Band-I-Amir

This collection of 7 lakes named after the swords of Hizrat ali - takes a bone crunching 3 hours to reach. But it is worth it. The largest lake Zulfaqir, is a massive blue expanse surrounded by mountains. Its crystal clear water is fed from underground springs. On its banks is a 14th century mosque - a favoured pilgramige of local Hazara muslems. This in any other country would be teeming with tourists. In Afghanistan there is maybe 15 or 20 and we are the only "farrungi" or foreigners - lucky us.

Bamiyan and the lost Buddhas

In what was probably the worst act of cultural terrorism in my lifetime the Taliban took out these Buddhas. It makes me pretty angry actually - as it does so many Afghans who live around here.

Afghan II

So a little flashback to the past 4 days - which has seemed like two weeks. We left for Kabul on sunday morning in a flight half full of deportees from the UAE to Afghanistan - which gave the flight a Conair flavour. But the we harmless enough. The flight into Kabul is a fantastic one from the air as the city is surrounded by mountains and the updrafts they cause. So pilots on landing there are forced to bank sharply before they land - which makes for interesting flying.

At Kabul airport the main worry we had was getting the booze we had brought from Dufry in Sharjah "incountry" as there were rumours about that Karzai had begun a crackdown on booze in Kabul. We had no troubles and any fears about this went unfounded at the resturant we made it to later that night.

Arrival was also made much easier by the presence of our UN companion RB whose presence meant that a man was at the airport to pick us up and ferry us to the Kabul Inn - a nice little hotel in the middle of town. But on the road from the airport we were reminded of how poor this country is, watching as kids took there lessons in a tented primary school and men with limbs missing begged on the street.

The talk amongst anyone and everyone in Afghanistan is security, or the lack of. Our friend J-Dog - who has been working in Kabul now for almost a year once caught a bus from Kabul to Kandahar - a prospect that fills even the most hardened security specialist with dred these days.

But the problems seem restricted to the south. While Talibs live in and around Kabul they weild no influence. (Unlike the underpaid police who stop cars at checkpoints every 2 km or 3 km after dark).

Im Bamiyan - where the Taliban wreaked such distruction only a few short years ago - everything is very safe. The locals are open and friendly and would love more people to come. Escpecially our hotelier Sheer - otherwise known as the "Fonz of Bamiyan".

Afghan I

Well Afghanistan being Afghainistan - I had just been writing a momouth post and then we lost power at the Bamiyan business centre.

So far so good though - lovely weather lovely people - and Bamiyan is absolutely gorgeous.

Feeling safe and relaxed. If I din't know all about the troubles in this country I would not be convinced there is an insurgency going on. But - that is down south.

Will post more soon...Shams my driving is waiting...tomorrow off to Band-I- Amir.

Dubai

Its a funny place Dubai, hot and dry but with shower heads the size of dinner plates, women in the full burqa led around by guys with designer jeans and expensive cameras, white robed (or dish dash) wearing dudes being served by Pakistanis and Indians - with Chinese girls as maids. While a growing number of expats party likes it's 1999. Anyway I'm off to the Wild Wadi - but I can't bring myself to go indoor downhill skiing - all that energy (fossil fuel energy) wasted so Emratis and their guests can go downhill skiing. But at only $A100 for two hours its probably a lot of fun....

Bad Start - but swings and round abouts

Well it was a bad start to my journey - with me remembering everything except my credit card and ATM card. Then having my money belt stolen from a bag I left unattended. As Johnny Diesel and the Injectors once sang.."don't ya know it's a cryin' shame, when you got yourself to blame...." But thanks to my industrious girlfriend and the fact that my main man is following in my footsteps by 24 hours with my cards - no real harm done - apart from being lighter a hundred bucks, but I will now have to be a hell of a lot more careful (....what in Afghanistan? )


More interestingly I have made contact with a number of members of the ICC Development Team. The ICC Cricket development head office is in Dubai. So I spoke with Matthew Kennedy the Global Development dude and an expat Aussie - he tells me that 96 nations now have their national cricket associations registered with the ICC.

Iqbal Sikander - a former Pakastani international - is the Asian Cricket Council's development officer and has been helping to grow the game in Afghanistan since they joined the ACC in 2003. And it seems things have never been better for the game in Afghanistan - despite the dreadful security situation in the country. After the fall of the Taliban refugees stared flooding back into Afghanistan bring the game of cricket which they had learned in the refugee camps in Pakistan with them. Cricket being the second religon of Pakistan (which Aussie Umpire Darryl Hair recently found out....)

The Afghan national team recently played in the ACC trophy in Malaysia and did very well - being narrowly knocked out in the Semi-finals by Hong Kong in a rain affected match. http://www.acctrophy2006.com/index.htm They now have to beat Nepal in the third place play-off to advance to the group of nations vying for the the small amounts of spots available to non-test nations at the next World Cup. Though I'm told that the Nepali team are no pushovers aand are themselves a little disapointed not to be in the finals.

In addition to this 4 Afghan players have been invited to stay and play with the MCC in London following their tour of England in July this year.

I hope to meet some of the players when they return to Kabul next week.


My next step when I get to Kabul is to find a junior cricket team or school to give my Kanga Cricket set to and also to find contacts who we can organise to send second hand cricket equipment to as Kingsgrove Cricket (manufacturers of Cricket Equipment for clubs and schools) takes donations of second hand eqipment and is happy to send it on to developing countries - though I will still have to find some money to send it over.

Post numero uno

Well hello - the first time I am choosing to post something on this blog. This will hopefully serve as a little bit of comfort for people who are keen to hear about my little trip to Afghanistan and on to Europe but I guess might serve as a little note of things that catch my interest more generally. On Thursday I am off on a little adventure - first to Dubai - and then on to Kabul.

The question most people ask is "why the hell do you want to go there?" and let's face it - it's a fair question. I'm not completely sure. I've traveled a lot in the past and I'm not nervous about going, although the situation seems to be getting consistently worse over the 9 months since I began planning my trip. I'd like to show the few Afghans that I actually meet that not all Aussies are SAS soldiers, Aussies are people too. Though I am planning to take some cricket balls and bats for Afghan kids - and a video camera that my friends will inevitably shy away from , but that I may post some stuff on youtube.

Oh and on Friday I went to the Hill Top Hoods at festival hall - the largest Aussie hip hop gig ever. If you don't know 'em - as Molly used to say - do yourself a favour and check 'em out. http://www.hilltophoods.com/