From Mr Brown to Miss Scarlet

It is just before midday and swelteringly hot in Baghdad.
I am standing outside the blast walls that surround the British Embassy, out of breath and dripping in sweat, having spent the morning chasing around the Green Zone on the trail of Gordon Brown.
Stern-faced Gurkhas guarding the compound regard me with suspicion as I plead to be let inside (and out of the sun) for a press conference that he is due to give.
After a short wait, I’m granted access and taken to an air-conditioned room where UK journalists travelling with the Prime Minister are also being kept.
Mr Brown only has a few, spare minutes during a flying visit to Baghdad to talk to the media before setting off to catch a plane down to Basra.
Addressing the visiting UK reporters, several Iraqi journalists and me the lone Baghdad-based-correspondent-for-a-British-newspaper, he touches on plans to cut troop numbers, dutifully answers a few questions and then leaves.
Show over, the travelling press pack is ushered on to a bus to follow.
I also try to get a lift to the nearest exit but am told there is not enough petrol in the tank.
Alone again in the sun, the only option is to trudge by foot out of the Embassy and along the network of motorway-size roads, linked by concrete roundabouts to a bridge that crosses the Tigris and leads out of the Green Zone.
Not surprisingly, most foreigners move around this compound, which measures about 4 square miles, by vehicle because: a. Of its size; b. The weather is punishingly hot at this time of year; and c. There is still a kidnap threat.
Sadly due to a badging anomaly, I am still waiting for the right pass to get my car through the checkpoints, so am forced to take a bit of a risk whenever I visit the Green Zone, either organising a lift with the person I’m meeting; catching a cab or, when strapped for cash (as I was at that moment), walking.
After a few paces it becomes apparent that I stick out a mile.
Not only am I the only person stupid enough to be walking in the midday heat but I am also a rather conspicuous, blonde-haired foreigner.
It doesn’t take long for some Iraqi man in a dodgy-looking, white, Mitsubishi pick-up truck to take an interest.

At first he just toots his horn as he drives past. I barely notice as several other cars had also beeped, making me feel like a teenager again, when on the odd occasion a lecherous lorry driver had honked and whistled in my direction.
Then, however, Mitsubishi Man drives full-circle around one of the roundabouts and comes straight back towards me, beeping and shooting a leering stare.
Slightly unnerved, I pick up my pace, which is pretty difficult given the 50-degree-heat and my lack of physical fitness.
Seconds later the guy reappears from behind, driving past, cutting across the centre of the road and coming back. Each time he goes by, he toots and stares.
I am not sure whether the antics are amorous or hostile.
Either way, I decide to seek shelter behind a handily-placed skip to give him the slip.
It works, but means that I spend even longer sweating under the roasting sun.
Finally I make it out of the Green Zone, into my waiting car and back to my hotel, exhausted and with a face as red as a tomato.
One cold shower, several layers of after-sun and many slices of soothing cucumber (slapped over my skin) later, the sunburn still refuses to calm down, earning me the new nickname of Miss Scarlet. 
That will teach me to be so enthusiastic about trying to see Mr Brown.

[Picture 1: Gordon Brown meets Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad's Green Zone;
Picture 2: The motorway-size roads that cut through the Green Zone;
Picture 3: A car that passed me by but was thankfully not beeping;
Picture 4: Me back at the hotel trying to recover with some slices of cucumber.]

Comments

I wonder why the British embassy makes a British journalist jeopardise to those silly drivers , other kinds of risk and makes this lady suffer so much . They must have escorted her or finds her a car to give her the lift .Please Ms Debbie be careful and take care of yourself.

[nathan]

Most westerners wear wide brimmed hats in the tropics to prevent sunburn & sunstroke. This lady too could have. She has been reporting from Iraq since 2004. This is unbeleivable.

[ian skidmore]

pointless exercise. Inefficient staff work. I assume she was unable to find a real story worth cabling.
Prhapos that is the reason no one else has staffed Bhagdad

[fallingleaf]

poor kitten

maybe the Times should give her job to someone else

[Pop]

Debbie,

Please be more careful.

Dad

xxx

[Peter]

It sounds counter-intuitive I know but you should have had a hot shower. It draws the heat out of the sunburn and makes it much more bearable. Of course the shower itself is excruciating.

[RD]

Soon, Mr. Brown will have all the time in the world and you won´t have to get a sunburn to see him.

[Mrs M]

Oh lighten up people. The poor lady probably finds precious little in Iraq to laugh about - it is nice to get a light-hearted story coming out of there for a change. And as for the sunburn, I am sure she has learned her lesson and will wear a hat next time. I do find it appalling though that a British journalist posted to Iraq is not given better support!

I astonish that some of the comments criticise this humble and brave lady unfairly .Falling Leaf and Ian please read Debbie's articles very well and see how professional she is in the field of writing and also see her achievements and stance ;yes her job must be given to another one because she deserves a higher position as a journalism legend ,you can never downgrade Debbie because you don't know her very well. She sacrifices her life to portray the political events and the suffering of the Iraqi people and report them in honest way.Her article is nice ,she wants to picture too many things that the people don't know about .And also she always beatifies her professionalism by presenting a bunch of sundry topics.Consequently she is always right and her critics are mistaken.

[5.56short]

Debbie,

You should make friends with the other Brits in the IZ - there's plenty of us. Most Private Security Companies have an HQ in the Green Zone and we are mostly ex officers, soldiers or Police, you could have popped in for a rest, cold water or even a lift. There are at least 4 major PSCs within walking distance of the embassy, and I'm sure your Dad would be happier knowing that you had some countrymen who could help you out.

But you should really get a hat!

Take care!

[Brin]

only until next election