Sick! – 12 October

Have caught a head cold and a stomach bug.  Not a good day for me but we arrived at Qurnah today … the location where the Tigris and Euphrates historically met.  I got off the boat a bit early and was taken to a doctor (a whole different story) but was able to get back at the take out so that we could finish the day’s sampling before finally keeling over.  

Fortunately we talked ourselves into a few rooms at the Qurna Tourist Hotel (which is actually booked solid for the staff of the state-owned Southern Oil Company).  It was hardly better than sleeping out in the park next door (which is what most of the team did).  I wish I had taken a picture of the room with four beds that hadn't had their sheets changed in God knows how long, but I was too out of it.

I was able to get up around 1 am to calibrate but the damn chloride sensor wouldn't calibrate properly (I used the technique Diane Muller had told me of the day before without trouble but this time it did not work).

Photos (not in any particular order)

A & Abu H

Abu H looking for a lighter

J passing the lighter

 First water buffalo seen on the river

H stuck in the mud

J having a great time

Lunch under a bridge (not alot of shade in this part of the country)

Negotiating the Tarada over a floating foot bridge

R in his usual pose

V getting in some reading time

S & L staying out of the sun

Scenery from the earlier part of the day (mostly date farms, later this gave away the mostly treeless lands of the buffalo breeders).

As we were passing a village, two local guys jumped in their boats and joined us for awhile. M & Y are in training for the Iraqi team going to the next Olympics

 Y attempts to race J.  But its an unfair competition