Imagine closing youre eyes and being spun round twenty times, and then opening your eyes, and your in the dark - This is Basra (Basrah).
A confusing city which one minuite is inviting and friendly, and the next, bleak and dangerous.
Driving through the central parts, a new TV shop, will be next to a burnt out hotel, there is oppulence, next to offulence.
The people on the whole appear to be friendly, the kids are nice and chatty, but there is an unnerved feeling about them, there is something they arent telling you. If you are invited into their homes, this is an honour, and expect to be well fed with all delights including Sheeps eyeballs, and other things that us westeners arent used to. It is rude to refuse.
Good advice it to carry a selection of hard candy and small toys for kids, and perhaps some souveniers of your own country to give away.
Basrah is situated on the Shat Al Arab River, and it has its own independant power station, the power is un reliable, as the locals pull down the pylons to strip the copper from the cables, and when the power is off, the locals get annoyed (catch 22 really).
The city (which is divided into 3 sections) has beautiful mosques, and as the morning sun rises, the cry\'s to Allah can be heard city wide. Its markets offer produce from all over, with variety and diversity, if there is something you are looking for, you may just find it in a Basrah market, or at least find someone who can get it for you!
The city has its own large university, and it is a testament to the mentallity of these people, that it has survived and thrived since the invasion.
Toursits should be extremely cautious visiting, as to hear the occasionaly gun shot is not unusual, nor is to find the body of the executed in the road side, and with extremists here and there, personal protection is most neccesary. Staying in hotels should be done as far away from the military bases as possible, as regular mortar bombs are fired into these bases at night. I would suggest using the matteress to cover the window, and blocking the door, and sleeping on the floor.
Basrah has its own airport, which has a sort of international status, however, Civil flights may not be allowed there - Im unsure.
Travelling is easiest by arriving at the near by sea port, or crossing the border from Iran.
The countryside is littered with the debris of war, from old soviet style tanks, riddled with depleted urainium to buildings bombed to pieces. ocasionally a sand dried body may surface here and there, and one should be cautious about the prescence of both anti personel and anti vehicle mines.
Apart from the obvious negatives, Iraq on the whole may be a good country to visit once everything has settled down a bit.
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Don't think i'll be going here in a hurry. Great review. Matt :-)
cwestern 31.10.2007 22:35
Brief but interesting insight on the experience. I would love to travel around the middle east to have a look at thedifferent cultures, but can't see it being practicle for a good many years, maybe generations.
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