Chapter 51 how to get off

When we arrived in the early morning, we found a so-called four-star hotel to stay in, but everyone in the team quickly came to a common conclusion that this was the worst hotel we had ever stayed in, including mainland China, which has not yet reformed and opened up. A dilapidated, shabby hotel with no equipment is tolerable, but it should be relatively clean. Who would have thought that in this hotel, every place that the hands touch is greasy.Pulling back your sleeves and not touching it, the room is filled with a strong odor, not stinky, but a pungent smell that has been stuffy for a long time, adding a little bit of sweetness and vulgarity to the nose, which makes people feel nauseous quickly, but fortunately We haven't eaten anything for more than ten hours.I stood for a long time on the small window sill that only fits one person, not daring to enter the house.

I have to move, but I don't know if there is a decent hotel.It suddenly occurred to me that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stayed in a hotel called Rasheed when he came to Iraq for mediation. Journalists from all over the world also lived there. It was often mentioned in the international news, so it should not be too bad.So, our convoy finally got rid of the begging hands and went to look for Rashid. Sure enough, it was not bad, but when I was about to enter the lobby, I found a colorful caricature of former US President Bush embedded in the terrazzo at the door, with a line of English words underneath: Bush is guilty.

The portrait was made so large that it just supported a door, and anyone who tried to get in had to step over Mr. Bush's face, and it was very difficult to avoid it.I have a good impression of Mr. Bush, a thin old man. I heard him talk about the publication of his memoirs and his son's election on ABC TV a few days ago, so I wanted to avoid the most sensitive parts of his face and step on his shoulders carefully. In the past, but still touched his ear, so sorry. I don't know how Secretary-General Annan passed here. After staying here, I always need to exchange some money. By the way, I inquired about the local consumption situation, and the result was surprising.

The currency here is Dinar. In the past, one Dinar could be exchanged for more than three U.S. dollars. Now the official price ratio is not low, but in fact, it has depreciated to 1,900 Dinars for one U.S. dollar. In other words, one yuan of RMB can be exchanged for two hundred and forty dinars.The government rations each resident nine kilograms of flour, two kilograms of rice, and a small amount of boiled rice, cooking oil, and tea every month. As for the salary, it is negligible. I did some research and found that the monthly salary of a worker here is 750 dinars; the monthly salary of a middle school teacher is 3,000 dinars, which is equivalent to one and a half dollars; The monthly salary is equivalent to ten dollars.That is to say, it is difficult for them to go to the store to buy anything except government rations.

For example, an apple costs 1,500 dinars per kilogram, which is equivalent to half a month's salary for a middle school teacher.Ordinary pencils made in China cost 750 dinars each, which is exactly equal to the monthly salary of a worker, and the entire monthly salary of a middle school teacher can buy four. This is also an important reason why most children are out of school. What's even more outrageous is that in the canteen of the hotel where we live, postcards without postage cost 1,000 dinars each, while an ordinary travel picture book is as high as 40,000 dinars, which is equivalent to the annual salary of a middle school teacher.The market is open for foreign tourists and smugglers who get rich, but how many foreign tourists are there?

What makes our team excited is that the price of gasoline is unbelievably low, only 50 dinars per kilogram, that is, one yuan can fill up five kilograms, and it is high-quality good fuel.From this, it comes to mind that as long as this country is under relatively normal circumstances, there is really no reason to be poor.I read such an assertion in an international geography book: Baghdad is like an island floating on a sea of ​​oil.What's more, the Mesopotamia is still rich in water and grass, and the fish are fat and the sheep are strong.If it is said that this little aquatic plant has greatly nourished history, then what kind of prosperity and strength can the vast sea of ​​oil bring to 20 million people!

However, the extremely splendid ancient civilization and the extremely superior natural conditions have become negative articles here.Now, even people in the most barren areas of the world feel sorry for this truly rich place. Chen Luyu walked on the street for most of the day and came back and told me that the people here have gone through the period of questioning, anger and complaining, and they seem to have adapted to everything, thinking that life should be like this. I said to myself: I wonder if there are thinkers?Lu Yu said: Probably very few, or even none, which is why I was very depressed after staying on the street for five minutes.

The tradition of civilization is so fragile, everyone seems to have become a different kind of person, and can never change back. There is a revolving restaurant on the tallest tower in the city, where you can eat grilled fish and whole lamb from the Tigris River, and the furnishings are also up to standard.The price of a meal is twenty dollars, which is equivalent to the entire salary of a government minister for two months.But there are a lot of customers there. Could it be that all the ministers have made a desperate decision tonight? Named after a leader, the tower was blown up in the Gulf War and immediately rebuilt taller and more luxurious than the original.Looking down from the tower's revolving restaurant, the brightest place is another presidential palace that has just been completed; under the tower, there is a huge standing bronze statue, and at his feet are the remains of some explosives, mixed with The white iron statues of the leaders of Kuwait, Mrs. Thatcher, etc., of course, Mr. Bush is also included, but it is a pity that they are so trivial that they all become the scum of paving the road, waiting to be trampled by giant feet.

November 10, 1999, Baghdad, Iraq, overnight at Rasheed Hotel