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June 05, 2005
New Tourist Destination
If you like living dangerously, a new tourist destination has opened up. According to the SMH:
Basra declared itself open to foreign visitors this week but instructed them to be vigilant, dress like locals and hire armed escorts. "Then there is a 70 to 80 per cent chance you will be OK," beamed Abdul Razuqi, the head of the tourism office in Iraq's second city.
Hmmmm. Note sure I really like the odds and the government seems to agree:
The Department of Foreign Affairs says Australians should not travel to Iraq. Tourists who ignore that warning will find Basra's museums gutted, theatres shut, streets reeking with rubbish and sewage and waterways littered with capsized vessels, including Saddam Hussein's yacht.
All the same, it indicates a huge change in Iraq - a change for the better - and a change that would not have happened without the coalition of the willing and the sacrifices of a large number of young men and women ....
Posted by Ozguru at June 5, 2005 12:00 PM
Comments
There are some links to this article which seem to have got lost. Check out Seeking the Adrenalin-Junkie Tourist and Yah, Basra Sounds Real Fun.
Posted by: Ozguru at June 9, 2005 09:46 PM
Interested-Participant: "I think I'll pass. It sounds too much like Detroit."
Ozguru: Including the speaking arabic?
A friend here pointed out that there are some suburbs in Sydney that match but you can't say that - it would be politically incorrect and against NSW law ("inciting hatred of religious or ethnic minorities").
Posted by: Ozguru at June 9, 2005 10:01 PM
