"Many guns and loads of smiles..." a Afghanistan Travel Page by husain

The first time i travelled to Afghanistan, it was soon after the fall of the Taliban and the American bombings etc. Those were fairly nervous times to say the least. Yet, the lasting impressions- apart from the destruction and decay- were the warmth of the Afghan people (especially towards Indians!), and the faces of the children on the streets.
I`ve been back twice since then, once in 2003 and then again in April 2006. The last trip has been one where the contrast has been strongest.
There are many signs of recovery and stability. There has been sizable investments in telecom and soon in other kinds of infrastructure like power. Life seems more normal- at least in kabul, and possibly in the other major towns as well. However, in the provinces, the benefits of reconstruction still seem to be a while away yet.
I have a fair amount of related content on my My Kabul Page, so if you need more/specific information, you could check there too...

Glad to be back, but glad i went too! The shoot went well- the first story out of Kandahar has already been edited and telecast in the US yesterday (9/11)

Meanwhile, i have been looking at these pictures and text by this photographer and i strongly reccomend it to anyone who may like to know more about Afghanistan... now that i have been there too, i know where the perspective comes from, but he has done a damn good job of it. http://cr.middlebury.edu/art/Powell/

With dramatic snow capped mountains and sunsets along the way, on the road that connects Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif in the north. This is the fertile Shomali Plains, once considered the breadbasket of Afghanistan.
A drive across this dramatic-stark Afghan landscape until a few years ago would possibly have your vehicle go past some war debris- a tank lying by the road or perhaps a crashed military helicopter... however thats largely been cleaned up now it seems. On my latest trip in spring 2006, it seemed pretty clear, of course, apart from the several landmine sites that are still being cleared and will probably take quite a while yet.
The military junk/debris has been moved to huge sites in some designated areas, one of which i visited - referred to by some locals as the `graveyard of tanks'. I have some pictures and content from that trip on my Kabul page.