Dusty Day

We've hit that time of year where the weather is becoming erratic here. In Kabul we are now seeing daily highs in the low to mid-70's and lows in the 40's. But everything can change in minutes.

We also felt the tremors from two earthquakes further north in Kyrgyzstan Sunday night and Monday morning.

The sun climbing over the mountains east of Kabul.
The day started out pleasant enough. Cool with a light breeze.

By afternoon, locals were watching the wind coming in from the north.
It looked like we might get some rain.
The breeze was cool and there was that rain scent in the air.

Instead we got dust!
Market down by the Kabul River.

The pedestrian bridge over the river.

On a clear day, this hill looks like this.

Yesterday, it looked like this.

Slightly different angle.

The sun was barely a spot in the gray-brown sky.
This is at 4 PM.

Eid el Fitr

Ramazan is almost over. That means an end to fasting and abstinence. Cigarettes will be back on the scene, the street food kiosks will be doing brisker business during the day and the bakeries will be opening earlier in the day again. People will be a little less crabby and short-tempered.

Eid el Fitr (Festival of the Fast Breaking) is somewhat like Christmas in that there is feasting, gift-giving and dressing up. It is a three day party. Scenes below are from the busy market. Only two shopping days to Eid! Sort of. The "declaration" of Eid depends upon the sighting of the new moon. That is a call for the mullahs. It's looking like Tuesday or Wednesday will be the call.

We are thinking the government will call it for Tuesday because then instead of a three-day holiday, it is a four-day holiday since Friday would be the day off anyway. These people could use a four-day holiday.

An old "Back to School" mural on the road entering the market.
The top row of the blackboard, read right to left is "alef", "beh", "peh" the first three letters of the Dari alphabet.
The bottom row is 1 + 1 = 2 (Even if Afghanistan).

Eid shoppers.
Note the Eid dresses in the background.
The children usually get bright new clothes for Eid.

More Eid dresses.

Still more Eid dresses.

And more Eid dresses!

Sugar drink anyone? Made with fresh sugar cane!
Afghans may not recycle the way we know it,
but they definitely reuse.
Nothing useful gets thrown out.

Shopping for the Eid gifts.
Two shoppings days left!

Potatoes for the feast.

Mutant Cauliflower for the feast!

Fruit market doing brisk business.

This doesn't look good Bob!
Note the three calf heads and pile of legs.

Butcher shop lane fully stocked to provide for the feast.
Out of the picture to the left a pile of goats
and four more calves were being prepped for hanging.

Just Some People Shots

Today just some human interest shots from my daily excursions "out among them" as the Amish say.

Learning how to drive.
They start 'em young round these parts.

Coming home from school.

Hazara woman and child.
Note that she's got her burkha open.
The Hazara women are least likely to wear one and most likely to raise it when they do.

Hazara boys.
It must have been a rough night.

Part of living long enough to get past the life expectancy is surviving riding a bicycle in Kabul.
Note that all three sets of handlebars have bells.
They ding as much as the car drivers honk.

It used to be that you could tell a married woman from a single woman by how they dressed.
At least in Kabul, that has become more difficult.
Some single women will wear a burkha and many married women do not.

Professional women entering a government compound.
I detect envy emanating from the woman in the burkha.

These old Hazara women actually opened up their burkhas when they saw me taking pictures.

Note the reddish hair on the woman on the left.
She is most likely Nuristani or Tajik, or a blend of both.

I really need to buy some sunglasses!