Dutch world traveler hopes to come back to Kurdistan
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Dutch adventurer Wiebe Wakker, 35, hopes to return to the Kurdistan Region again after visiting it for the first time this month on his way to the Dubai Expo to talk about sustainability.
Day 10. I’m in amazing Erbil, Kurdistan.
— Wiebe Wakker (@WiebeWkkr) January 11, 2022
I start the day with a visit to the hospital to take a PCR test for Jordan. My flight is tomorrow morning at 5. pic.twitter.com/DErgvgPobS
Wakker currently holds the world record for finishing the longest ever electric car trip in the world, covering a distance of about 95,000 kilometers from the Netherlands to Australia. On that trip, from March 2016 until September 2019, he visited 33 countries.
"I got a lot of media coverage and became a bit famous. Besides that, hardly anyone knows me," he told Kurdistan 24.
"I wanted to make a point about sustainability, and back then, people were saying electric cars are not reliable, and you are not able to charge them everywhere," he said. "So, I wanted to make a point that if I can drive literally to the other side of the world, then we can definitely use electric cars."
Wakker came to the Kurdistan Region on his way to the Dubai Expo.
"It didn't make sense to fly to Dubai to speak about the trip to promote sustainability, so I wanted to get to Dubai by land," he said.
Day 10. In Erbil I tried to find a flying carpet but indeed it is a fairytale. So I flew in a plane to Amman, Jordan. It is the only way to get to Abu Dhabi. I get closer and closer to @ADSWagenda now! pic.twitter.com/kH5ZK5ALv9
— Wiebe Wakker (@WiebeWkkr) January 12, 2022
As a result, Wakker took a train from Amsterdam to Istanbul.
"I was actually planning to travel to Turkey, Iran, and take a ferry from Iran to Dubai, but I wasn't allowed in Iran due to omicron," he said.
Therefore, Wakker visited the Kurdistan Region instead and flew to Amman in Jordan, and then traveled through Saudi Arabia to Dubai overland.
At the Dubai Expo, he will talk about his previous trip to Australia.
Had fun sharing my earlier adventure and lessons today at the WFES. For the ones who recently started following me: here's a thread about what I did before.
— Wiebe Wakker (@WiebeWkkr) January 18, 2022
A few years ago I challenged myself to drive without money and in an electric car from the Netherlands to Australia. pic.twitter.com/qnREfSaYsN
He said the most interesting thing about the trip was that he did it without money and was completely dependent on the generosity of strangers.
"That was the most interesting part of my trip," he said. "I never expected to get help from everyone."
Wakker said it was the first time he had visited Kurdistan. However, before coming to Erbil, he also traveled across Kurdish-majority southeast Turkey (Turkish Kurdistan).
"I expected it to be a bit similar (to the southeast), but this feels very much more Middle Eastern," he said of the Kurdistan Region. "They speak better English over here and are way more friendly and open. I found it a very interesting experience, the best thing about traveling is you end up in a place you didn't expect. "
Wakker told his parents that the Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region where there is no risk of war, conflict, or terrorism.
"My mother was already telling me not to go to Iran, although I had the best time ever there (on my previous trip)," he said.
"But she said maybe you shouldn't really go there. But she knows I always make the right decisions," he added.
Wakker hopes that he can come back to the Kurdistan Region and see more of its beautiful nature.
"I think it's amazing, the whole culture here, and the vibe," he said.
"There is something about this country, this area. I definitely want to go again."