Headed out at 6am to avoid any traffic which there was none for the 320km trip to the Iraqi border. The last about 150km before the border is just flat with small brown rocks as far as the eye can see, quite something. Got to the border at 11am and had to pay $50 to leave Jordan.
Iraq was $207 for visa, ŕoad tax, insurance and took two hours, way quicker than my comrades who came through yesterday and took six hours and slept at the border in the customs building.
You have to have a military escort all the 550km to Baghdad and I was lucky enough to leave just afyer 2pm. Each escort only takes you 30km and then the next Hummer takes you and so forth and they go so slow !
The roads are good and heavily fortified, every bridge is a small compound on top, the road that use to run on the the bridge are no more, and every two kilometers is a small army bunker post heavily armed.
They told me I will get to Baghdad tonight but very late. The Iraqi's are very friendly and welcoming and the soldiers fed me cold water all day, which was good as I had'nt eaten anything all day.
The miltary handed me over to a police escort and I needed fuel so they took me to there police compound and gave me fuel and then I had to go and meet the Brigadier in his office. Had some tea and he asked if I would like some food which I obligingly accepted as it was 10pm and seventeen hours on the road I would have eaten a skunks ass I was so ravenous. Then the lacky brought me a bowl of tomato and egg and some other good stuff in like a stew with fallafel. I polished that off and wanted to lick the plate out it was so good.
Then off we went to be be handed over to the military again. Waited around and then they said to go and then the next minute told me I would have to spend the night there. So shared the shack with two Captains, used my mattress and sleeping bag and made the most of it.
DAY 143 TO BAGHDAD
Did manage to sleep okay and got up and packed my stuff away and then had breakfast and tea on the floor, fallafel and cheese with the two Captains. Was great to be able to share a small part of their day and hear their stories.
They organized my next escort which I rode alone to meet 30km north and then had anothe 5 different escorts to the outskirts of Baghdad. I was held there for awhile and then they told me I could go and that I must lead the way to the hotel. After two kilometers I had lost them and battled the traffic jams in Baghdad, stuff you can't believe, just chaos.
Took me three hours to do 45 kilometers
and finally got to the hotel at 4pm where all the other guys are staying, we have all met up again here , except for Henrietta who is in Saudi still.
We all went out for dinner and caught up and then went and smoked some shisha.
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