Just a quick note to say I made it to Baghdad. It is cooler here than in Kuwait, and there is actual green vegetation. Here is a picture of the Al Faw palace, the lake it looms over and a bird (the first one I've seen other than the small sparrows of Kuwait -- it is like a crow or raven, but with white plumage under its wings and on its belly). I’m here waiting on a flight for the next stage of my journey.