I'm a winner in the 2013 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition

I'm happy and humbled to announce that I'e won the 2013 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, taking the gold in the Personal Comment category for my article Video Games with a Refugee, part of my Iraq travel series on the Gadling travel blog.

The annual competition is sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. Winners of the awards, the most prestigious in the field of travel journalism, were announced Oct. 21 at the SATW convention, held this year in Biloxi, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This is the 29th Lowell Thomas competition and drew 1,257 entries. Judges were members of the faculty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In honoring my work, the judges said: "Is it possible that we can have our hearts broken while playing with a child? The author demonstrates that it is. In this extraordinarily touching piece, Sean McLachlan recounts a hotel lobby visit with a Syrian refugee, 9, who wants to play video games with him. In one short piece, he delivers the pathos of the Syrian conflict with the innocence and joy of a child. This crisply written piece is not weighed down by sermonizing. Its impact comes from the story, sharply told."

This made my week! Oh, and I big shout out to my friend David Farley, who won gold in the Short Article on Travel for his article “Mama Knows Best” in Afar magazine!

Guest blogging about my time in Iraq

Yesterday I was over at the Post Modern Pulp blog talking about my time with the various armed forces during my trip to Iraq. I also have a post on the Osprey Publishing blog today about some curious Ottoman artillery I saw in Baghdad. There are plenty of interesting photos in both of these posts.

So check them out, or my buddy here will level his machine gun at you. Also check out my Iraq travel series on Gadling.

Book Review: The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and Endgame in Iraq

The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq by Francis J. West Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book about the Coalition occupation of Iraq was written by Bing West, a Vietnam veteran and former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration. He examines the changing strategy and tactics of the occupation from its troubled beginnings through the height of the insurgency and up until 2009.

Despite West's background, he is not kind to the Bush administration. He accuses Bush of being out of touch with the reality on the ground and unwilling to listen to those who were better informed. He places the blame for much of America's troubles in Iraq at the feet of its then Commander-in-Chief

The armed forces did learn from its mistakes, however, and the bulk of this book is devoted to Coalition's attempts to devise strategy and tactics to defeat the insurgency. West embedded with numerous frontline units to get a better idea of how the changing tactics worked on the ground. His detailed military analysis is fascinating for any student of the subject and West keeps it from being a dry Defense Department briefing by giving vivid descriptions of the individuals involved and some of their firefights.

One thing I especially appreciated is that the author gives full credit to the bravery and commitment of the many Iraqis who fought alongside the Coalition to make their country a better place. Having been to Iraq myself, I have met many such Iraqis and it's too bad their story isn't told more often. The Americans got to go home at the end of their tour of duty. The Iraqis, however, didn't have that option and ran the risk of assassination at the hands of terrorists. Many fell victim to such a fate.

There are holes in his coverage, however. Coalition partners are given short shrift, and the whole Blackwater scandal (overcharging the government, pointlessly killing civilians, etc.) is shrugged off in a single page with the statement that new rules were put in place to keep the "mistakes" from happening again. That's a shockingly naive statement coming from such an experienced observer and I wonder if West actually believes it.

The Abu Ghraib scandal is treated in a similarly flippant manner. West never considers the possibility that the blame went higher than those immediately involved. I'm not saying it did; I'm just saying that it's a question worth asking.

Despite these quibbles, I still found The Strongest Tribe the single best general coverage I've read on the war. Anyone who wants to understand the occupation of Iraq or the changing tactics of modern warfare should read this exciting and informative book.

View all my reviews

Finishing my Iraq travel series

My series on travel in Iraq is finally done over at Gadling. The final articles include visits to Ur, Ctesiphon, and Babylon; Iraq's Christian community; the much more chilled-out region of Kurdistan; a Baghdad amusement park (no, really); and my experiences walking alone through Baghdad (bad idea, glad I did it). I round out the series with ten random, humorous observations about Iraq and a discussion of the practicalities of travel in Iraq.

If you liked this series, please share, tweet, and blog about it. More people need to read it, not because I need more readers but because people need to know what Iraq's like beyond the mass media headlines.

It's always a bit of a bummer finishing a series. It makes me feel like I'm finally done with the trip. Don't worry, there will be plenty more adventures in 2013!

Book Review: My War: Killing Time in Iraq

My War: Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read Buzzell's famous memoir in preparation for my own trip to Iraq. While I was going as a tourist and not a soldier, I found this book to be really informative.

For example, Buzzell says, "[the women] would stare at us but as soon as you made eye contact, they would look away. The Iraqi men were a little different. They stare too, but don't look away, and if you wave, which is something they never initiate, they wave back, nervously."

That was 2003-4. In October 2012 the women still look away, except for a few younger ones. The men are more forthcoming. On the street they rarely wave first, but when you wave or say salaam alaykum most burst into a smile and return your greeting. If they're in a place where they feel more comfortable, like a mosque, they'll often come up to you first and start a conversation.

While this is a war memoir, much of the book is about Buzzell's personal growth and the uncomfortable position he gets in when the blog he's writing becomes famous. The Army had never had to deal with this before and its policy on blogging was pretty much created because of him.

The subtitle, "Killing Time in Iraq" more accurately reads, "Killing Time in Iraq". Buzzell discovers all too well the truth of that old saying, "War is long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror."

The boredom is narrated with hilarious cynicism. The terror is some of the best combat writing I've ever read. If you want to know about the war in Iraq from a grunt's-eye view, read this book.

View all my reviews

Hostility and history in Iraq

My travel series about Iraq continues. The latest installments include a walking tour of Nasiriyah, one of my most intense experiences in the country that included equal parts warmth and hostility; and the first of a two-part post on the archaeological sites of Iraq. The first is about ancient Assyria.

Check them out! That guy next to the Assyrian guardian spirit wants you to!

More dispatches from Iraq

I'm still working hard on my Iraq travel series. In my latest articles I visit the soon-to-reopen National Museum of Iraq, Saddam Hussein's palaces, and I go on a beer run in Basra.

I've also done a guest post for Osprey Publishing, which publishes my military history books. It's about the Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery, where many of the British Empire's fallen from the First World War are interred.

So don't be caught napping! Go check out these one-of-a-kind articles. And if you like what you see, please tweet, share, comment, and blog about it. I'm always available for guest posts and interviews.


Photo of some of Basra's finest by Sean McLachlan. These guys were assigned to guard us. Good thing there aren't pirates in the Shatt al-Arab anymore!

Join me on Reddit tomorrow for a chat about Iraq!

My Iraq travel series is has two more articles up, one on Iraqi street art and another on my most terrifying experience in Iraq. It's not what you think. :-) I also did a guest post today on a medieval castle in Iraq.

Also, tomorrow you'll have a chance to talk with me directly about my Iraq adventure on Reddit. Tomorrow, November 20, from 11-4PM ET I'll be doing an AMA (Ask me Anything) on my recent trip to Iraq. You can check it out here once it's live. I've never used Reddit before so it would be great if there were a few friendly faces there to throw me some softballs!

So be there! That's what this cuneiform says. I think.

Uncovering ancient Iraq

My Iraq travel series is still going strong over at Gadling and I'm also doing some guest posts. D.G. Hudson interviewed me over at Rainforest Writing about the archaeological sites in Iraq. Over at The Adventure Blog I've written about the ancient Arab city of Hatra. Both blogs have lots of good content, so you might want to follow them!

Needless to say, I loved exploring Iraq's archaeological sites. There are lots of artifacts scattered on the surface, including nearly complete pottery vessels and fragments of cuneiform writing.

Dispatches from Iraq

I have two posts up about Iraq today. The first is for Gadling and is perhaps the most serious post I'm doing for the series. It's about my experience meeting a child refugee from Syria. Read the story, but don't watch the video if you have a weak stomach.

The other article is about Exploring Medieval Baghdad, written for the Black Gate Magazine blog, which published my historical fantasy novella The Quintessence of Absence. So head on over to these sites and get some good free reading. That's where this little Iraqi girl is going!

More interesting reading on Iraq

Want to learn about Iraq? This bookstore in Baghdad has plenty of good source material. The problem is, it's all in Arabic! So if you can't read Arabic, read my Iraq series.

The latest installment is titled Muqtada Al-Sadr Promotional Posters--Why Saddam's Hanging Makes For Good Advertising. It's all about how a poorly read cleric scrabbled his way to the top through a combination of Daddy's reputation and sheer ruthlessness.

In the next few days, you'll meet a nine-year-old refugee, visit the holiest shrines of Shia Islam, and see some cool street art. Stay tuned!

And if you do happen to read Arabic, check out Baghdad's bookshops. You can even find an Arabic edition of Orwell's 1984.

Going on a road trip in Iraq

The next post in my Iraq travel series, Iraq Road Trip: Who Takes The Ultimate Adventure Vacation And What's It Like? is now live on Gadling. As usual, if you like what you see, please tweet, share, etc. I want to make this series something big!

Here's a group photo of my travel companions and some Iraqi cops in front of the famous spiral minaret of Samarra, which I was sure I was going to fall off of. I'll be posting about that little experience later in the series. I'm the guy in the blue shirt just to the left of center. That's a money belt, not a pot belly!

How I nearly got arrested in Iraq

The next in my adventure travel series, Destination: Iraq, is now live on Gadling. Titled A Run-in With Iraqi Police, it tells the story of how I nearly got arrested for being too trusting of the Iraqi people.

I really want to make this series big, so please share, tweet, and blog about it. I'd be happy to drop by your blog and answer a few questions. Help me out or this guy will come after you!

My series on traveling in Iraq has started!

My new series, Destination: Iraq, about my 17-day trip through Iraq, has started over at Gadling. The first article, Going on Vacation in Iraq explains just why the hell I'm doing this.

I really put myself on the line for this one, folks, so please tweet, share, like, comment, and blog about this series. It would really help me out and encourage my editor to send me on more trips like this one. So spread the word! Nabu, the Babylonian god of wisdom and literature, commands you!!!

An amusement park in Iraq

Yes, I'm still in Iraq and still having a great time! I'll soon be heading home to Spain and my series about this trip will start on Gadling in less than two weeks.

In the meantime, here are some glimpses of Happy Land amusement park in Basra. It's located on the bank of the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway and is a popular spot for families. The whole riverfront is lined with cafes and benches and at night you can see Happy Land's Ferris Wheel for miles. I didn't go inside but I could see they had rides, a restaurant, and of course cotton candy!

This is an Iraq you won't see on the news. A troubled nation like this one only gets airtime when something blows up. That's sad, because most people here just want to live in peace and get some enjoyment out of life. I've seen families going out for dinner, groups of friends lounging in the park, old men chatting over cups of tea in cafes. . .all the usual day-to-day activities we see in every country. Yet the news makes us want to believe that nothing happens here except suicide bombings and sectarian killings.

The more I write about "dangerous" places in the world, the more I get the feeling that my calling is to be the alternative voice to the news, the one that writes about going out to eat in Ethiopia, or Somalis living in peace, or family nights out in Iraq. Virtually no one else is writing these stories, at least in English, and they desperately need to be written.

It's not that I'm ignoring the bad stuff, I just feel that the bad stuff is getting enough airplay already. It's time people got to see more of the good stuff.

More pictures from Iraq

Hello! Just a quick note to say I'm doing fine in Iraq. We swung through Kurdistan in the north of the country and are back in central Iraq now.

The image above shows a girl picking up some roast chicken to bring home for lunch. Below is a mural on one of the blast walls in Baghdad. These concrete barriers protect sensitive buildings from car bombs and also divide Sunni and Shia neighborhoods. Some have been painted. This one shows a weird figure with a "Well Coom" head balancing a heart and a gun.

My editor posted a few other shots online. I can't seem to get them to open on this slow connection. Pherhaps you'll have better luck. You can see them here.

I heard my first gunshots last night--at a wedding outside my hotel. A couple of the guys were firing in the air to celebrate. I have to head out now but hopefully I'll have the time to post again soon. Stay tuned!

Hello from Iraq!

Yes, I'm alive and well here in Baghdad. I've been having a wonderful time seeing museums, bazaars, and historic mosques. The people have been very welcoming and I've experienced no open hostility. Many look a bit surprised to see us, though! Like in other Arab countries, I'm finding it easy to talk with people and I'm learning a lot about life here.

Above is a photo of yours truly with a fellow writer--the Sumerian scribe Dudu, who we know from an inscription on the back of his statue lived in Lagish around 2400 BC. I'd be willing to live with the name Dudu in exchange for my work to still be read four throusand years after my death.

Below is the felafel stand outside the Iraq Museum, where for 1000 dinars (slightly less than a dollar) I got tea and felafel for lunch. While I was eating a gate next door opened up and a whole crowd of schoolgirls came out. Most passed by with a curious look, but a few ordered Pepsis and stayed to stare. I think they were trying to summon up the courage to practice their English but they didn't quite manage.

My series on Gadling in November is going to be full of amazing stories and photos. If you're hankering for adventure travel in the meantime, check out my series about two months living in Harar, Ethiopia.

On assignment in Iraq

Later this week I'm flying to Baghdad. That's right, Iraq. I'll be spending a little less than three weeks traveling around the country writing a series for Gadling. My itinerary will take me to many of the country's famous monuments, like the Swords of Qadisiyah and the Ziggurat of Ur shown here. I'll also be visiting schools, markets, cafes, and meeting lots of regular people to learn about their lives.

Visiting Iraq has always been a dream of mine. Back when I was studying archaeology in university I seriously considered going into Mesopotamian studies. Then Iraq invaded Kuwait and the country was closed off. I went into European archaeology instead before ending up as a writer. I never lost my interest in Mesopotamia, though.

My series, Destination: Iraq, will start in early November. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll have very spotty access to email. I can't promise any posts here until the first week of November, but check back because I just might surprise you! If you want some adventure travel reading in the meantime, check out my series about traveling to Somaliland.

Photos courtesy Wikipedia. My own coming soon!