Thursday, March 13, 2008

Work and travel

Sometimes I find it frustrating to travel in my work. Ok, it takes me places I would most probably not go to if it was not for my work. On the other hand it makes me get a taste of places but never gives me the opportunity to really explore them the way I would like to.

More or less for fun I have been reading the Lonely Planet guide over Afghanistan, although I know we will not have time nor opportunity to be tourists. The way the guide describe things make you sometimes oversee the hassle to go there and the risks and the non existent infrastructure etc and you feel you would really like to travel the country. We also seem to get there in interesting times. Now is the last month of the Afghan year and we are approaching Nauroz, the Afghan new year. I think we will actually be I in Kabul then. According to Lonely Planet that is a time for festivities all over Kabul, the last buzkashi game of the season is taking place as well as kite running festival. It sounds so exciting. I’d love to go out to see it! But I am afraid I will be locked up in the IMF guest house or in meeting in different UN compound I could imagine trying to cover up as well as I can and try to find me a driver and a guide to take me there, but I can see the face of the embassy staff if I would mention it to them and I am not sure the consultant with whom I will be working will fancy the idea either. (Or maybe he would, he has been working in Afghanistan before.) And generally I don’t think most people would see this being a good idea, as Nauroz, as well as other holidays is also an occasion when insurgents and attacks generally increase…

Stupid people with a strange idea of fun!!

No comments: