[kl-bogel] Afghanistan, travel notes, day 4

In Mazar-e Sharif suddenly ended civilization. The best hotel was a three-story house where the rooms is an old furniture, very hot, air conditioners do not work nearly as well for a shower the whole floor. When the landlord asked for their "palace" of $ 120 per room. There is no choice, had to stay. All day yesterday I spent in the city - saw the market, dumping, and the main attraction - the Blue Mosque.



01. The hotel met the Russian guys. They are under contract to the UN, fly and maintain helicopters. Their trip here last 4 months. Almost all of the time they spend in the hotel - out of the gate they were forbidden, dangerous. In the month of guys get 150 000 rubles. They hotel for some reason, liked more than me. "We've lived here, in our room at night 35, air conditioner did not work. Yesterday was repaired, is normally 29. And so it is for the rest: normal beds, food, cook, wash clothes, the Internet is."


02. As for the heat guys right here deytvitelno terrible conditions. Daytime temperatures approaching 50, if you open the car window, as if pour hot dryer, if the window is closed, you can simply suffocate. Cars with air conditioning is rare. I woke up early in the morning to go to market. The driver was late, and I went for a walk around the hotel.


03. This reception desk;). As I wrote, do not favor foreigners here, so all the places where white people live, are well guarded.


04. At 6 am the children play soccer. In the morning the street was a fog, which on closer inspection turned out to be a small dust storm.


05. The hotel is better.


06. Security.


07. The market is very colorful, just the Middle Ages. Here you can take historical films. Central sewage system in town, the streets are sewers, in which all the waste is poured and cast into the trash. The stench is terrible.


08. In the market selling mainly food. About him I do a separate post.


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14. After the market I went to the city dump. It is a huge, smelly and very beautiful! Look, what beautiful caves in the slopes! Come on, let's see who lives there?


15. And live in these burrows addicts


16. Permanently only on this landfill is located about 100 drug addicts. Here they use heroin. In contrast to Kabul junkies, these proved to be very friendly with them was a little chat.


17. Dose of heroin in Afghanistan is worth only $ 2, as well as a jar or a large RedBula ripe watermelon. $ 2,000 on the market can easily buy a kilogram of heroin. By the way, here taken to smoke heroin rather than crack. It is heated on foil and inhaled through a straw.


18. "Zdravsvuyte!" - Unexpectedly greeted us one of the addicts. Masi Afghan heroin users over 20 years. When the Taliban came to power, his family fled from Afghanistan. First, in Uzbekistan, and then to Moscow. Masi somehow managed to go to MSU, but there is not studied for a long time - in the 90's Germany conducted a program of repatriation of Germans living in the former Soviet Union. Parents Masi found a way to convince the authorities that they, too, to some extent, the Germans and Germany and emigrated.

The family settled in the new location. Masi gradually taught German, but the circle of friends, mostly confined to natives of the Union. One of them, an Uzbek, Masi hoisted on heroin. After a few drives to the police, it emerged that he is not in the country quite legally and it was sent home - in Afghanistan. The family, however, remained in Germany. For about 5 years Masi sits in Afghanistan without a job and few prospects to get it. At one point he almost took a job in the service of NATO escort. For the sake of this work, he gave up heroin and stayed long enough. So long that even the medical tests conducted by the NATO medical profession have not figured out that he a drug addict. Unfortunately, the last stage of design work, his fingerprints were sent to Germany. At this point, and it turned out that he was repeatedly arrested for drugs. Masi dumped from his job about 2 months ago, and since he lives in a cave on a garbage heap, and his only source of income - that's about 200 euros per month sent parents.


19. This guy just used the, trying to stay on his feet, but they did not listen.


20. These are the stinking gutters run along all streets.


21. Special people are sometimes purified. Take a look. how much rubbish got this man on one corner. The water is completely black and the consistency is similar to sunflower oil.


22. In some places the water is very dirty, bathe kids there!


23. Now the city spread cholera and typhoid.


24. Women.


25. Hero.


26. On the street selling porn.


27. This breakdown of stolen phones.


28. And here you can saw off a piece of ice.


29. My wife asked me to take home carpets. He walked to the shops, the local wool carpets are from 100 to 500 dollars. Was about to buy, as it turned out one big problem - there is no ATM in town! More precisely, there are two, but they do not work! As I explained to the workers ATMs can be found only in Kabul, and then only with difficulty. Today, try to find a bank and cashed some money, because then I'm going to have a great wilderness.


30. In Mazar-i-Sharif, many people speak in Russian, proximity affects the border with Uzbekistan. Greetings from the Motherland - BERIOZKA shop.


Friday in the Muslim world output. On the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif is surrounded by three fences of an amusement park. In the evening there was a lot of people get together and I decided to go shoot there. At the entrance it became clear that to get inside is not so easy. Entrance to the park was just for families. After much persuasion I was allowed to go there for 10 minutes, but the camera picked up. In the park, I realized why I refused to let the guards - many of the women took off their cloaks and go with open faces! Made a few shots on your phone. At the sight of me in a panic women were hiding, and waved their hands were busy. I decided not to embarrass them, rode the carousel and went back to the mosque. Notice how in Afghanistan for the safety of lawn:


31. The main attraction of Mazar-i-Sharif is the Blue Mosque. According to local legend it is - the tomb of the Caliph Ali, whose body was stolen kidnappers. For this reason, Mazar-i-Sharif is a place of worship, especially the Shiites. This tomb of the Caliph Ali is located in Najaf in Iraq, however, additional shrines as places of worship - a phenomenon often in the Afghan and Tajik religious practice. According to some historians, this place was the tomb of Zoroaster.


32. There's even a little clean.


33. And there are doves.


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37. In the mosque itself was not allowed.


38. In northern Afghanistan the Taliban is small, they strongly stand out from the crowd.


39. Look, there are evil-Taliban thugs.


40. And this is - kind Uzbek. Very easy to distinguish. Talib looks at you like a piece of meat in the store.


41. Women's photograph is strictly prohibited. It is not clear what could be the problem, given that they go in their cloaks and face is still not clear.


42. Mosque.


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44. Evening Prayer.


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46. The Soviet soldier-liberator abandoned the Afghans, "glasses" for the traffic police.


47. In Afghanistan, live a very hospitable people. You do not need any special effort to be invited to visit. In Mazar-e Sharif, invited me to her house is a big boss - the head of the Department of Drug Balkh province. Very nice hospitable people. Sam came to pick us up from the guesthouse where I stayed, and took her to his house with a large garden. The difference of cultures is not just allowed me to understand that the guest room - brick barn with the laid carpet flooring and lush curtains - it is very secured housing rights ... but here is cool, there are fan and air conditioner! In a city where 35 in the shade - the norm, the coolness in the room is really a luxury. Chief Police offered to be at home, and police identified the Jeep with a guard, so I could quietly watch it a beautiful city. In the evening, gave a big dinner party.


48. Came to his friends, and long asked absurd questions. On the whole evening was great! Pilaf would be very tasty, fresh vegetables, and the best apricots I try not necessary. However, the outcome of the evening was a strange one. How then told my guide, the guests think I'm a Russian spy. They have long tried to understand who I work with. As a result, meeting and did not understand how you can come to Afghanistan to take some pictures just!


49. Unfortunately, by the end of the day was over and civilization. In the best room owner was nothing but a carpet and fan, but it's still half woes. At night the house began to insect attack. Thousands of small ants, flies, beetles crawling in the nose, hair, crawling over the body and not allowed to sleep. As I have said, had to sleep on the floor makes it easier for small reptiles. Soon lost electricity, the fan is switched off and the room became absolutely unbearable. I took a bag of dirty laundry, which is adapted as a pillow, and went to sleep on the street.


Now I eat breakfast and go to Faizabad. On the road, there are dangerous areas, so you need to reach before nightfall.

UPD: Reaching Faizabad, all is well, just no internet normal. Tomorrow will try to lay out a new report.

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