Our driver took us to a lake just outside Kabul (on the way to Kandahar, where we’d rather not go!) that is a very popular picnic and recreation spot for the Kabulis. It was quite a surreal experience.
Around the small lake there were some holiday cottages, a fun park, food stalls and you could even hire swan-shaped paddle-boats!! It looked like some kind of tourist resort!
On the way there we also passed the Kabul golf course! That was also quite an experience.
It looked more like some cross country course, with a lot of small stones everywhere and not much green. We actually only saw the greens (that are anything but green) and no tees so I could not really figure out how to play it.
He also took us up to the hill with the swimming pool, where I went also last time in Kabul.
To my big surprise there was water in it! It was far from full though, but enough for the little boys (no girls!!) to jump, splash and swim in. He also told us he too used to go swimming there when he was a kid.
From that hill it was also very obvious how much greener the city is now than it was in March.
I have read a lot about how famous Kabul used to be for it’s gardens, roses and orchards and I believe that if there only will be peace for some time, they will be able to get there again, there is definitely a gardening tradition to build on.
Tomorrow we will leave Afghanistan, but the way this trip have worked out we might be back soon again… But now I most of all look forward to a couple of relaxing days in Dubai.
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