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Sent: 30 August 2003 14:50
To: David Clark; Jen Clark
Subject: Rule 16
On the Herc flight in I read part of a neighbour's book about the
Taliban. They issued a decree upon taking over Kabul that had a
variety of rules. Rule 16 (I think) decreed that flying kites was
not allowed.
Friday is the holy day here, and folks have the day off. I was
out and about yesterday and there were all sorts of kites being
flown. The kites are usually made out of plastic bags and such.
Garbage and wind are fairly common here, so kite flying is staple
entertainment. Even soldiers can be seen flying kites. I guess
that the Taliban figured that if people had time to fly kites on the
holy day they had more time to pray.
The other common toys are trucks made out of small boxes.
The kids paint them like the transport trucks and drag them
around on strings. There are no wheels, but they seem to have
fun all the same.
I was up on a hill in the middle of the city. It was an old
anti-aircraft position that is now derelict. Old Russian trucks
have been turned into barracks for a squad of local troops who
garrison the hill now. It was an excellent view.
I was also out at night for the first time. At 1900 hours on
Thursday night the streets are crazier than normal. People are
running and biking about without any lights. After a couple of
hours the streets are deserted. You can really tell which
neighbourhoods are good at night by the amount of light!
I've included some more pictures. Two show the city, while the
third shows some locals who came to our range to salvage our
casings.
I'm off to bed now, take care everyone.
Love
Iain
p.s. We had movie night in the Mess tonight courtesy of the
DVD player.
Thanks
Sent: 28 August 2003 05:44
To: David Clark; Jen Clark
Subject: Photos
I will now try to send some photos. One has me doing what I
do best (hang out in the CP). The second was taken while we
drove around. The third is of the Queen's Palace. The Queen's
Palace sits on a hill to the South of our camp and is the dominant
feature (don't worry, we own it).
Things are still going well here. I get out roughly every second
day and it keeps me sane. It is quite tiring driving across town.
We are always on our toes and it's surprisingly draining. We
have a good crew, and we take nothing for granted.
I was near the airport yesterday and it is very busy. The Russian
Antonov was taking off. The boys would love it! That being
said, I'd rather they saw it in Trenton!
Take care everyone!
Love
Iain
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