Traffic

Something that was 'in your face' from the beginning when arriving in Kabul, was the traffic. Not that Kabul has more than any other city i have been in, but there are definitely new road rules to learn! Except for the center of the city, there are no lines of any kind on the roads, the ones that are paved that is. Traffic generally goes in a US-style two way direction -until someone gets impatient, then he will simply pull into the oncoming lane and drive there for a while. This gets very confusing to a newcomer, and a bit nerve wracking too, until you get used to it. Morning rush hour times are the most intense. Lots of rushing ahead in the vehicles, quick stops to keep from running into someone's rear end, or avoiding the wheelbarrows and carts trying to make their way from one side of the street to the other. Young kids look back and laugh when they barely escaped from getting hit - a sort of game they seem to be accustomed to playing daily. Pedestrians and bicycle riders are thick along the sides of the roads, making their way to work. There is almost an art to the way the bicyclist stack and balance large loads on the back of their two wheeled transport - everything from large auto tires, stacks of naan (bread), recycled cardboard, etc. Since i have to be driven to and from work each day, i try to talk with our drivers, asking questions about the buildings, the people and such. Sometimes, the traffic is so busy in the mornings that the driver has to concentrate to weave in and out of the swarm of cars, buses, carts pulled by humans or donkeys, and military vehicles that seem to barrel through the throng of traffic. I usually remain calm through all this, but when the traffic gets so congested, i can't help but look from side to side, trying to mentally push our SUV or van through the stream of traffic. I have found that, like many things in Kabul, patience is required to when traveling in the city. Sit back, relax, enjoy the bumpy ride!

Chaila Cafe

Lots of my fellow AUAf staff and other internationals, love to hang out at Chaila Cafe. They make a mean cheesecake. For those Starbucks fans, it is the best thing going in Kabul, and the closest you can get to that gourmet blend this side of Dubai. The Pumpkin Spice latte is delicious!

Night of the SuperBowl replay at Chaila - (L toR) David, the cafe proprietor, Andy Malone (my new found "cousin" in Kabul), me, Elizabeth, Kyle, Lisa, and Rebecca. Everyone to the right of me in the photo are instructors/staff at AUAf.

At Chaila Cafe

- an internet cafe in the neighborhood

Other photos to follow whenever i can get my slow internet connection to work better.

The Hash

Ok, so this post is for the lighter side of things. There is a group of internationals here in Kabul who go on weekly hikes either in the city or the surrounding areas. This group is loosely associated with the World Hash House Harriers (HHH). So, i went last week with a couple of my colleagues from work, Joyce and Rebecca. The main difficulty was finding the house in town from where we were to start the Hash. A handful of hearty souls actually chose to run this predetermined course - rain, mud, snow, and open sewers be damned! I did not run. I enjoyed the leisure stroll through the city, looking for the 'hash' marks on the ground - those chalk markings that would indicate whether you were on the right path or on a alternate route. I found many alternate routes, let me tell you. But the stroll was interesting as we walked, the local people asked us what was happening, all the while thinking to themselves, i'm sure, that we were a bunch of crazy Westerners out running/walking in the mud and rain. And of course they were right. The 'Hash view', the one scenic point during each walk that is designated a viewing spot, was very nice, on top of a hill, near a burial ground, overlooking a section of the city. From here you could see the many brown, dusty buildings sprawled out into the distance, eventually fading into a veil of misty rain and low lying smog. As we make our way along the path, the small children would shout 'hey mister! one dollar!'. They have learned to spot foreigners and ask for a dollar. After a two hour walk, we made it back to the Hash House, where we became part of a ritual i had not witnessed before. All new runners/hikers had to stand in the middle of a circle of the remaining hashers, and drink down a beer (water for the teetotalers) while the group sang bawdy songs. When you have completed your fifth hash, you receive a hash nickname....and with this group (predominantly Aussies) it wasn't going to be your regular pet nicknames. Three guys received their hash names this day, had a raw egg broken over their heads and drank down a beer while we all sang off key. All in all, a charming day.

The Kabul Condition

Yes, i know, i have not written each week as i had intended. I have been experiencing some of the common ailments many, if not most, non-Afghans will come to know as part of their experience here in Kabul: colds, stomach upset, and especially for me sinus irritation. There is a lot of dust in the air around Kabul, even in the winter time. I hear the dust is dramatically worse as the ground dries and summer approaches with temps peaking at 100F plus. Another curious fact i have been told is that the dust here has a particular quality not found in any other capital city in the world. Because of the post-conflict nature of the country, many basic facilities are not widely available to the majority of the population. Even though i am relatively pampered in a guest house with a gas powered generator for electricity, running water, etc, many, many citizens of Kabul have it much worse. And historically, the sewage from houses is dumped into open ditches along the streets. When the summer comes around, all of this sewage dries up and mixes with the blowing sands from the surrounding deserts. That is why it is said that Kabul is the only capital city in the world with such a high content of fecal matter in the air. Yes. Ok, now i must run off to work. More to follow very soon.