Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdish Region, originally uploaded by TwoCrabs.

Here's a photo of Iraq you won't see on the nightly news. It's the Mazi Dream City amusement park in Dohuk, Iraq from atop the ferris wheel. After the sun set, thousands of Kurdish Iraqis entered the park wearing their Thursday night best. Women don beautiful colorful, traditional dresses with sequins and sparkles; guys wear jeans and t-shirts. This park is located in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) province of Dohuk in northern Iraq. I'm just a few miles from war-torn Mosul but a world away. Talk about surreal!

I'm on my second day of my long trip through Kurdistan. I'll try to post regular updates, which shouldn't be too hard as there are internet cafes everywhere in Kurdistan!