the first few days of my Afghanistan tour

So … I was finally in Afghanistan!!  Covered from head-to-toe in my abaya - thankfully not having to cover my face, but still the abaya was a bit of a pain. Nice not to have to worry about what I wore underneath, or what my hair looked like, but a long garment (down to the ankles) made getting in and out of the back of the vehicle – and even going up and down steps – more difficult, and I couldn’t wear my camera attached to my belt as I usually do, nor access anything in my pockets, and I did miss the feel of the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair…  There weren’t many women on the street (they’re not really supposed to go out without a male guardian), and those we saw were mostly wearing burkas, so there wasn’t really any chance to interact with them.  The men, however, seemed friendly.  Nowhere on the whole trip did I encounter anyone who seemed to be hostile towards us.

Kabul is in many respects a modern city – so I chose this picture taken from one of the rocky hills that surround the city rather than a closer shot of the beautiful Blue Mosque, as this gives more of an overview of what the city is like.  We were in a reasonably comfortable hotel, with functioning electricity, wifi and hot showers, and in the hotel restaurant we were all able to eat to eat together rather than with men and women in separate sections as was often the case.  I also discovered on our return to this hotel at the end of the trip, that it also had a ‘secret’ shisha lounge, and on a quick peek there was a local couple in there, with the woman’s head uncovered – and according to our guide, who knew who they were, they were an unmarried couple on a date!!

So we did a quick tour of Kabul, seeing a couple of mosques and mausoleums, and visiting the famous Chicken Street and Bird Street – but frustratingly we were not allowed by the guides to hang around and talk to any of the stall-holders who spoke English and tried to welcome us into their stalls, as apparently this would quickly attract a crowd and the guides were worried about our security.  I’m not sure if that was a legitimate worry, as the Taliban seem to be ruling with an iron fist in the sense of cracking down on any misbehaviour, so where once there were drug addicts, and thieves, on the streets, there are no more.  The former were apparently rounded up and placed in rehabilitation centres, then when they had detoxed their families were called to collect them and pay the costs, and were warned that if they were found using drugs again they would get the death penalty – no second chances!  & 90% of the opium crop has been destroyed so there is little chance of them getting back onto the hard stuff.

The next day we started our travels across the country.  Having been warned that women are not allowed to sit in the front seat in some of the more conservative parts of the country (the south and west), I took advantage of this facility while I could.  & was so glad that I did as the scenery was stunning.

We arrived in Bamiyan (our base for the next two nights) and proceeded to the cliffs where the Buddha niches are located.  So sad that the previous Taliban leaders destroyed the carved stone Buddhas back in 2001.  Apparently the current Taliban regret that this was done, but even what is left is still listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site as it is still impressive, with the empty niches but also with many caves around them (some of which we went into).

There are some other sights in the valley too, from a rock feature which has been viewed as a long stone dragon, with a split along its length from when it was apparently slain by Ali, the Prophet Mohammed’s son-in-law, which has tears running from its eyes (and it is indeed strange to see this spring water coming out of otherwise dry and barren rock), to Shahr-e Gholghola ('City of Screams' - the remains of a 6th-10th century fortress destroyed by Genghis Khan).

The itinerary for the next day was interesting, as we were supposed to be visiting the beautiful Band-e Amir Lakes, but the Taliban had recently stopped women from going there because of some not wearing 'proper hijab'.  However, we had heard that some foreign women had been allowed in on the basis that they had tourist permits (as we had), and that it seemed to depend on which members of the Taliban were manning the various checkpoints along the road.  The likelihood of getting past them was apparently low, but not zero.  So we women turned down the alternative they'd arranged for us of spending time with the wife and children of one of the guides and asked if we could at least try to get to the lakes.

There were three checkpoints to get past.  At the first one they looked at out papers, etc, and said they doubted we'd get all the way there, but we could start the journey.  & not far past there we had our first view of one of the lakes - a distant view but one that would have been enough to make the journey worthwhile, if it were all we'd seen.  But the mullah manning the second checkpoint - likely to be the most strict - was asleep on the job.  So we drove through.  & then at the third checkpoint the guards were a little surprised to see us, but said as we'd been allowed that far, they would allow us in.  Result!!  A friend in another group who tried to go the next day was turned back at the first checkpoint, so we certainly had luck on our side that day!  So, two pictures from this gorgeous site, the first to give an overview, the second taken by me from inside one of the 'swan boats' hired with another group member, just because I could!!