Now, that’s not a tech story, but … last week I visited Iraq – the conflict zone. And I was amazed how beautiful and exciting this country is. Hopefully the terror will soon be over and things get on track.

I’d like to share some photos with you.

This is what you should wear when going for a ride with Black Hawk helicopter. Because there’s a threat that some sharpsooter bad guys are hiding behind bushes, waiting for their chance to hunt you down at the time of arrival or departure of the copter.

In general the Iraqis seem to be really nice people. But they are lazy workers. Here you see US soldier bossing some teenage Iraqi workers in the Camp Taji, Bassam.

The Victory over America Palace. Saddam Hussein had a serious delusion of grandeur. He built several palaces that looked really nice from the distance (different marbels, high ceilings, enormous crystal chandelieres etc), but the construction was really cheap, cement mixed with industrial waste…

… so no wonder that when Americans bombed the palaces just a bit, they started falling apart like cardhouses. Saddam’s Ba’ath Party Convention center is pictured up here.

In March 2003 Us president George Bush gave 48 hours for Saddam’s party members to evacuate from the Ba’ath Party’s Convention Center. But after 24 hours ordered to launch a Tomahawk rocket to the building. At that time 250 Ba’athists were sitting at the conference hall waiting for the boss and watching the famous movie Pretty Woman (that might be just a legend though!) After the attack only 50 bodies were founded. The rest … vanished.

So now the evil Saddam is history. And the coalition forces like to show some of the trophies to visitors like me. Saddam’s tank in Camp Victory, Baghdad pictured here.

But you know, just like some people in Estonia still miss the “good old Soviet times” when Estonia was part of Soviet Union, some Iraqis miss Saddam’s rule. What is better, to have democracy and chaos or to have authoritarian regime and strong order – this is the tricky question they ask. 

I am going to post more about Iraq in my Estonian weblog shortly. You’ll see a video, interviews with local people and Estonian troops in Bassam.

I love Iraq!