The lighter side of Afghanistan

[JackLuis]

SAROBI, Afghanistan — Even in a nation beset by war and suicide bombings, you would be hard-pressed to find anything as reliably terrifying as the national highway through the Kabul Gorge.

And this is a "good" road in Afghanistan!

Interesting what the guy said,

“I sit right here and watch people crash all day long,” said Mohammed Nabi, who fries fresh fish in an open-air stall along the road. “The course of history has proved that the Afghan people are bullies. This is why we cannot drive safely.”

Lovely photo's too. Makes you feel like you don't really want to see it in person though.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

SAROBI, Afghanistan — Even in a nation beset by war and suicide bombings, you would be hard-pressed to find anything as reliably terrifying as the national highway through the Kabul Gorge.

And this is a "good" road in Afghanistan!

Interesting what the guy said,

“I sit right here and watch people crash all day long,” said Mohammed Nabi, who fries fresh fish in an open-air stall along the road. “The course of history has proved that the Afghan people are bullies. This is why we cannot drive safely.”

Lovely photo's too. Makes you feel like you don't really want to see it in person though.

Yes, the scenery is gorgeous. No, I don't want to visit.

 

[JackLuis]

Join the Army and travel to exotic places?

"Well Master Sargent how exotic are ya talking?"
"Makes Bum Fuck, Egypt seem like Arlington."

 

[stephen55]

A little closer to home.....

Up here in the Great White North, British Columbia is in the final stages of gearing up for the Winter Olympics. That is, snow is being trucked and helicoptered(!!!) in to keep a few of the hills from being too green to ski on. Al Gore, take note. Straw has been put over existing snow to slow down melt, which prompted a friend from Lotus Land to quip,

The irony of it is that the snowboarders will be so stoned that they probably wont notice they are boarding on straw that VANOC has been covering the mountain with to try and preserve the snow. Everything should be fine as long as no one drops a smoldering spliff - we could have the first winter Olympics venue that was burnt out by a grass fire!


Moving on to The Sea To Sky Highway, the road from West Vancouver up to Squamish which is the only road from Vancouver into the Whistler-Blackcomb area, unless you want to go the very, very long way around. It resembled the road in this thread, a narrow, two lane, twisting, cliff hugging death trap. The only difference is that on one side you have rock wall and on the other side, the cold waters of Georgia Straight, entered after a nasty plunge down a boulder strewn fall-off.

Billions of dollars later, the road is ready to welcome the rich and famous who can afford or were given tickets to the events. That is, it is now a wider, twisting, cliff hugging death trap.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

There really is no lighter side to Afghanistan! Well not for most anyway.

 

[JackLuis]

I have Google Earth'd, a good deal of Afghanistan and it appears that this is the 'best road' in Afghanistan, mostly paved and over 12 ft. wide. Although the Khyber Pass is also paved and almost as tricky.

Most of the other roads are dirt, rock and IED craters.

Considering the Logistics angle of servicing the remote outposts. Most supplies are sent by helicopter (CH-47) and that is a lot more expense.

Are we going to leave our CH-47's for the Afghans when we leave in a year or two? How long will they last with Afghan maintenance?

How long will Karzai be in Kabul after we leave?

I'll prognosticate, as long as it takes to grab his passport and Swiss bankbooks to catch the last Chopper leaving.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Join the Army and travel to exotic places?

"Well Master Sargent how exotic are ya talking?"
"Makes Bum Fuck, Egypt seem like Arlington."

I"ve been a few places like that.

 

[JackLuis]

I"ve been a few places like that.

I believe that the asshole of the world is somewhere around Monrovia, Liberia. It smells like it anyway. Hands down the worlds biggest shit hole, although Haiti currently must hold at least second place.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I believe that the asshole of the world is somewhere around Monrovia, Liberia. It smells like it anyway. Hands down the worlds biggest shit hole, although Haiti currently must hold at least second place.

Ever been around a Korean farm? Where they fertilize with 'nightsoil'? Glyghk!

 

[JackLuis]

Ever been around a Korean farm? Where they fertilize with 'nightsoil'? Glyghk!

Didn't get time to truly 'appreciate' the farms of Korea. I was only there for a short time.

Monrovia, and places nearby have a mildew/fungus that infests all their buildings. The residents don't seem to react to it, but a visitor will try to remain outside as much as possible because the smell is enough to make you puke.

I came back from the trip and didn't unpack my suitcase because It was late when I got home and I had to be at work early. When I got home, I found my suitcase and all my clothes scattered around the back yard.

My wife had opened my suitcase, thinking she'd wash and put away. She said when she opened the case she almost puked at the stench. She had to take everything outside to allow the sun to 'burn off' the stench. It only took six or seven hours and a washing to make everything all April Fresh.