Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
A mountain will not reach a mountain, a man will meet a man.
A mountain will not reach a mountain, a man will meet a man. (A Persian proverb).
Since my arrival at Kabul airport (which is also used as a military airport and fiming is not allowed), I’ve seen a few arrogant foreigners, one of whom was actually wearing shorts. It’s a month of Ramadan here, which is a time of obstinance from food, drink, loud talking and so on. It’s also a time of reconciliation and spiritual cleansing. This is a very important time of the year for every muslim. So, to wear shorts, or inapropriate clothes, expecially during this time is definitely in no way helps the “winning of minds and hearts” of the locals. A lot can be said about the cultural sensitivity, expecially in a culture-rich country like Afghanistan.
A cup of coffee commits one to 40 years of friendship.
A cup of coffee commits one to 40 years of friendship. (A Turkish proverb).
It is a great joy to come to Kabul and visit my dear friends, Phil and Julie who work and live here, together with their beautiful kids. It’s been a long time coming. Kabul is one of those places that you currently hear and see a lot of TV – for obvious reasons. And you only see and hear about the worst. Things are not like that here at all. Kabul is a lively and interesting place – with very friendly people. People who smile a lot and very happy to exchange greetings with you – even the officials. Today we went to visit a NZ family who live about 10kb from Kabul, 40min away from the house where I’m staying. They are probably the only foreighers in the area. I asked them how were their neighbours. They said that the neighbours just couldn’t be better. Their kids play with other kids on the streets, they help each other, the live in a community. The community in a sense that we long forgot what it is in Australia. Being a part of a community (a local community and a community of expats here) is something that attracts many people who choose to come and live in countries like Afghanistan.
The driving here in Kabul is absolutely crazy. There are lot of people on the streets and it feels like Mitchel freeway going trough Fremantle markets. Literaly.
Here are some photos I took today. It’s been a very pleasant and exciting day. From having lunch with friends (shashlyk!), driving through the city – Kabul CBD – where all those embassies are, driving along the Jalalabad road (the Kabul-Peshawar road – the one with a lot of military convoys and road blocks), going to an Italian supermarket “Ciano” in the middle of nowhere and coming back home to the sound of a Muslim prayer in the loud speakers in the near mosque (which will probably continue on till 3am in the morning – it’s Ramadan!). It’s been quite a day.
So, here are some photos. I’m taking a lot of videos too, but these may have to wait till I get hold of a faster internet connection. There is a lot to see.
Hello Kabul.
I’m finally here. I arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan on the 10th September 2008 with a KamAir flight 006 from Dubai. It’s a 2.5 hr flight trough the mountains – I was waiting for this moment for quite some time. Kabul is a place that I always wanted to visit. It is a very beautiful and amazing place.
Here are some photos – I’ll add more when I get some sleep.
There is nothing wrong with the plane.
When leaving Dubai for Kabul we boarded the airplane and then we were just sitting there, waiting, for quite a while. I don’t think anyone thought much of it, after all, it’s an unusual flight, from an unusual terminal (terminal 2 in Dubai that only does flights to Kabul, Baghdad and Tehran) so, I though, not a big deal. But then the pilot comes on and makes an announcement:
Hi Everyone. Just to put your mind at ease, there is nothing wrong with the plane. The plane is good, there are no technical problems.
Myself, personally, I thought it was quite funny. Apparently there were some VIP passengers who were very late and we were just waiting for them to board the aircraft.
