Bring A body armor, carry a rifle (double combat load) watch out for Improvised Explosive Devices I.E.D.'s (civilians call it roadside bombs) and when you get shot at, return with a heavy volume of fire...

I visited Baghdad in the summer of 1972, shortly before going to Munich for the Olympics. Almost NOTHING I remember of the city would hold true today. I remember staying in a spare hotel with a ceiling fan, narrow beds, concrete walls and floors and a garden straigh from A Thousand and One Nights : it was green and lush and ablaze with huge roses. I got up very early the first morning there and sat in the garden enjoying the clear desert light and the fragrance of the roses. A barefoot teenage Arab boy, dressed in a galabea that looked as if it was made of mattress ticking, brought me some fragrant tea and small tomato and cucumber sandwiches...not something I had ever had for breakfast before; that morning will stay with me forever. It is impossible for me to visualize the Baghdad of today; it is painful to try and reconcile my memory with the reality of news coming from there every day. Saddam Hussein was around already; he was the vice-president. Who would have predicted that his ascent to power would ultimately lead to the disaster that is contemporary Iraq? Who would have predicted that early summer morning in Baghdad that the whole world would soon watch in horror as terrorists took Israeli hostages at the Olympic games? To travel is such a wonderful, uplifting, sad and sometimes disillusioning experience. I would have loved to return to Baghdad; I fear I never shall.

when everything calms down in Iraq i am going to check out Fallujah it is like disney land

If you have the opportunity to travel to Tallil Air Base, Iraq, make sure to coordinate with the chaplains' office and arrange a tour of the ruins of UR. The birthplace of Abraham, UR is thousands of years old. The ruins are dominated by the ziggurat, but there are also tombs of kings and queens, the ruins of the royal palace, a (wildly inaccurate) reconstruction of the House of Abraham, and an arch that is reputed to be the oldest manmade arch in the world.

Kufa is the home of KUFA COLA the Iraqi Coke.

Well there used to be a prison that you could take a tour of. I wouldn't recommend it these days though. Not much to see here. I would avoid this area unless you have weapons and an armed escort. LOL

I visited Northern Iraq for ten days in July 2008 (Insanely hot that time of year I might add!) and I found it to be the most pleasant city in the Kurdish area. A must see is Amna Suraka (Red Prison) A bit out the way and hard to find, however worth it as it's a real eye opener into the tragedy of war... Also must mention my trip to Halabja, which was sobering to say the least (and also highly memorable considering I was interrogated for 2 hours for being there!) http://www.anyroad.net/category/northern-iraq-kurdistan-july-2008/

if you are here, you should deffinetly go to Ur, it is near the USA airbase, this city is also mentioned in the bible. check out the house of abraham!!!