THE IRAQI SERIES, DAY 1 & 2
HOME – ISTANBUL – BAGHDAD – BASRA
Iraqi Sleeper Train. After an incredible experience in Afghanistan it was only a matter of months before I was headed back in this direction for another trip.
ONCE YOU EXPERIENCE THE HOSPITALITY OF THE MIDDLE EAST YOU WILL KNOW NOTHING QUITE COMPARES TO IT. WELCOME TO COUNTRY NUMBER 160!
After a few red eye flights I arrived in Baghdad and once I had a few hours kip under my belt I was driven around the city to get my bearings. As always the main aim of my first day was just to go on a little dander to meet some locals…and that is exactly what happened around Freedom Square, a monument built to celebrate the independence of Iraq from the British. It took no time for the Iraqi’s to showcase their incredible level of hospitality as they were keen to talk and share whatever food or drink they had.
Iraqi Sleeper Train
WHERE IS IRAQ?
Iraq
SLEEPER TRAIN
However time was short as I was headed for Basra straight away and there is no local experience like the Bagdad to Basra Sleeper Train, something I have also wanted to do and to do alone! And again it wasn’t long before I was surrounded with curious locals.
Iraqi Sleeper Train
FLAG….
- RED – The willingness to shed blood.
- GREEN – For Arab fields.
- BLACK – For battles.
- WHITE – For purity of motives and deeds.
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL – Al Sadeer $50/night
- RESTOS – (+rating)
- FOOD – (+rating)
- ATTRACTIONS –
Baghdad walk
Freedom Square
Baghdad – Basra overnight train
As soon as I got on the train, I threw my bags in carriage 8, room 4, bed A and made a beeline for the resto carriage to have some chai. In truth I wasn’t mad to have some tea but knew there were good experiences to be had in this carriage and for the next 2 hours I sat and spoke to what seemed like the entire train. Most couldn’t speak English but there was one local who was especially helpful, Ahmed who is a couch surfing host and in hindsight someone who I should have spent more time with.
Iraqi Sleeper Train
RELATED READ: THE TRAIN RIDE OF A LIFETIME PT1 ADAM’S PEAK
ARM WRESTLING COMPETITION
The next few hours were spend laughing, being given food & drink and arm wrestling – the last thing I expected to do in Iraq. I was keen for the night not to end but knew I had little sleep last night and plenty of long days ahead. It sure set the tone for the rest of the trip!
Iraqi Sleeper Train
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
I knew people were going to be friendly here, it was one of the reasons why I decided to come but even my high expectations didn’t meet the reality. Next few weeks are going to be fun!
NEXT UP
A private tour of Saddam’s yacht!! 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.
2 Comments. Leave new
What days was the train running? I’ve read conflicting reports about only being on certain days vs running daily.
Hey John,
It runs everyday (from what I was told) and is very easy to get a ticket as rarely full. When it took it the second time to get to Basra there were actually 3 on that night.