Hamid Karzai and Ahmad Shah Massoud. The “official” national heroes of Afghanistan and evidence of the fact that our hotel in Mazar-i-Sharif (where this picture was taken) was owned and controlled by the government: A view from the hotel grounds: However, I’m not the type to just be content staying in a hotel. So, I … Continue reading
The drive from Kunduz to Mazar-i-Sharif took us far away from the Hindu Kush mountains and into the desert regions. The landscape was different, the people were ethnically different, the culture was different – I felt like I was on another continent rather than in another part of Afghanistan. We stopped at a police station … Continue reading
After departing Bamiyan, we headed up north to Pul-i-Kumri… Arriving in Pul-i-Kumri , where else could we spend the night but where “respectable guests” stay? Unfortunately, the guests were far more respectable than the hotel: The street in front of the hotel, as usual, was filled with men trying to sell all manner of goods … Continue reading
On the morning of our departure, we had to pay a bribe “environmental fee” to get out of town, but then almost immediately came across the rockslide pictured below… Now, there is another road out of Bamiyan and it is actually shorter than the road we were on. However, no one takes the shorter road. … Continue reading
It takes several rough hours on a dirt track to reach Afghanistan’s first National Park from Bamiyan, but the beauty and solitude in just getting there is worth crossing the world for. Band-I-Mir has been described as “the Grand Canyon flooded with deep sapphire lakes, bluer than the cloudless sky, with sheer golden cliffs plunging … Continue reading
As we arrived in Bamiyan in the afternoon, we decided to walk across the valley (a short walk) to where the giant Buddhas (now only niches) had been: I thought this was an interesting alleyway: Bamiyan became a front line between the Taliban and Northern Alliance in 2001/2 and the modern town was almost destroyed. … Continue reading
Bamiyan Became notorious in 2001 after the Taliban essentially destroyed Afghanistan’s premier historical tourist site… Bamiyan is a fairly isolated central mountain province in central Afghanistan and the town lies in a fertile valley that is only 15 km long and 3 km wide. The views are incredible. The background to this surprising place is … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 