Blogs from Kabul, East, Afghanistan, Asia - page 9

Hello, everyone. I am now back in the US from Afghanistan and am posting photos and my journal from the 10 day trip to this blog. I was unable to post from Afghanistan due to security problems that made it difficult to get to reliable and"fast" Internet connections. It's good to be home! Day 1 - Dubai to Kabul I knew the trip from Dubai to Kabul would be "different" as soon as I arrived at the airport. Ariana Afghan flights have been relegated to Terminal 2 of the Dubai airport - no fancy stores or palm trees, no food court...lots of people in turbans and robes, carrying burlapped bundles rather than luggage. I met up with our tour group after flight check-in - it wasn't hard to pick out the members of the group in ... read more

What to wear? seemed to be one of the biggest questions in my mind as I got closer to the actual departure date. Members of our group have received different information about what western women should wear in Afghanistan. My son, who served in Kabul and Kandahar said, "wear a burka with body armor underneath." He wasn't much help! The consensus of opinions seemed to be long pants, closed toed shoes, and a bulky tunic type shirt that goes down to right above the knees. I didn't want to waste a bunch of money on clothes that I'd never wear again, and have been told that while our laundry will be done at the place we are staying, we should have sturdy wash 'n wear clothes. I stumbled across a clearance sale at Stein Mart and ... read more

Day 48 - Thursday 30th March Today would be the last one in Kabul. I had to return to the clothes shop as some of the seams on my jacket needed strengthening. It was nearly 11am and so I had about an hour to get to the site of the Noon Gun. I walked out of town along the river and although I could see the fortications in the distance, I had trouble finding the route to get there. Too late the gun fired ! I stopped in a small village and had a drink - everywhere was very decrepit and dirty. I returned to the main road and met a few fellow travellers - two Japanese and a Singaporean. The latter was very talkative but he gave a depressing view of India (my next port ... read more

Day 46 - Tuesday 28th March It was one of those quiet days which a traveller needs every now and again. I sat on the verandah of my hotel and read some of the travel brochures, which I had acquired from the Indian Embassy in London. It would appear that heading south would be impractical due to time limitations and the potential heat. After lunch I headed towards the bazaar. En route I met the Canadian traveller who had returned from Bamian - he enjoyed the spectacle of the region and the statues but was totally unnerved by the flight. We were invited into a bakery which had about seven staff working on all of the processes from kneading the dough to preparation for delivery - there did not seem to be any direct selling though. ... read more

Day 44 - Saturday 26th March A great start to the day with the first hot shower since Teheran. My first port of call was the Post Office but alas the replacement International Student cards had not arrived - however there were four letters including some sports pages from the local Bournemouth newspaper. Outside the Post Office I was hassled into having a shoeshine by two young urchins but it only cost 2 Afghanis and so no harm to the finances ! I returned to the hotel and sat on the balcony drinking some tea, reading my letters and watching the world. Outside there was a student demonstration protesting against government interference with the University. I was concerned to see a number of riot police but I did not see any trouble. Time for some exercise ... read more