Ragnar's World: At the edge of town

Sometimes, it is good to be reminded of where you are. I have walked around for days now. Meeting people. Greeted by them. I have felt comfortable. Safe. But I do know that not all is well in paradise. And I got a reminder of where I am yesterday. I started walking along a street out of town. I just kept on walking. Just to see where it led. A sign said towards Baghdad. I knew I wasn't going to walk that far. But I enjoyed seeing the area change. From the bustling bazaar area of the inner city around my hotel, to the more business areas in the outer. And I passed a few hotels along the way. And it hit me how some of them where heavily guarded. Guards with AK-47s. Thick steel gates. Metal detectors when entering the compounds. I realized that all of those were hotels with flags indicating they housed UN personell and/or American people. Luxurious hotels. And I know that if there was an terror-attack, they would attack these places. Nobody would attack Hotel El-Shait or Hotel Al-Dump. Because all the important people always stay in luxurious hotels. Not the backpacker shacks I normally stay in.
After a while, I passed a shopping centre. I felt the urge for some serious refluiding, so I decided to go there. I have to admit, the airconditioning was also a tempting feature... As I came to the entrance, a small sign was also a powerful reminder that I was not in Oslo. A sign that indicated "No guns allowed". It was obviously something they had to remind their customers of. And when I entered, I had to go through security. They checked my bag, and I had to go through a metal detector.

Two hours after I set out, I had reached the edges of Erbil. There were new buildings being erected further out, but I decided to stop at what would be a future intersection. An overpass had been built. And a road under construction extended to each side. Underneath, wonderful shade. People stood there selling fruits to travellers. I enjoyed the shade. A welcomed relief from the sun.
I walked up on the intersection. Looked around. Erbil is growing. Changing. It is a peaceful place in Iraq. But in a country like this, things can change. And the security I have seen, may be necessary for a long time. Maybe forever. But it is my hope it does not change the people.