Things Changed

What is the first thing come to your mind when you hear about Iraq? Saddam Hussein? Baghdad? Iran-Iraq War? Iraq-Kuwait War? Suicide bombing targeting on Shiite pilgrims in Karbala? 2003 US-led invasion?  Turtle Can Fly? Yes, it is all about war. No any country on earth has dominated international headlines as extensive as Iraq, but sadly it was all about the unkindly events. In my personal ranking, Iraq is only second after Afghanistan as the most dangerous places in the world.

No gun into the park!

I was born in a generation which knows nothing about war. Neither do I know the concept of peace which has always been thought to have granted without the necessity to work for it.

Anything you want to say about both of these photos?

Despite of being one of the most dangerous places on earth, Iraq was the cradle of Mesopotamian civilization where the Assyrians, Sumerians and Babylonians once set their foot on. While the southern region of Iraq(Arab-controlled Iraq) remains off-limit for travelers , it is absolutely safe to travel around in the northern region(Kurdish Region). Iraqi Kurdistan is not a little-visited region anymore especially upon the incorporation of an Iraqi Kurdistan section in the latest Lonely Planet Middle East Travel Guidebook. However, it is regret to know that while most of people tend to take BBC or CNN as the only source of information, others still tend to take some news they saw in the past as a whole and never realize things have changed.