Few nations have faced turmoil like Afghanistan. From a disastrous Soviet occupation to an even bloodier civil war to an imposition of a strict variant of Islamic law to a western invasion…oh, what turbulent times. But it wasn’t always...
The Airline in Which Pilots and FAs Are Too Afraid to Come to Work
Times are grim for Kam Air, the main private airline in Afghanistan. Fearing for their safety, foreign workers are fleeing the country, forcing the carrier to cancel the majority of its flights. Last week a deadly terrorist attack rocked...
Why I Went to Afghanistan When I Did
Things in Afghanistan are going downhill…to put it lightly. The latest headline is Taliban Attack on Kabul Restaurant Rattles Close-Knit Expat Community in which we learn: KABUL—Shock spread through Kabul’s close-knit expatriate community after the Taliban killed 21 people, including...
Dubai to New York via Jeddah in Saudia Economy Class
The Saudia flight was from Dubai to Jeddah was so uneventful I will only spend a few sentences on it—I was tried and quickly fell asleep after the meal service, which included beef with noodles and mixed vegetables. A...
Kabul to Dubai on flydubai
فلاي دبي (flydubai) is a low-cost carrier based in Dubai offering budget flights throughout the Middle East and beyond. The ticket from Kabul to Dubai was $152 and flydubai was the only carrier with an afternoon flight. FAs were...
The Afghanistan Dilemma
It was a brisk winter day, but heat from a black wood-burning stove warmed the room. Sunlight streamed in from outside and the sound of the rushing Panjshir River outside was audible over the din of voices inside. Faded...
Kabul International Airport and Departing Afghanistan
We love complaining about the obtrusive Transportation Security Administration at US airports, but our little TSA has nothing on the security measures in effect at Kabul International Airport. Of course I am making an apples to oranges comparison, but...
Kabul – The Green Zone and British Cemetery
Although the term “Green Zone” is more closely associated with Baghdad, Kabul has its own Green Zone housing the diplomatic missions of various countries and the seat of the Afghan government. The walled city within a city is accessible...
Kabul – Gardens of Babur and Kart-e Sakhi Mosque
The Gardens of Babur are a welcome oasis to the dusty, dirty streets of Kabul. Inside the steeped gates (where admission is 25x higher for foreigners than for Afghans, but still only 250 afghanis or ~$4.70) sits the final...
Kabul – National Museum of Afghanistan
Around the corner from the Darul Aman Palace sits the National Museum of Afghanistan, offering a bitter reminder of Afghanistan’s stormy history. The museum once boasted one of the world’s premier collections of Central Asian artifacts dating back several...
Kabul – TV Tower Hill and Darul Aman Palace
Our first stop was TV Tower Hill, the highest point in Kabul. Getting up to the top of the hill was no easy task, even in our Toyota 4Runner. Roads are made of gravel, rocks, and dirt and it...
My Hotel, er Compound, in Kabul, Afghanistan
When my driver pulled up to my “hotel” down a quiet side street in central Kabul, my bodyguard dutifully jumped out and scanned the street for anything out of the ordinary. But the street was deserted and eerily silent...
