Another Ride to Downtown

Yesterday, a few guys from my component and I went to our satellite office in downtown Kandahar. We were supposed to meet with a couple of municipal engineers and the Kandahar Mayor, but only one city engineer could show up. It was a little disappointing because we really needed to meet with the mayor to clear up several issues with ongoing projects.

We did our best to make it a productive trip. One of my local designers was working there that day, so I coordinated efforts with him. After grabbing lunch we headed back to our compound and I finished off the day trying to prepare for my pending R&R. The days before going on leave are dreadful because I have to prepare work for my staff wile I’m gone.

I didn’t expect to take any pictures on my way downtown because on the first trip I took over 200 snapshots, but every time I see everyday people going about their day and doing their thing, I can’t help myself.

I have seen this monument several times, but haven’t found out what it’s significance is yet.

Police presence in Kandahar.

Many districts are built of mud brick. It’s primitive, but gets the job done. The only problem is that these structure dissolve in a matter of years.

Foot carts are common here.

Road crews building drainage infrastructure. No mechanized construction equipment here, just picks and shovels.

The gate to the Governor’s Palace. I think there are municipal building in there too, but not sure.

A view from the back seat driving through Kandahar. These two lads are part of our private security detail (PSD).

Solid waste management is a major part of our mission here. As you can see, rubbish is everywhere and is thrown in the streets and in empty lots.

This boy is selling okra. An extremely popular vegetable (or fruit, if you want to be technical) in Afghanistan. Our dining facility serves okra almost every day.

All water in Kandahar is accessed through wells (no public distribution system). I have to admire the Coca-Cola funnel modification on the spout. I’m not sure what the blue tiles structure is, thinking it’s a shrine. I’m assuming the concrete box around it is for ablution. Washing of the feet is sacred Muslim ordinance. Where there is a water source, there is usually an ablution facility.

I have no idea what this little guy was preaching about, but he was surely passionate about it. Very animated in his speaking. Future politician, maybe.

Trikes in Afghanistan have a much different appeal and function than in the West.

These three lads are beating the heat, best they can. No open trunk/hatch laws here.

Back to Kandahar

After I woke up and got ready for the day, I collected the 4 or 5 page newspaper that the staff leaves on my doorsteps. It reminds me of the Stars & Stripes military newspaper that is circulated throughout the bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, but more geared towards civilian expats.

I thumbed through it and noticed a write-up on Daykundi province, which is where Nili is located. I read it since I was involved with the master development plan there. Apparently, another aid organization just completed a renovation of the small dirt airstrip there. This is good news since the town is remote and hard to get to by car, especially in the snowy and muddy winter months. Perhaps we can take advantage of this airstrip to ferry non-local materials in and out.

This morning, our small group went to pay a visit to the Ministry of Agriculture. We discovered they had a GIS department up and running and are very interested in any data they have collected and are willing to share. Although, they will likely not have exactly what we look for, their data may prove useful. Getting up to date and accurate geodetic information is always a challenge in Afghanistan.

This is not the best picture in the world, but I was able to snap this while in our car. Kabul is a city of contrast indeed. I probably saw a dozen of these horse drawn work buggies navigating around the sea of countless cars trucks, pedestrians, bicycles and military vehicles.

Unfortunately, our plans were cut short when security we informed us that they were able to get us a flight back to Kandahar. We were supposed to take a USAID flight yesterday, but it was cancelled due to some security reason. Being the dedicated worker-bees they are, our operations group were able to book us on an Embassy air flight, which were not being cancelled by the security issue, go figure.

After about a 2 hour flight, I arrived safe and sound back in Kandahar. It’s good to be “home”, or at least back where my stuff is.

Day Off

Officially, Fridays are our day off, but my Team Lead and I needed to send some justifications for our project to our home office, so we spent the morning crafting a letter for this purpose and working for a couple of hours. We sat out on our compounds lawn, and had brunch in the process.

His wife works in Kabul and joined us. Through conversation I discovered that she is a graduate of a seminar program that I have attended off and on for the past 10 years. It was refreshing to talk to someone who uses the language that this seminar program teaches.

The three of use sat and chatted for a few hours (not hard when you have a Scotsman full of hilarious stories in your company) before going across town to a small villa for a late lunch. There are hundreds of little places like this scattered around Kabul, but our security detail only allows us to visit a handful of them.

We spent a few hours lounging, snacking and chatting, before returning to our compound.

I took the opportunity for a quick snapshot by the pool. It looks nice in the picture, but it has a conspicuous green substance growing on the bottom.

Gearing up for Major Development & Ride Through Kabul

Today I met with the Mayor of Nili, Azra Jafari, and a local engineering firm here in Kabul. The meeting was very productive and accomplished many things, which included the future development of Nili, a small mountainous town in central Afghanistan.

I was very impressed with Mayor Jafari. She has inherited the massive challenge of transforming her small remote town into a flourishing city. In the face of all this she is up against a culture that is not accustomed to female leadership, while navigating the complex Afghan politics in the process. We all want this to be a success for an array of ideological reasons.

The trip to and from the engineering firm made a loop through some of the most interesting parts of Kabul. Being my first time here, I was surprised by how alive, active and beautiful this city is.

Here are some random shots through the city.

Arrival in Kabul

Yesterday my Team Lead and I set off for Kabul. Our PSD shuttled us onto the airbase where we waited for about an hour and a half till our tiny Beachcraft 200 arrived. It’s a small two engine 8 passenger prop plane. We lumbered onto the craft and took the seats right behind the pilots, which was very interesting (seeing that hardly any passengers ever get to actually watch their pilots as they fly anymore).

The pilots taxied along the flight line, passing from the NATO terminal to the Kandahar commercial terminal, to a fueling point. We got off the plane and and stood in front of Kandahar Airport’s main terminal area. It’s really an interesting building. I am told that it was build back in the 1950s by USAID.

After the fueling crew completed their business with our plane, we boarded and the pilots did their business getting us on our way. Luckily it was mid morning, so the heat wasn’t at it’s worst, but the little non-air-conditioned plane was far from comfortable.

After spending some time on the tarmac, we finally got into the air and spent about an hour and a half in the air. The ride was rather bumpy and exciting since the plane was so small.

Approaching Kabul, I had a great view of the airstrip. It was surreal looking out the cockpit during landing. This is a scene I never get to see as a passenger.

Between Kandahar and Kabul's’ airfields there were all manner of rotary craft species, American and NATO: Kiowa, Chinooks, Ospreys, Hips and Hinds. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera poised for all of them. Living outside of the military base, I don’t get to see some of the more interesting military hardware up close, so I was like a country boy going to the big city for the first time. This was a fun opportunity for me.

After landing in Kabul, my Team Lead showed me around the compound, got us settled into out living quarters and we both grabbed lunch. In the restaurant, I got to meet one of the people who recruited me on this project, she was in Kabul for a conference. It’s always interesting to meet people in person, especially when the only contact I have with them is through email or phone. We sat and visited for a short wile, and then went to work.

After getting settled in and finishing up for the day, I came back to my room and continued working, analyzing some data that I was waiting on. My Team Lead knocked on my door to come get me for dinner.

His wife works in Kabul (lucky him), so we all went out to a local Italian restaurant in Kabul, imagine that. I now have the pleasure of saying that I have had the best pizza in Afghanistan! I leave that to interpretation.

A few more scenes from the airplane:

Downtown Kandahar

Yesterday I went downtown to setup my component’s engineering office. Basically, I was there to install software and help out some of our local engineers with ongoing projects. It was nice to leave the compound for a change and see how people live on the other side of our walls.

The day started with two other colleagues and myself mustering at the vehicle pickup point in our body armor. Our PSD gave us a quick brief on convoy safety, we piled in the hard car and away we went. We took a route through varying districts and eventually ended up at our satellite office in downtown Kandahar. After arriving, I was given a quick tour and I immediately got to work. It took me about an hour to set up the computers with what was needed, so I spent the rest of my time there working on other tasks, and helping out our component’s local staff with odds and ends.

Here are some sight seeing pics along the way:

A normal sight in Afghanistan. Motorcycles are relied on heavily here. Who needs helmets!

I saw many of these vehicles zooming about. These “tuk tuks” are a common form of taxi, almost all of these are decorated in bright colors and sparkly ornamentation.

Farmer selling his produce. Gardening seems to be a skill almost every Afghan possesses. If there’s a water source and a patch of dirt to call his own, you’ll see roses and vegetables.

A very common sight along the countryside. Goat farming

Some new development. I’m assuming they are apartment buildings. Most permanent construction here is masonry and concrete. Wood isn’t used much because the environment doesn’t support timber forests. One thing Afghanistan has plenty of, dirt and clay for making brick.

Every market area has a butcher. Not USDA certified.

The concrete structure to the left is a solid waste bin constructed by a UN Habitat project. The project was successful in getting the local population to throw most of their trash in a collection point, but Kandahar is still littered with trash. Everywhere you go there is litter. It will take time for the populous to adopt a “clean city” attitude. Our communications group did a poll on the city’s concerns about a month ago, and the top concern of Kandahar was solid waste removal and city beatification, beating out security, which was the second largest concern. They want a clean city, but just don’t yet have the infrastructure to support it.

A local “lumber” yard. The trees that DO thrive here are imported eucalyptus, but they do not make very good structural members, as they are a jagged, irregular growing tree. Bamboo is very popular.

Another market stall selling what I think is motor oil.

Women’s lib is still developing. I have not yet seen a woman out in public that is not in a burka. The Taliban still holds a cultural influence, and probably will continue to for another generation.

Children playing in a water ditch.

Street scene through the market.

Landscapers out in full force. We went through a green area full of families and children. Picnics are a popular weekend event for Afghans, and they covet their park areas.

Every mayor of every city asks us for aid to create more green space in their cities. The people love parks, and it’s a quick win for mayoral popularity.

In this park security is a priority. Police presence is everywhere.

Thursdays are the last workday before a Friday and Saturday weekend. Kids are everywhere on this Thursday morning, which leads me to think there is little or no public school system. I am told that USAID, UN and the military have built plenty of schools, but there are simply no teachers to run them.

These merchant carts are everywhere. Mangos and potatoes on this one.

A couple of pictures from the top of our downtown office compound. I had to put the camera over the wall to take them. The jagged mountains are breathtaking in person.

There are plenty of Afghan Army and police checkpoints throughout the city. I’m guessing these are old Soviet or Chinese steel army helmets used by the Afghan Army.

This is what you get when you mix a building, the Taliban and NATO together. Insurgents were holed up in this building for a couple of days before they were forcibly evicted.

This arch is one of the city symbols of Kandahar. It is the entrance into the municipal complex.

Another scene of small market capitalism at work.

A family of merchants at work selling their goods from carts.

To save money on individual trips, just about every driver overloads his truck. It’s not uncommon to see scenes like this causing traffic jams. I’m guessing he hit the speed bump going a little too fast.

Along the roadside are Kuchi camps. These Are nomadic people that migrate to the outskirts of cities throughout Afghanistan.

Reinforced concrete barriers are big business for Afghan construction companies. NATO and other organizations buy these as fast as they are made.

Kandahar get hot in the summer!