Safe and Sound in Baghdad...Sort Of

Jordanian traffic police

I arrived in Baghdad this afternoon after being delayed in Amman for several hours by dust storms over Iraq. When we landed I immediately noticed that the air was intensely hot and very hazing, almost like being enveloped in red-brown smoke. When you step down off the plane the hot wind hits you and you think that you’re standing too close to the jet engines. You quickly realize that’s just the normal, searing winds on the tarmac in summertime Iraq.

It didn’t take long. Five minutes out of the airport and we drove past an active firefight in one of the neighborhoods. While we weren’t anyone's target you’re always concerned about catching a stray round in an unlucky spot. My colleague and I continued our conversation as we gave the car a bit more gas and got away from the area.

Nonetheless, safe and sound in Baghdad.

Gotcha!

The women in Jordan make me laugh. It’s a huge game. They see me walking towards them and they try not to stare or even make eye contact. You can see it in their eyes as they fight the urge not to look at the 6’6” gringo with the shaved head and a camera. Inevitably they give in and steal a quick glance, at which time I just smile. They absolutely hate getting caught.

Outside McDonalds four teenagers walked past and one of them softly mumbled a “hello”. I motioned to my camera and then to them. Aghast, they shook their heads no and sort of giggled. After a second or two they had a little conference and decided that it was OK. The next thing you know they are posing all over the place, ice cream in-hand.

The people have a sort of reserved friendliness to them. On the surface they appear to be very serious and closed, but as soon as you smile or wave they melt and return the gesture with gusto.

Viagra For Jetlag?

I took a decent nap today trying to fend off the jetlag from yesterday’s trip. I colleague told me that if you take a Viagra tablet when traveling west to east it will lessen the severity of the jetlag. I’m not sure what the science is behind that theory, but I opted not to test it out.

I went for a walk in downtown Amman this afternoon and took some photos, and put about nine of them up on Flickr. Again, I was a little self-conscious with a camera, but I’m slowly learning some photography social skills.

One of the street vendors stuck a shemagh on my head and had one of his buddies take my camera and grab a photo of us together. I was imagining the would-be photographer making a break for it with my Nikon, and me chasing him through the streets, red and white shemagh flapping in the wind.

No Pictures Here

Like many places in today’s worlds, taking pictures in Amman is not the easiest thing to do. People are suspicious of anyone with a camera. The average Jordanian is more accustomed to seeing assault rifles than he is a telephoto lens, and any westerner waiving one around is bound to attract unwanted attention. To be fair, I am staying at a hotel that was bombed a little over a year ago, so I can see why people might be more than a little security conscious.

Photographers continue to be easy targets for amateur security wonks. Anyone taking a photo of a building or a bridge must be a plotting terrorist, why else would they do it? I guess if I threw on a pair of plaid Bermuda shorts, knee-high socks, and hung a point-and-shoot around my neck that I would be better off.

Finally Amman

After flying all night from New York, I finally made it to Amman for a three-day stay until I go back into Baghdad.

My driver picked me up at the airport and I immediately reached for my camera. The entire 45-minute drive to the hotel was punctuated with, “No, not here. Here OK. Not here. OK here”, as he pointed out places that was permitted to photograph and others that were not. I pretended selectively understand him, which drove him nuts.

Amman is fantastic, and I’ve grown to love this place more and more with each visit. I’m currently sitting outside on the balcony bar of the Hyatt looking out over the city lights, watching the locals smoke water pipes, listening to modern jazz, and drinking Chilean wine.

Tomorrow I have some business to take care of and then plan to take a walking tour of the immediate area. Wednesday I’m counting on a trip to Petra to take some pictures of Jordan’s most famous tourist site.

Amman, Jordan

Sitting in a very nice hotel lobby in Amman enjoying my first Corona in six weeks, and listening to a lady in a leopard skin gown play some recognizable tunes on the piano.

Amman is a progressive and cosmopolitan city compared to Baghdad right now. Driving the 40 minutes from the airport and passing the clean, elegant buildings, and freely moving people I couldn’t help but imagine that this is what Baghdad may become one day. A picture of the beaten and battered city 20 years from now, transformed into a modern Islamic capital city tickled my mind; it seems so far away, almost unachievable.

Things that you notice in Amman are the streets, packed with people and cars, are very clean. Many of the women are dressed in the traditional black hijab, which looks to me to be very hot in the Middle Eastern sun. Those that are not dressed head to toe in black at least wear a muted head scarf in accordance with their beliefs. The architecture is amazing, both modern steel and glass next to castle-like structures made of white, sun-baked stone.

I only have a handful of hours to spend here before I fly out tonight for Paris and then Atlanta. I really wanted to rent a car and drive to the Dead Sea, but I don’t have the time on this trip. The next time through I’m going to take a day and see what’s outside the city.