I finally worked up the courage to go to McDonal Restaurant. That's not a misspelling. What a strange place. You can buy a "Big Mac" or a cheeseburger, but the two burgers are exactly the same. Neither looks anything like their respective pictures depicted on the menu. You can also buy a meat sandwich cut fresh from the slab. This guy was pleased to pose by his meat. The fries were horrible, but the buns were huge and I have acquired a taste for Iraqi bread. I was not able to determine if this is a legal affiliate of the restaurant we all know, or if the golden arches had simply fallen off a truck somewhere. I offer no comment, you can decide.
(Click on the thumbnail to see the large picture)
After talking with Heather about the possibility of having to go to Baghdad, the day was fast approaching. I had to get a security pass issued by the CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) in order to increase my ability to move around in Iraq. The interim government had been talking seriously about signing the new constitution and many people were unhappy with the wording. There was a rocket attack on the Al Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, they blew up an oil well in Kirkuk, and there was gunfire nearly every night in the northern town of Mosel. Mosel is a very diverse city. There are many Kurds, but the population is also made up of Turkomen and other Arabic people. Security there is much less effective than in Sulaymaniya. Yet, our intrepid team of network engineers continues to build sites there, and there are limited telephone communications available in the town. Mosel is scheduled to have a customer care facility and it will be a major hub for us in the next few months.
Baghdad, on the other hand, is Orascom country. Our "hated" competitor. AsiaCell is allowed to build in Baghdad next year, according to the terms of our contract. Things have to calm down there first, though, or none of the expats will relocate. I expressed my concern about going to Baghdad on Monday but the new constitution was signed that very day. Several rockets were fired into buildings across the street from where we were scheduled to stay but Tuesday morning, off we went at 6 AM. I called Heather to wish her a good night and she told me Genavieve was sleeping with her that night. Scheduled to go for the CPA passes were Tom, Steve H., Tony, Mike and Lynne along with 2 security and 3 drivers. Lynne cancelled the evening before, due to her safety concerns and most of us wondered if she was the smart one.
Our three-Pathfinder convoy made our way to Kirkuk and headed south at a now-comfortable 140 kph. We left the mountains of Kurdistan behind us, traversing numerous checkpoints as we crossed onto the plains of Iraq. Traffic was light in the early morning hours and the sky was a cloudless blue. Just a perfect spring day. We rumbled across a long bridge and our driver told us that when the Kurdish people were captured by Saddam's forces and herded into trucks, they knew they were headed for Baghdad when they heard the changing tone of the wheels on the bridge. Many never returned.
We passed a number of small villages, destroyed by Saddam's forces. Some were being rebuilt. Most were deserted. Children, stray dogs and the ever-present herds of sheep dotted the landscape. We noticed burnt out shells of military vehicles littering the ground in some areas. Clearly there was fighting here, a little more than a year ago. Traffic began to pick up as morning passed. We saw an angry convoy of American tanks creaking down the road, turrets waving from side to side. We gave them a wide berth, crossing over into the oncoming lane of the divided highway. Later, I heard an American soldier had been killed and another wounded by a roadside bomb, that same morning.
Shortly after noon, we came to the outskirts of Baghdad. It didn't look a lot different from any other middle-Eastern town. Horse-drawn carts jockeyed for position on the roads with cars and trucks of every sort. There were no working traffic lights and no lines on the road. We wove in and out of traffic, never more than a few car lengths apart. Eventually we wound up at the Hammurabi Palace Hotel, named, no doubt, for the wise king famous for his laws. After checking in ("room at the back of the hotel, please"), we all met in the dining room to plan our strategy. I had to check on some freight while the others had various meetings during the afternoon. I took a driver and our reliable security guy and went to the famous Palestine Hotel, where we moved like rats through a maze through gaps in razor wire and sand-filled barricades. The US military was very watchful and alert, with a much higher presence than I was used to. We approached the hotel, all the while tracked by machine guns and watchful eyes. No-photo zones were everywhere, but I snapped a quick shot or two where I could, hoping the multiple "Deadly Force Authorized" signs were not for shutterbugs. Once into the Hotel, I made my way to the gift shop where I found the genuine CIA 2003 decks of cards for sale for $10 each. I bought one deck, thinking of how I would justify such a strange souvenir to those at home. After agreeing with the agent there to deliver the freight to the Hammurabi Palace, my security guard and I returned to the Pathfinder and headed "home" for the night.
(More thumbnails)
The amazing accuracy of the US missiles was apparent when we passed by several buildings that had been hit on those nights last year. I recognized many of the buildings from TV. Bullet holes were obvious in places like the walls of some of the major hotels and around the Palace. In spite of the changes to Baghdad and all Iraq, new building was going on everywhere and the streets were a frenzy of activity.
We did drive past the park where Saddam's statue fell. They've replaced the statue with a hideous metal tangle that looks like something an alien might have dreamed up after bad Thai food. Well, you judge for yourself.
I had a nap, that afternoon, in the hotel. I joined the group for dinner and adjourned to my room, resting on my bed and watching CNN until it was time to call home. Heather was glad to hear from me and we talked briefly about small things and I laid out some emergency clothes in case I was awakened abruptly. After a fitful night, we had breakfast before heading off to Saddam's palace, where the CPA had set up their headquarters. I was starting to get used to the machine guns and armored vehicles. I was not an approved part of the coalition due to the fact that our Prime Minister decided to follow the French rather than support England and the USA. While the Brits glided through the process, I had to undergo additional scrutiny within the Palace. I met some of the CPA biggie-wiggies and finally received my own pass. So, while you all are not part of the US-led coalition, I am authorized to move about the land spreading sunshine and state secrets to all. I was, of course, forced to divulge all of your names to the authorities, but don't worry. I'm sure that all will be forgiven once we coalition members take on ____________ (insert country name here).
After one last stop at the Palestine Hotel to pick up 8 more decks of cards for my jealous cronies (they're sold out now), we had a fast lunch in a rather nice restaurant and put our heads together to decide if we should stay one more night or head home. Traveling after dark is not a good policy in Iraq, but we finished our journey in the Kurdish part, so we decided to risk it. Our trip was fast and we arrived back in Sulaymaniya a bit later than my dear, worrying wife would have liked, but we were all safe nonetheless.
Until next time,
Steve