DAY 87 - KABUL

87) THURSDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 1977 : 0KMS. - KABUL

Having our campervan thoroughly checked. Tilo wanted to change water in the radiator and had found leakage  earlier.  Bumper spring had to be fixed and also battery leakage needed to be repaired as there were  cracks on the top side. Rust on some parts of outer body had to be scraped off and repainted including car wash.   

Add KABUL - Photo - man33m / Bing images search

We paid for the services  1,000. – AFG. It took nearly the whole day for all works to finish.  We drove to park overnigh outside the camping area.

KABUL street scene - Photo : Reuters / voanews.com (Google images search)

 

DAY 86 - KABUL

86) WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 1977 : 0KMS. - KABUL

Washing clothes and went to the embassy of INDIA to get back my passport with visa. We walked  around the banks  of Kabul  river, which dried up. Probably because it was normal condition in late summer.

Kabul old city - Photo : allfamouswonders.com / Bing images search

I saw many men doing their daily toilets in the dried Kabul river bed!!

Kabul (dried) river - Photo : alitravelstheworld.com/ Google images search

There were many people, some brought  with them hand woven carpets and old clothes, etc. for selling.   Most men wore eye-makeup - with a black eye liner around their eyes !  They looked captivating as well as awesome because black eyeliner made them  look bigger.

Pashtun Afghan wearing kohl (eyeliner) - Photo : worldpress.com / Google images search

  
"Wearing eyeliner (kohl) is absolutely normal for Pashtun Afghan men."
 

Pashtun man wearing kohl - Photo : pashtunforum.com / Google images search

DAY 85 - KABUL

85) TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 1977 : 0KMS. - KABUL

Went to apply for visa to INDIA. The visa  was very expensive, it costed  466. – AFG.   This should be a weak point of diplomatic policies between Thailand and India to be improved.  There were even many Indian Sikhs living in Thailand.

KABUL - Photo : Man33m / Bing images search

DAY 84 - KABUL

84) MONDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 1977 : 0KMS. - KABUL

Went to check mail at the post office - Poste Restante but no letters from home. I did not understand why nobody sent  me any  news. I just assumed that their letters might get  lost or because they were on the way  and not yet arrived . Maybe the time was too short for letters to arrive at the town/city  we expected to be. A bit disappointed  !

 

KABUL - Photo : Holmerz / Bing images search

DAY 83 - KABUL

83) SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 1977 : 120KMS. - KABUL

Woke up early, it was very cold last night.  The inside temperature on our wall  thermometer was 10* C, probably the outside temp might be lower around  0 degree because water in the stream was very cold and frost in some places. 

  

Road to/from BAMIYAN - Photo : Bing images search

After having breakfast at the kind Afghan‘s home,  we set out on our trip to  KABUL .  Our Afghan host also asked to take a ride with us, together with his wife and children to KABUL .

 

Highway to/from BAMIYAN - Photo : Hadi Zaher / Bing images search

We drove through HAJIGAK PASS , where the sky is dark blue, bright and beautiful , probably because of the high altitude up to 3,700 meters. with no pollution.

 
Nearly all the way,  we were crossing with nomadic herder migrating on foot to the south with the caravan, camels, donkeys and goats, chickens and dogs  until we reached the UNION PASS ( 3,300 meters high ) and MAIDAN respectively. 

On the way back from the Great Buddha site in BAMIYAN to KABUL near the UNION PASS, we spotted the cliff with unique rock formation, It looks like an Afghan man's head wearing a turban facing our way.

Turban head rock formaion - Photo : Tilo Grabowski

 
Just compare a cute young Afghan face with this rock formation ! Isn't it amazing ??

Photo : Tilo Grabowski

We arrived in KABUL  about 3.00 p.m.  with our campervan fully covered  by dust, both outside and inside…..that took us time to sweep and clean all around. Anyhow, it was worth the excitement  and the beauty of nature , etc. , we have seen along the way.