Jaunted

Marchio had a pretty eventful tour through Iraq before the buzzkills swept in to harsh his mellow. He entered the country by land from Turkey, and then took a 200-mile taxi journey from the Kurdish town of Erbil to the Coral Palace hotel in Baghdad, which hadn't seen a western guest in years. Hotel staff found his presence odd, but gave him a room anyway because all of his papers were in order.

He spent a day touring Baghdad, hiring a car to take him to such sites as the artificial lake near Baghdad University, the Scheherazade statue, Abu Jaafar al-Mansur Square, and Zawra’a Park. (Unfortunately, he hasn't yet written any TripAdvisor reviews.) And after a peaceful night's sleep at the Coral Palace, he set off for Falluja the next day.

As anyone who has followed the war knows, Falluja was the site of some of the fiercest fighting in Iraq, and while it's much calmer now, Iraqis insist that it's nowhere near safe enough for tourism. But that didn't stop Marchio, who not only insisted on visiting the historic town, but took a public bus to get there.

Sadly, he didn't get to see much of Falluja, as Iraqi authorities who were alerted of his presence took him into custody for his own safety. He was taken back to Baghdad and sent home on the next available flight.

Many people will think that Marcho is crazy, or at least naive to the extreme, and this may be true, but his motivations seem as pure as those of any traveler: he just wanted to see the country for himself. “I want to see and understand the reality because I have never been here before, and I think every country in the world must be seen,” said the crestfallen traveler.

I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Marcho had been allowed to finish his journey. It's likely that he would have been kidnapped or killed by insurgents, but it's also possible that he would have had the time of his life, enjoying the hospitality of friendly people and making travel memories that are unique even among extreme travelers. Memo to the Travel Channel: give this guy a show. If you think Bourdain and Zimmern have guts, you ain't seen nothing yet.

[Photo: The New York Times]

· Falluja's Strange Visitor: A Western Tourist [The New York Times]
· Iraq Travel Coverage [Jaunted]