THE IRAQI SERIES, DAY 10 & 11
BAGHDAD
A tour around Baghdad & the Al Anbar. This morning we do as the Iraqi’s do…eat food!
NOT SURE IF I AM MORE IMPRESSED BY THE RESILIENCE OF THESE PEOPLE OR THE AMOUNT OF CALORIES THEY CONSUME
After a quick stop at Firdos Square, the site of the famous statue of Saddam we headed to Al-Hadi Street for some much needed scran!
WHERE IS BAGHDAD?
Baghdad
GEYMAR & KAHI
Baghdad’s streets offer high-calorie delights, like Iraq’s national breakfast of Geymar and Khai, a buttery pastry with creamy Geymar. A huge dose of honey and syrup on top adds to the already rich Geymar and Khai. And if that doesn’t send you into a coma then the milky tea with a wheelbarrow of sugar would!
I had reservations, but the sugary Geymar and Khai at 9 am were irresistible. Am I becoming Iraqi?
A tour around Baghdad & the Al Anbar
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL – Shanashel Palace £80/night
- ATTRACTIONS –
Martyrs monument
Kahi-Geymar
Local market
Green zone
Al-Kadhimya
Abu Ghraib
Freedom Square
Palestine Hotel/Bar
NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH
The name of the game is to guess where the only face card is, two are blank one isn’t. They make the card’s location obvious in the first few rounds, with insiders making big bets to lure others. Once a passerby is enticed, they bet, only to find the card elsewhere, moved by sleight of hand.
RELATED READ: DRIVING INTO SYRIA
U.S. EMBASSY
After getting a few footballs and an Iraqi football shirt we were on our way through the green zone and passed the victory arches. The green zone is a safe area within Baghdad but an area you cannot stop within as it houses most of the city’s embassy’s. Embassies are usually grand, but the U.S. embassy in Baghdad is on another level. It’s bigger than any hotel, with several apartment blocks, shops, and even its own airport.
A tour around Baghdad & the Al Anbar
MINISTRY OF OIL
Now if you like conspiracies listen up; here is something that will shock you yet not surprise you. During the air raid on March 20, 2003, many Baghdad buildings were destroyed and looted, including museums, hospitals, and schools. However, one building was protected by the Americans: the Ministry of Oil headquarters. You cannot write it.
A tour around Baghdad & the Al Anbar
DAY 11 – ABU GHRAIB
Today we headed west, to the most dangerous part of Iraq, a desolute area and the birthplace of ISIS; the Al Anbar region. Before venturing on, we stopped near Abu Ghraib prison, infamous for torture and abuse during Saddam’s and the Americans’ times. The Americans used it to torture and abuse inmates, 80% of whom were ordinary people in the wrong place.
You will all remember the images that made their way onto the front pages of the newspapers of inmates chained as dogs and beaten and abused. Many incidents marked the Iraqi war for the US, but none more than the Abu Ghraib torture scandal.
Credit – The Independant & War Poetry Website
CHECKPOINT
It didn’t take us long before we were told to turn around and if I’m honest it didn’t surprise me. This region is unsafe at the best of times but ever since the conflict in Palestine escalated it has been a no go for foreigners. Such a shame.
Instead we drove around Baghdad checking many of the cities sites including the Arabian Nights monument and again the Martyr Monument for a closer look.
LOCALS AT FREEDOM SQUARE
The best travel experience is always about the locals. Freedom Square in Baghdad is the best place to meet locals. As a tourist you don’t even need to do anything, park yourself in the middle and enjoy the locals come up and chat to you, we even got chatting to a local drunk who claimed to be from New York, his accent was pretty spot on so I could believe it!
NIGHT OUT
For a beer in Baghdad, go to the 12th floor of the Palestine Hotel. Actually, the D Lounge is better, as the P Hotel has noisy music and strong shisha. There were times I thought I would have to get carried out.
The hotel grounds feel like another world, with everyone in expensive cars, dressed up, and eager to smoke and drink all night. It’s a part of Baghdad that’s worth seeing!
TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS
If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Not reaching the Al Anbar region was disappointing, but such trips have challenges and give reasons to return.
NEXT UP
To Saddam’s hometown and then the infamous Mosul!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
160/229
This post is part of The Iraqi Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.

Question Time
- Would you travel to Baghdad?
- Fancy trying some of the strongest Shisha in the world in the Palestine Hotel?
Let me know in the comments below . . .