Great stuff, Daniel. Loved the report. I visited much of this area in '08 (the week of Obama's election). I'm American, and the Kurds were incredibly pro-American - literally was offered free food every single day. The mountains of Northern Iraq are beautiful, as are sites like the old Erbil fort. On the Syrian side, I showed up with no visa and was allowed to sleep in the bunks of the border post, chatting with the guards about writers like Alaa al Aswany, until a visa could be procured the next day. Heading over to Aleppo, I recall a young Kurd coming up to me while at the Citadel and discussing at length Assad's repression of the NE Kurds.

It's disappointing to see Ocalan on the banners, but also incredible to see the bravery of the locals, especially the all-female fighting force!

Thank you, RandomBaritone:). Yes, the repression under Assad and now the threat of ISIS has been trying for Syrian people, but their strength and fortitude was very much visible, and so very inspirational.
Many thanks, LoungeBum:). Great to hear that the photo’s have been seen and enjoyed by some of the Syrian people:). The war has unfortunately ravaged the country so much since 2011, but hopefully there will eventually be a return to more peaceful times ahead.
Thanks, brooklynflyer82:). While compiling this I tried to get appropriate words to go along with all the photo’s I took, so glad to see they hopefully complement each other.
Thank you, kevincure:). Sounds like you had a very interesting and enjoyable trip in this part of the world. I had read of peoples write-ups of travelling through Syria before the war and it seemed like a quite a relatively safe, friendly and normal part of the Middle-East. Hopefully it returns eventually to some sort of stability after the last 5+ years of war and chaos.

Thanks for one of the best TR's I've seen here! You really captured the human aspect of the area, IMO.

I last travelled to Syria in 2012, just before the serious troubles kicked off (there were just protests at the time), and Erbil in nothern Iraq shortly afterwards. Fascinating region with extremely hospitable people.

I'm planning to return to the same area soon. May I be so indiscreet as to ask what kind of expenses you had for the trip, as in fixer and on-the-ground expenses? I'm just a tourist who likes to see the things up-front for myself, so I don't have a big professional budget that the news fixers charge, and I'm wondering if you were able to find anything more suited towards private travellers. Thanks!

Wow. That was an extremely interesting and eye opening trip report. I definitely learnt something from your report. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, pycut:). I am jealous of the people who have visited before the civil war. 2012 must have been right before everything went real awry(?).
My fixer had worked with other photographers in Syria previously and whose work I had seen, and hence I was confident in using his services for the trip. His services were not cheap, but this was something I didn't want to skimp on given the circumstances. There are apparently cheaper fixers available, but not as knowledgeable or with similar contacts, and more importantly (given the risk of being sold to kidnappers etc.), a good, verified reputation.
Thanks, mustang281man:). Just off to the airport in a few hours for another getaway, this time a little more normal though:D.

Wow - exceptionally well researched and written.

I'm happy to see that some of Syria looks normal and that the children there actually look happy. The chill of seeing the ISIS territory though comes through in your photographs, along with the narrative to add some context.

I can't imagine what ever prompted you to take this trip. I can hear my own mother's voice yelling at me [you] in the background "Daniel W... you crazy!!!!" :) (Laughing).

DanielW, even by your high standards this trip report is of the most exceptional calibre. The photography is sublime, the story you tell is engrossing, and the information is fascinating. There are many international news outlets who would be rightly proud to produce articles of this grade.

Welcome to FlyerTalk Mark Gerrard.

I quite agree kamban, and may I also welcome you to FT.

I had no idea about Rojava and what they stand for before reading this. Thank you for educating me.

It has strengthened my opinions against Turkey as well.

It is a real shame not more people get to see this. I would be absolutely delighted to see this in a magazine or newspaper soon.

Travel report have many types, one with only Luxury travel, some with a mixture and then you have this one. It is in a league of it's own. I loved it, it showed all aspects of war and how war torn countries are trying to rebuild and have a normal life. Congrats Daniel !

As i am mid flight on a just increasingly mind-bending eye-opening benign flight from CLE to FLL i wanted to check out some of the "Life of Luxory" of others thru their trip reports.... I clicked on this one. Everything else now is just non-sensical after going thru this one. Its real, its horrid, its gorgeous. Amazing TR and extremely sobering.

Ive been to Haiti many times and have seen poverty at its worst, but war stricken areas are another matter altogether.

Brilliant TR and now i just cant click back and read abt EK, TG in F, etc...

First world problems in this forum indeed after seeIng this facinatng one.

Agreed - Amazing - thanks for sharing. ^

this was an absolutely eye opening look into an extremely complex topic, and really showed this in a new light for me. thank you for opening my eyes to the complexity of the situation in an easy to understand and relatable manner.

Thank you, worldtraveller73:). My mother messaged me while I was in Qamishli. I normally tell my folks about these kind of trips when I am back safely home, so told her I was in Azerbaijan (my next planned trip). I told her the truth when I got back to Dubai and she thanked me for telling her a lie:).
Many thanks, Calchas:). Yes, it will be hard to repeat this trip anytime soon, definitely pretty close to a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience!
Thank you, Revilo199:). Yes, Turkey is in a bit of mess, supporting the ‘wrong’ rebels, and drawing the ire of both the US and Russia. Wikipedia has a good summary on Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian Civil War and is great reading too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkis...rian_Civil_War
Thanks, FlightNurse:). I’ve been to developing countries before and are often amazed by the strength and character of the people I meet. But a country facing a prolonged war was something else, and the people of Rojava were especially inspiring with their fortitude and friendliness.
Thanks, LesPaul30:). Yes, literally a world away from the confortable lives most of use enjoy and often take for granted. It certainly changed my priorities on life though, to live for the moment and to appreciate what we have.
Cheers, GRALISTAIR:).
Thank you, Hengilas:). Quite a complex conflict with so many different factions, with overlapping and often conflicting objectives, and perhaps why it has also gone on for so long. Hopefully there is some light at the end of the tunnel though and peace eventually returns.

Beautiful, DanielW.

Incredible journalism to bring to life the story we only hear snippets of in mainstream media and heartening to see that some semblance of normality is returning in small pockets in the region.

Amazing and inspirational travels and photographs! We are fortunate to have you posting here, Daniel. Thanks so much for this and all your other fine TRs! ^^