Asia

[Visited: January 2022]

It is my last day in Iraq, and my head is full of impressions of all that I have seen and all the people I have met on the way. It is also the last day (for now) travelling with my Russian travel companion whom I have come to know as an open-minded person, great fun, sense of adventure, with a firm conviction that everything will work out, eventually. It is probably also the last day I will be considered a Russian. There is, therefore, plenty to say goodbye to. We decide to walk all the way from our hotel in downtown Basra to the train station in the north of the city. My friend will return to Baghdad and hopes to do so by train, and no one can tell us the timings. So we set off in the early morning and just start walking heading northwest. Soon enough, we enter the market, where vendors are still working to open up their stalls.
Much of the market here is covered, and we just follow our instincts. When we see a street we like, we follow it, and then later correct our heading again by taking another turn. Thus, we meander through the maze of market streets and alleys. We only shared the last fruits we had that morning, so when we see a shop with sweets, we stop and point out the ones we like. When our selection is in a box and we take out money to pay, the owner makes a gesture: No, this is a present from the heart. Once more, we are touched by the generosity of the Iraqi people. We walk a little further on, turn a narrow street for its old buildings, and see a tea shop in the street. We are the first to sit down, and order our teas. The guy serving has an eternal smile on his face and the atmosphere feels good. More people join us, some talk to us, some take pictures or videos. We end up having the most interesting discussions with them, are offered a second tea, finish eating our sweets, and there can only be one conclusion: life in Basra is good.
But we need to move on, so we thank our new friends who obviously refuse to get paid, and continue meandering through the market. We cross stinking canals filled to the brim with trash, eventually leave the market behind, walk muddy streets, past enormous and endless piles of trash, and enter newer neighbourhoods with an enormous power plant on our right. We end up on a busy street, and see a lunapark ahead of us. We look at each other, and after having travelled for a couple of days, we don't need much more than a glance and a smile. Before we know it, we are waiting in line for the ferris wheel. I soon realise that I am surrounded by hundreds of young Iraqi girls, and one of the very few guys here. We are ordered to take another line, are in our seats at once, and thoroughly enjoy the double ride. Girls in adjacent open cabins take pictures with us, while some of them object against us taking pictures of them. The views over the city are, of course, great. When we had our fix of fun, we continue walking to the train station where we find out that there are three trains: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. No spread. We get a private tour of the train that is waiting for its departure a few days later. One day, we will ride it. But now, we need to find a taxi, I need to change, hug my friend goodbye, and will just make it in time to catch my flight out of the Cradle of Civilisation.

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Basra impressions (Iraq)

Basra impressions > Iraq > Asia

[Visited: January 2022]

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