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| Hot, hot, hot in Cyprus |
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Rating:  (5.0) 18 Votes
Kalo Horio, Cyprus
August 5th, 2003
Pros: Hot!
Cons: None
Yia sas! Nam pou kamne te?
I am in Cyprus now and its HOT!!! The temperature has been hitting close to 40 every day and it is really humid too, so its been a bit of a sweat bath! Its all good though.... i am staying with my dad's cousin and his family and they have been treating me really well. Panayi and Maria have three boys and im practically like their older brother now! Evangellos is 12, Irineaos 9 and Andreas 1 & 1/2. The town they live in is Kalo Horio (literally translated it means Good Town)and it is near Larnaca.
One of the highlights for me has been going to the village and house of my dad's birth in Rizokarpaso. It is in the turkish-occupied region of Cyprus and has been since the war in 1974. The border separating greek and turkish-occupied Cyprus has now been opened since April this year. It allows greek-cypriots to enter the turkish occupied regions of Cyprus and visa/versa. To cross at the station at Pergamous we had to show passports and take out vehicle registration. I have to admit i felt rage at the sight of the turkish flag and guards manning the station - it just doesnt sit right with me (i guess you can put me in with countless other greeks & greek-cypriots). The ride up to Rizokarpaso was really exciting and a little bit sad. I would have loved to be making that trip with my dad. I have heard a lot of stories of what he and his brothers got up to as kids in the open fields, across the rocky hills and down by the crystal clear sea. I got to see their area with my own eyes and now i can understand why they have all looked to escape to places like Wallaroo and Cape Jervis (in SA)when they get a chance.
Going to the house my great grandfather built was a bit surreal. It is now occupied by a turkish family who were very nice to us. I did not feel any malice toward these people because i beleive they are just as much victims of circumstance. According to my grandmother's sister (Yiayia Eleni)who made the trip with us the house has been kept well. I took a few photos for all the Harpas' back home to see.
I have now made friends with some local lads who have just finished their compulsary army training. They have taken me to the beach in Larnaca and we have organised to see Champions League soccer match on Wednesday night - Omonia Nicosia Vs Visla FC.
Well that's all from me for now and i look forward to having more good times here in Cyprus.
Take care & lots of love, |
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