War Heroes and Martinis Downtown Kabul

Kabul is a fascinating city. It isn’t for the weak of heart though. One of the first sights that jumped out at me while we were driving through downtown was the droves of school girls. It was 5:00 PM and we must have been near a large school. There were all these young girls in black dresses with white head scarves. It’s good to se so many kids attending school.

The large number of police check points can be a bit intimidating until you realize the security is being stepped up ahead of the elections. There are 41 candidates but only two are considered really in the running. Election posters are everywhere; even the minarets are not immune. People talk openly about them, again a good sign.

The UN has a very heavy presence in Kabul. I’m not sure where they are headquartered but there are a large number of UN trucks scooting about the streets. They are always painted white with UN painted in blue or black in two foot tall letters on the doors and hood. You generally don’t see them parked. I’ve no idea where so many of them could be going or what purpose they are serving.

I wrote before about women in burkas. That was way up in Khulum and Samangan. They had an ethereal look with the breeze blowing their bright blue fabric behind them. In Kabul not many women wear burkas. Most are in dresses with head scarves. A few wear jeans. The burkas I saw in Kabul were different. First I noticed the blue was more subdued, then that they seemed to be cut higher in front. I’m guessing this makes it easier to walk about. The most interesting thing is to look at their feet. Most of these women wore heels, and very nice slacks. An odd contrast to be sure.

The streets in Kabul are in pretty bad shape, dirty, some unpaved, rough and uneven. On one street a large group of goats was tearing through trash. The next day I saw the same goats in the same place but there were three men opening bags of trash for them. I suppose this in inner city grazing. There are a few nice looking shops but generally it all looks pretty dingy. One large section near downtown in walled off and barricaded. This is where the embassies, a few military posts and some government ministries are. A few days before we came to town a demonstration of 300 people was held to protest these street closures. Having key streets blocked off makes traffic in Kabul even crazier. I’m told the traffic here is not unlike Cairo. Above the city is Babar’s fort dating to the 15th century. The city wall dates to the 5th century. If it weren’t for the current strife this would be way up on my list of vacation spots. I regret only having a point and shoot camera here. I did stumble across a great web site with photos of Kabul from the 1970’s before all hell broke loose: http://avalon.unomaha.edu/afghan/index.htm

Both nights I was in town we went out to eat. The nicer places to go in Kabul are marked, if at all, with a small sign. They have doors that look as if they should lead to an alley or hovel. When you enter there are metal detectors and guards in the entryway. Once you clear all the security it’s like stepping through the looking glass. Wonderful places that look all the world like restaurants and bars in Bali, Cuzco or Buenos Aries. The first night was at a Lebanese restaurant with a large grassy garden with tables set out. I was introduced to one distinguished Afghan in traditional pakol hat, obligatory vest and scarf. He was very polite and friendly and quite likeable. I was told later that during the war with Russia and after he was provided extensive western military training and had been Massoud’s right hand man. He reminded me very much of the General I met in Hairaton a few months ago. Both came across thoughtful and gentle. These are genuine war heroes who have seen the worst of combat. They now carry themselves with the air of statesmen. It gives me hope for this land. The second night we went to an Italian restaurant and afterwards a bar. Life is pretty good when you can sit and drink martinis in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. There are a great number of western contractors, NGO personnel and wealthy locals that frequent these places. The military rarely make it off the FOB’s and bases to see this side of Afghanistan. It’s a shame we keep them bottled up, segregated, sanitized. They serve their tours and never really know where they were.