) that I saw in 2001/2006. I didn't know about dwc airport. Lucky that Qatar still flies to erbil - wonder how much longer. And with that lovely picnic lunch with the girls' school, I simply have assumed that genders don't mix. So that was cool to see. Thanks so much for this tr! I also loved the Y pix - nice meal for a 45-min flight!

WOW amazing. Thanks so much for sharing this glimpse of an often invisible part of the world, aside from images of war.

A close family member used to do Baghdad-Erbil-Mousul trips up until about 2 yrs ago... I would always worry for her safety. I'm happy to see that things were pretty calm over where you were...

Thank you for these beatiful photos and a very interesting story. Loved it!

Yes, ISIS are in control of Mosul, whch is ~90k's away from Erbil. I heard some distant 'bangs' while I was at Erbil Airport, although I think this was just for bird control:D.

Thanks, SanDiego1K:). Sulaymaniyah is supposed to be quite a cultural and liberal city, and does seem to be when compared to Erbil. Saw a few people wearing tight jeans, peroxide blonde hair etc.:).

Yes, the Khaleeji certainly look after their falcons:D.

Many thanks, Thunderroad:). Yes, definitely recommend Kurdistan and a longer visit to Doha. Sulamaniyah seemed to have a bit more relaxed vibe than Erbil, and the people seemed abit friendlier too. The centre of Erbil was great to walk around too though, to take in the vibe and hustle and bustle of the markets and all the people.

Cheers, gmitchs:). It certainly struck me as being a peaceful oasis when compared to the turmoil that is in the rest of Iraq.

They were quite well behaved, no swooping down with their talons on anyone anyway:).

Many thanks, MosquesAndKebabs:)

Thank you, isaifan, yes, I got to see quite a bit for only a few days:)!

For portraits, i.e. looking directly into the camera and smiling, I ask beforehand (with a bit of sign language in case they didn't speak english). Everyone was very welcoming and no one refused a photo:).
I just use ACR (Adobe Camera RAW), nothing too complex, just a bit of tweaking with the colours, cropping etc.
Yes, I am a born and bred Kiwi:). My Dad is English though, hence I also have a UK passport, and figured the UK one would be more recognisable when applying for the VOA.

Thanks, msiamsia:). Yes, I had to do a double take when seeing the two chaps with falcons after reaching the gate at Dubai:).

Thank you, aSiAnRiCk:).

Many thanks, bnarayan1511:). Yes, quite easy to get our view of places distorted by the 'CNN' effect so was great to see it first hand by myself.

I saw a few rabbits being sold in the bird markets in Doha. It seemed unlikely to be for pets, so was thinking they could be prey for their falcons:)?

Cheers, Sakonnetview, was a great trip away for a few days:).

Many thanks, SFO777:). First time seeing falcons at the gate, and they got alot of attention from everyone:D. The flight out of Erbil was quite an experience. I looked out the window 15 minutes after take-off to see we were still directly above Erbil Airport:).

For portraits i.e. people looking into the camera and smiling, I will ask first. For candid stuff, e.g. at the markets, I will just shoot away.

Thanks, PitaPan:). I just use a Canon 5DIII with a few lenses, now been to 48 countries with it:).

Many thanks, shogunate03:). Most of the 5 star hotels are in the diplomatic area in Doha, whereas I wanted to be close to Souq Waqif which is a great place to explore and hangout. There are a few small boutique hotels right in Souq Waqif but I wanted something cheap and functional for the short layover. I loved the location, right next to less polished parts of Doha, and much more character:).

Thank you, allset2travel, yes, the markets were a great way to get a dose of the local culture and energy:).

Many thanks, gaobest:). My first time flying to DWC, a bit like a larger, newer version of (low cost) Terminal 2 at DXB. Kurdistan seems relatively liberal, only ~half the ladies were wearing headscarfs. I've had the QR Y chicken sandwich 4 times in the last month now, and twice more at the end of this month:D.

Thanks, cdmca:). Yes, Kurdistan seemd relatively safe and little sign of the turmoil that is about. Lots of security and checkpoints though.

Thank you, flybranchen:). Was a fun and interesting few days in a different and new place:).