26-01-2010
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg Amsterdam – British film-maker and world traveller Graham Hughes entered Iraqi Kurdistan on Tuesday. He is documenting his trip for Lonely Planet Television and National Geographic. The adventurer was surprised by Kurdistan. “This part of Iraq is lovely. Might stay for a couple of nights!” Mr Hughes left his home in January on the 12-month charity mission, which is raising money for WaterAid. He hopes to raise £1 million on the 56,000-mile trip, which he is documenting on camera for Lonely Planet Television and National Geographic. Hughes hopes to be the first person in the world to set foot in all 194 countries of the planet. He is doing this without flying and driving, but he is allowed to used public transport. On Tuesday Hughes entered Kurdistan via Turkey and visited the city of Erbil, drove by Kirkuk and entered Sulemaniyah. The film-maker is planning to stay a couple of nights, enjoying the safety in Kurdistan. “The second most dangerous country in the world? Bah! Kurdistan it's about as threatening as Wales.” The adventurer was also surprised by the infrastructure in Kurdistan. “Motorways! Nice Buildings! Electricity! And this is a war-torn country? Africa is even more messed up than I thought,” tweeted Hughes. Currently Garham Hughes is the official Guinness World Records holder for visiting the most countries in one year without flying. He is paying all the travel by himself . You can follow his trip on Twitter (Photo: theodysseyexpedition.com). © Rudaw
