WTF Iraq: Shrink-wrap Taksi!

I am so excited to share this one with you. One of my favorite things about Erbil is that we have to take taxis everywhere, which means that going anywhere means a new chance to see some bizarre local taxi decorations. I've seen some crazy stuff here - fringed curtains, handles, mirrors and seat belts covered in teddy bears, a hot rod with "Need for Sped" etched on the back window. But I keep missing those photo ops and with it the chance to share them with you.

Luckily, I finally took enough pictures to show you some cab awesomeness.

Here's what you need to know about Erbil's taxis (or Taksi, as most of their roof lights endearingly announce.) Almost every car has a broken windshield. I've asked a lot of people why their windshields are broken and gotten a wide range of answers, but most of it seems to boil down to heat, dust storms and rocks falling off of all the construction trucks prowling the city.

Next, you need to know that although their windshields are janky, every cab driver seems to have an insane resistance to using their cars. Or rather, to allow their cars to look used. In most cases, they never remove the factory shrink-wrap on any part of the car. I've seen 3 and 4-year-old cars with shrink wrap still on the hoods.

Normal wear and tear on upholstery, knobs and anything else you can touch inside a car is not acceptable for these guys. Instead, taxi drivers cover everything with plastic, tape, shrink-wrap and bubble wrap. Then they add as many stickers as possible to make the cars look new. Anything that says 2010 is great. Even if it's for a random appliance or grocery item, not the car they're driving. Grease pen on the windshield? Great. Looks like they just drove off the lot. Better yet - 2010 emblazoned on the outside of the windshield with a crack 'n peel. Blinker signals and windshield wipers are bubble-wrapped for their own safety. And since it never rains here, there's no reason to take the TOYOTA plastic wrappers off the windshield wipers.

But really, why am I telling you all this? Pictures are so much better. Enjoy.