Little known to most people today, the island of Cyprus is divided between the Republic of Cyprus in the South and Northern Cyprus to the North. Northern Cyprus is a country only recognized by Turkey, and was created following the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. Today, we crossed the border to go to the once tourist city of Famagusta, on the eastern coast of Cyprus, well-known in the past for its beautiful beaches and vibrant streets. But first, came a 2 hour long bus ride from Limassol that took us through the Cyprus countryside and across a border checkpoint which required our passports. Across the long bus ride, our lovely tour guide Georgia provided us with endless information about different things that we could see from the bus windows. After we left Limassol and Larnaca, the countryside was mostly unassuming until we arrived near the British base of Dhekelia, one of two on the island left from an agreement during the formation of independent Cyprus. At this point the road became a tightrope between the British base on the right and the Turkish-controlled border on the left, with many watchtowers and guards on the left side of the road. We passed through multiple empty towns that had been abandoned following the 1974 occupation and learned about the various histories of displaced peoples. One such story was that of the town of Achna, which now sits abandoned in the Turkish North, in which a group of women who were forced out of town organized a large demonstration and were arrested by Turkish army and taken to Nicosia. Through the overnight work of diplomats, they were released back to the South soon after. Finally we made our way to the passport checkpoint and to the historic city of Famagusta, the hometown of Georgia.

Our first stop in Famagusta was Varosi, an attraction recently opened up by Turkish officials in late 2020. Varosi was once a bustling tourist destination, full of hotels and restaurants, that has sat abandoned since 1974. During the Turkish invasion, the area was hit hard by air raids and buildings were destroyed. Troops ordered everyone out of the area and it was closed off to the public and lay in its ghostly state until the present day. Walking through the town felt like a time machine back to the 1970s. Crumbling buildings lined the streets, overgrown by bushes and vines. Many streets were also closed off and covered by wild brush and the buildings were all fenced off. The town had it all from small coffee shops to a French disco club that now laid still and quiet. After the surreal experience of walking those empty streets, we headed to old Famagusta, which is like Nicosia in that it is inside large Venetian walls surrounded by a moat and was built to protect against medieval raids. Old Famagusta was beautiful, with walkable streets filled with shops and tourists. At its center, a beautiful old church, now turned into a mosque by the Turks. It was fascinating how much counterfeit shops there were, selling fake sports jerseys, Gucci, Lululemon, and other large western brands. We made our way through the streets, past a live music performance, up to the top of the old Venetian wall where one gets a terrific view of the old city and the rest of Famagusta proper, overlooking the Mediterranean sea towards Lebanon. Following this little adventure, we took off on our bus and our short lived time in the Turkish-occupied North was complete.