Travellin' man
Wow...we have done some travelling around here, and I mean more than just into the city. A couple weeks ago some of us got to fly up to Herat for the NATO led International Stabilization and Assistance Force transfer of authority for all reconstruction efforts in Western Afghanistan. The flight was...interesting. We flew in helicopters (about 3 hours) over terrain that was at times pool-table flat and vertical. It is amazing that anyone can live in this place. What is even more amazing, is that they not only live here, but keep going. To my spoiled eyes I can see nothing, but the people here love their land and work hard to keep it theirs and to make it grow.
More recently we got to drive over some of the same terrain. All I can say, is that I have a renewed appreciation for the Texas Department of Transportation and the road network that they maintain. There is one (ONE!!!!!) paved highway in A'stan, and most of it is run down. (It's nickname is Butt-kicker road). Most of the highways here make the worst county roads back home look like superhighways...as for the rural roads...rutted tracks in the dirt...sometimes it is hard to tell where the road is...at one point the road ran down (the bottom of) a dry canal! That was not a comforting feeling! Thank God that it was dry.
Other than a few small villages and nomad camps we saw nothing living in the country. No wild animals, few animals at all, except for some herds of goats, a few donkies and a handful of camels.
Well...'tis enough for the now...
Y'all take care and God Bless!
Mik
***ADDENDUM***
One thing I forgot to mention...the CASTLES....we must have passed around 4 or 5. Some of them date back to Alexander the Great, almost 2400 years. It is amazing, because these castles are built of mud and hay (and other things that I don't want to think about) and you can still see some of the decorative moldings on the walls.
Can you imagine something you've seen being built near you still standing after a hundred years? And these simple mud brick structures are still here...it is incredible.
Anyhow...that is what I forgot to add earlier.
Ciao
More recently we got to drive over some of the same terrain. All I can say, is that I have a renewed appreciation for the Texas Department of Transportation and the road network that they maintain. There is one (ONE!!!!!) paved highway in A'stan, and most of it is run down. (It's nickname is Butt-kicker road). Most of the highways here make the worst county roads back home look like superhighways...as for the rural roads...rutted tracks in the dirt...sometimes it is hard to tell where the road is...at one point the road ran down (the bottom of) a dry canal! That was not a comforting feeling! Thank God that it was dry.
Other than a few small villages and nomad camps we saw nothing living in the country. No wild animals, few animals at all, except for some herds of goats, a few donkies and a handful of camels.
Well...'tis enough for the now...
Y'all take care and God Bless!
Mik
***ADDENDUM***
One thing I forgot to mention...the CASTLES....we must have passed around 4 or 5. Some of them date back to Alexander the Great, almost 2400 years. It is amazing, because these castles are built of mud and hay (and other things that I don't want to think about) and you can still see some of the decorative moldings on the walls.
Can you imagine something you've seen being built near you still standing after a hundred years? And these simple mud brick structures are still here...it is incredible.
Anyhow...that is what I forgot to add earlier.
Ciao
Labels: Afghanistan, Military
posted by Mik | 6/16/2005 09:28:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home