Two layer Panoramic

Two layer Panoramic
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

Honestly I just wanted to make a “Two Layer Panoramic” (that is, multiple photos in width AND in height, if that makes sense) and this seems as good as good a place as any, plus I had a lot of time on my hands.

This is a village (in the lower left hand corner) that is about ½ 3/4th of a kilometer from my organization’s office. I thought taking a picture of the village with the mountains in the background would be pretty enough but I goofed and cut out part of the village (taking multi-picture panoramics is not as easy as you might think). Anyway I like “middle of nowhere” type pictures and having mountains and fields just sweetens it for me so I took the shot.

A new day in central Afghanistan

A new day in central Afghanistan
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

This was my first morning in Behsood I (now that I think about it the title sounds a bit misleading/hokey) in central Afghanistan and I apparently got up too early (5am, when the sun came up). I will have to admit that I was treated *very* well (not sure if it was because I am the program manager, a foreigner, or both [I suspect both]) and got a fairly cushy afghan bed, a long mat on the floor, so I slept pretty well so getting up early was not a problem but was apparently unnecessary so I ended up just aimlessly walking around for about three hours. The more bored I got the further I strayed from the office (Again, this is central Afghanistan and is quite safe, especially compared to Kabul not to mention southern Afghanistan) and since the office was at the base of a small mountain I thought “Why not?” and started to climb but I was in sandals so that didn’t last very long. Once I gave up climbing I sat down and soaked in the morning sun, clean air, etc and thought I’d take a few photos. I did manage to take a few pictures but the wind was blowing pretty hard so keeping the camera steady for a multi-photo panoramic shot was difficult.

Anyway on the left (partially covered by trees) is the office and further to the right is the nearest village (it actually looks closer in the photo than it does in real life, odd, it seems that it is usually the other way around).

Nomads?

Nomads?
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

This is one of the many times I have been confused; I was told these people are not nomads but they don’t have homes and they do travel around… go figure.

One of the things that caught my eye was the yurts they used; here they are using a combination of tents that the west is familiar with and Mongolian style yurts. I have also learned that “modern” nomads often use trucks to bring their livestock to central Afghanistan to graze on the “readily available” vegetation… and these people have vehicles… but they are not nomads, go figure.

Later I was informed that some villages make a yearly exodus to the grassier areas to let their livestock graze so just a few people stay in the village and the rest head out so that could be the situation here (yes, I was told these people have no home but I am regularly given contradicting information so its possible).

Afghan Nomads?

Afghan Nomads?
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

Actually I have no idea if these people are nomads but we were easily 10 miles from the nearest encampment (and further from any established villages, at least any visible villages, there could have been a village tucked away over/between one of the hills/mountains).

I just wanted to mention the nomads though, here called “Kochi” (pronounced Koochee). I am still trying to figure out the difference between Nomad and Kochi, usually when I mention kochi people think of the nomads that were just coaxed out of central Hazarajat after killing almost 15 people over land disputes (and weren’t even punished, I don’t pretend to understand this), people here aren’t too fond of them so at first I think they are a specific group of nomads but I am told that “no, kochi just means nomad” and there are several nomadic groups in Afghanistan and they aren’t all as seemingly evil as the ones in Hazarajat (to give you an idea of how despised they are in Hazarajat I heard one old man compare the Kochis killing of Hazara to the Israelis treatment of the Palestinians… and trust me, there is no love for Israelis here).

Kamaz Trucks

Kamaz Trucks
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

Pronounced “Kah-Mahz” I think. This is a Russian truck manufacture that I think has been around since the soviet days. To me these trucks just look menacing and uber industrial.

The history of the kamaz in Afghanistan is interesting (ok my knowledge of it is short) but I believe it was introduced while the soviet union was here (makes sense) and was widely used but when the soviet union left the remaining Afghan government forbade private individuals from owning these vehicles, only government could. Either during (or more likely after) the Taliban private individuals and companies started buying Kamaz trucks and now they are pretty much ubiqutus here. I get the impression that they are kind of the VW Beatle of trucks here in that they are practical, cheap, and easy to fix. I am not sure about how often they break down (my guess would be often but I am basing that on the 15 year old soviet trucks I would see in Eastern Europe) but they have to be fairly sturdy on the outside to endure afghan roads (or the lack thereof) and Afghans seem to think pretty highly of them.

Example of nowhere

Example of nowhere
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

I find myself taking pictures of scenes that look particularly representative of Afghanistan even if they are middle of nowhere type pictures. Because all the projects in my program are in central Afghanistan (and due to safety) that is were I go most when going out of Kabul, but this area is also pretty remote and mountainous with small roads (this one is more or less an afghan highway) going through narrow valleys (here), through mountain meadows, or along cliffs

The Eye of the Beholder Mannequins

The Eye of the Beholder Mannequins
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

I was walking with a friend through one of the shopping centers in Kabul when we came across these mannequins. We werent quite sure whether we should be repulsed or laugh but if I was a kid I would have peed my pants.

I swear whoever made these Mannequins had to be a fan of the twilight zones The Eye of the Beholder (11/11/60) episode.

Afghan Bike Bling

Afghan Bike Bling
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

I have noticed in various countries that bikes are the American lowrider car equivalent, that is, they get dressed up with all sorts of non-functional “bling”. Another observation is that the grand majority (there are of course always exceptions) of the bikes in a given country are all from one place. This bike is pretty (really) standard and I am told it is probably either Chinese or Indian (most manufactured things here are either Chinese, Pakistani, or Indian) and as usual some color has been added which can take the form of ribbon, stickers, or in this case stars and reflectors and even a light with a mini-generator (back wheel).

Cheaper by the dozen

Cheaper by the dozen
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

Ok, so I am not sure our host had a dozen children but I would bet that he had close if not more than 12 kids. Every child here is his and I know that it is not all of his children (for example the girls were not allowed to come out) and for every dish that was brought out it was a new child, geeze. You would think a condom manufacturer could make a killing here but nope, the large family sizes are in part due to the lack of a governmental safety net, the reasoning is that if you have a large family then you will have many children to take care of you when you are old.

Afghan soldier's graves

Afghan soldier's graves
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

In my travels (here in Afghanistan) I have seen tons of these “graves”, sometimes they are intricate little mausoleums other times they are a pile of rocks, but they always have green flags (or rags) flying for those killed during combat (bystanders that are killed apparently don’t count). One kind of gets accustomed to seeing all these graves but if you stop to think about it then it becomes pretty sobering.

More soviet kitsch

More soviet kitsch
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

I have not posted all my photos in chronological order for various reasons (not the least of which is personal disorganization) but if you have been following my postings you will have noticed at least a few photos of soviet tank remains and a picture of a stone wall that has tank wheels incorporated into it so this photo is a continuation of that theme. Here the roofline is lined with soviet mortar shells which I admit is an eye catcher compared to most of the architecture I have seen in other parts of Afghanistan (i.e. mud).

Chill'n in Panjshir

Chill'n in Panjshir
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

We had been invited by a resident of Panjshir (who also owns a house across the street from my organization’s office) to come to his house. They setup a cloth, cushions, etc for us to sit on right beside the river (big river). So we chilled on the cushions until the food started coming out.

Middle of nowhere?

Middle of nowhere?
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho

This was a fairly common kinda scene while driving to Band-e Amir, lots of nothingness. Being from the southeast USA I get a feeling of Agoraphobia when I go out to these wide open expanses of land. These spaces, to me, feel more like the middle of nowhere than forested places, not sure why though. In Afghanistan there are lots of open spaces some more desert like than others. While it appears to be pretty barren there always seemed to be some lone person(s) around, I often wondered where they were living, to look on the map you see a ton of villages but when you are out there you hardly see any.