questions

waiting for transport is part of everyday life here. we have drivers + escorts responsible for us, wherever we go.

i love to be about the city, exploring, but most of my adventuring is done from the car, behind a closed window + locked door.

my photos suffer as it is sunny here + there are often reflections from the glass. still, i see a lot, riding around.





elections advertisements abound --


i wish i had been able to tune in to the tolo tv reality show "the candidate," which has been broadcast simultaneous with the buildup to the real afghan election (taking place this thursday). on the program, presidential hopefuls face off + the audience votes for their favorite via textmessage. 20-year old munir farahmand, touting security + reconstruction goals, was just declared winner.




television candidates have pasted posters promoting themselves throughout town right next to the placards for the *real* candidates, + i can't really tell the difference. with more than 30 candidates running in thursday's election, i suspect i'm not the only one.




i have been told a few stories about the kabul wall's history. one person told me there had long ago been two brothers fighting over land + one put the wall up to keep the other out. someone else said that the wall was from the 5th-6th centuries and had been the kabul city border when it was under the control of the buddhists, who struggled to keep the arabs out. the arabs had to get support from neighboring provinces, converting people there to islam, before they had enough strength to take kabul.


can you imagine building these houses? some of them look v. v. old. i am told that most do not have electricity or water - everything has to be carried from down below. wintertime would be treacherous, but at this time of year, with the beautiful evenings, living on the mountainside must be glorious.