Here in Afghanistan we are allowed a four day pass every six months to travel down to Qatar for R&R. The problem is that four days in Qatar frequently becomes two weeks away. The extra time is spent in air terminals getting bumped off various flights. I don’t have much patience for such silliness. Well that and the fact that the R&R is still on a US base. Swimming pools with a Chili’s restaurant just don’t do it for me. I’m not into paying to go on a field trip to shop or go to the beach. Let’s think about this, the beach, in the gulf, in the summer, in 120 degrees plus. I’ll pass.
So what do I do for some R&R? I take little field trips to Kabul or the Panjshir Valley. It’s amazing how a short trip away, if even a short overn
ight can recharge you. Kabul for all its current dirt and decay is still a worthwhile sightseeing trip. While there is still considerable battle damage from the civil war there has also been extensive rebuilding. I was told that during the Taliban years a drought persisted in Afghanistan. The reservoir on the outskirts of the city was empty. Now it is full again. The restaurant on its edge is once again in full business in all its 60’s funky glory. Back before the country began to devolve Kabul was a party town with multiple cinemas, places to drink and eat a beautiful, quaint place for the occasional tourist. It is still far from its heyday, but it now has a couple of shopping plazas several very nice restaurants and a bar or two if you know where to look. Most of the patrons are still westerners but not all. While reports in the West may have you
thinking this is a very devout country full of radical’s it is not. True enough that in the villages people are suspicious of outsiders. You would be to after 30 years of war. But most of the Afghans I deal with in a business relationship are not devout. They don’t pray 5 times a day and are likely as I to drink. Their view of Islam differs dramatically from that of the Taliban. This is a very diverse country. Drive from Bagram to Kabul and you will pass truck drivers, local villagers and herders, nomad families, businessmen, each of these groups has very different needs and likely a very different outlook on life. I’ve been told by SOF guys I know that even villages in the same valley differ dramatically, one will be pro-government and the next pro-Taliban.
So, what do I do for a little R&R? I travel Afghanistan about in civilian vehicles wearing civilian clothes playing the tourist. It’s relaxing and refreshing. It’s a view of this place I wish more people were privy to. I like this place.
So what do I do for some R&R? I take little field trips to Kabul or the Panjshir Valley. It’s amazing how a short trip away, if even a short overn
ight can recharge you. Kabul for all its current dirt and decay is still a worthwhile sightseeing trip. While there is still considerable battle damage from the civil war there has also been extensive rebuilding. I was told that during the Taliban years a drought persisted in Afghanistan. The reservoir on the outskirts of the city was empty. Now it is full again. The restaurant on its edge is once again in full business in all its 60’s funky glory. Back before the country began to devolve Kabul was a party town with multiple cinemas, places to drink and eat a beautiful, quaint place for the occasional tourist. It is still far from its heyday, but it now has a couple of shopping plazas several very nice restaurants and a bar or two if you know where to look. Most of the patrons are still westerners but not all. While reports in the West may have you
thinking this is a very devout country full of radical’s it is not. True enough that in the villages people are suspicious of outsiders. You would be to after 30 years of war. But most of the Afghans I deal with in a business relationship are not devout. They don’t pray 5 times a day and are likely as I to drink. Their view of Islam differs dramatically from that of the Taliban. This is a very diverse country. Drive from Bagram to Kabul and you will pass truck drivers, local villagers and herders, nomad families, businessmen, each of these groups has very different needs and likely a very different outlook on life. I’ve been told by SOF guys I know that even villages in the same valley differ dramatically, one will be pro-government and the next pro-Taliban.
So, what do I do for a little R&R? I travel Afghanistan about in civilian vehicles wearing civilian clothes playing the tourist. It’s relaxing and refreshing. It’s a view of this place I wish more people were privy to. I like this place.
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