I was beginning to feel lonely in Herat, despite Aziz and his excellent hotel, so it was definitely time to move on. Nice city though. The Afghans, at least in Herat, seem to be incredibly gentle, friendly and finally perceptive people. I'm surprised the friendliness is still there after 10 years or so of being a way station for all the crazy young people on the way to India. Also, a lot of people speak English in Herat, and very well. Much more so than in Iran or Turkey. The Afghanis seem 1) markedly more intelligent than the Turks, and 2), markedly happier and more "serene" than either the Turks or Iranians.
Got a photograph of Aziz last night, sitting in the hotel garden, had a talk with him, and paid him 200 Afs for the 3 nights I stayed at the Khyber. He did take it after all, and even asked if I wanted change. During my talk with him it turns out that he is apparently heavily into exporting hash, and is at least heavily into exporting, since he showed me his bank books for Bank of America and the Union Bank of Switzerland.
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Note from 2007
The display of bank books was part of a pitch to help Aziz smuggle unspecified items into the US. He brought out a shipping barrel and showed me how they would layer leather goods and furs in the barrel, with the good stuff (hash? opium?) hidden at the bottom. |
Smoked some hash with him out in the garden, then packed and went to bed. Up at 4AM, walking into town in the dark with my bags. The ticket man said 5AM, but it was "really" 6AM, so I had to sit around for another long while at a bus terminal. Had dawn tea with all the downtown early-risers, including a foreigner or two catching that early bus going somewhere.
A faily long and fairly hot bus ride. Left Herat at 6:30, got into Kandahar and unloaded around 3:30 in the afternoon. I wanted to break here for the night, Kandahar is half-way to Kabul, and I'm glad I did. Bought my Kabul ticket, another 5AMer, and caught a mini-cab to the Kandahar Hotel, beat but large and comfortable, and apparently almost empty, as the hall boy just let me into a room, no discussion of prices, no signing in. Today I felt ready for a nice room, and I got it.
Got up before dawn on Friday and hiked down to the bus station with my bags. I went to the wrong place, and an Afghan man came up, asked to see my ticket, and took me to the right bus. The people in Afghanistan are very consistently friendly.
This was not an uncomfortable bus ride. I had an empty seat part of the way, and it was a cooler and shorter ride. Left around 6:00 AM, got into Kabul around noon. I was still feeling in the mood for a nice hotel, most of all a motel with a bar, so I checked into the Park Hotel. 320 Afs a night for a hot and noisy room, sharing a bath and toilet with 2 other rooms.
Kabul is much more of a "city" than Herat or Kandahar. Fair amount of traffic, and even though this is Afghanistan, a bit of that hard quality you find in every city.
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I showered and walked over to the Kabul Hotel for lunch. Very classy, quiet dining room. I had dinner there too, out on the lawn, and it turns out that the Kabul Hotel is cheaper to eat at than a lot of restaurants in the city, and it has really excellent food and good service.
Spent most of Saturday morning cashing $100 in traveler's checks. Tourist office to American Express office to Da Afghanistan Bank, and 40 minutes standing around in the bank while they did paperwork, then window to window to get the cash. 4,000 Afs worth of 100s and 50s.
After that I went to the Indian Embassy to get my visa, and Doug, the American from the Yaqin Hotel in Herat, was there getting his. Said that I would indeed need a visa for Pakistan also, which is too bad because it means more time in Kabul, and there is not much to do here.
Took the bus out to the Kabul Museum this afternoon, which was really worth it. Lots of pieces showing combined Greek and Budddhist influences, Islamic work, inscriptions in Greek and Aramaic, and some "carved wooden columns" which looked a lot like totem poles to me. I wish I knew art history.
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I bought a little Casio calculator this afternoon, to replace the one stolen from the library last year. I'm sure it will give me a feeling of greater security in dealing with money.
Ate at the Khyber Restaurant last night, recommended by Fodor's, but dreary and empty, food only adequate. This morning first priority , after getting a few photographs, was to find another hotel. Got a cheap one, 100 Afs, and quieter and cooler than the Park, but no bar. Bought my ticket for Bamyan.
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