Kabul, Afghanistan

Left Dubai on Safi air (Afghanistan's number one airline, or so they say, the magazine shows them having a fleet of 6 planes) for a short 2 1/2 hour flight to Kabul. Even weirder food on this flight, but I powered it down. Customs involved waiting thru long lines, surrounded by chicks in burkas and guys ordering them around, finally to get a stamp from a very bored looking guy. I had a little difficulty taking pictures at the airport, there were Afghan soldier and police guys with big guns all over the place, and I wasn't sure how cool they would be with me being a tourist. This is the spectacular sign at the entry.

The guy in the sweater was our handler, up ahead were more guys with automatic weapons.

A bunch of armored vehicles belonging to the Portuguese NATO forces. There are a ton of different countries represented here.

Chuck in his IBA and helmet on the short but frantic ride thru the streets of downtown Kabul from the airport to the USACE compound, Qalaa House. The car was a heavily armored and bulletproof SUV. The streets were crazy, cars going every which way, pedestrians, dogs, bike, scooters, all seeming going in random directions. The army dude driving the car was great, he made every effort never to slow down, thus minimizing the chance of some asshole running up to us with a bomb. It was a little scary but if he could have gone even faster I would have been OK with it. Sitting next to him was his Afghan "shooter". It seems that the vast majority of people with guns here are Afghan army, they provide almost all the security. Kabul was very sad, partially destroyed buildings everywhere, clapboard buildings, it made some of the places I have been in Mexico look absolutely wonderful.