Karbala - Iraq

As I have said getting to Post offices in Iraq proved to me difficult even for me!! Here I am in Kerbala Post office. In fact when I got here it was closed. This took 20 minutes of me pleading with security to take me. Here is one of the local Police who are stationed at the Post office. There are a number of Yellow post boxes around Post offices but I was fimerly told they are not in use. So in this case my Police man and me became best buddies and he looked after my postcards and told me he will put them into the Post office when it opened. I got here on a Thursday and they initially told me to come back on Sunday to post my cards and only I could come back. So I live in hope. But I did send postcards to many people who requested them from Baghdad and here. Some of the cards only have an address as I was under big pressure to get out of the Post office. ( Karbala and Kerbala are the same , two different spellings) 

Kerbala is a holy city and security was heavy heavy here. No cars allowed in the centre or near the mosque. 

This is a car bomb that went off in Kerbala the day I was here. No one injured. 

Life around the city 

Imam Husayn Shrine is one of the oldest mosques in the world and holy site of Shia islam. It is a very busy mosque and many millions visit from all over the world. Inside got a special VIP tour so was able to take these photos. Amazing to visit. 

On the way out of the city found this post office. A yellow box and closed.. Wish I had put a card in a box to see if it would go.