"bamiyan, where the buddhas were" a Bamiyan Travel Page by hongmingd

what made this tiny village famous was the giant buddhas, which were among the highest in the world. but now the word is grieving, the buddhas are gone. nothing left, since taliban destroyed them a few years ago. now the world heritage has become ruins.
but this ruins is still worth your visit. since they are not going to be rebuilt, it would be a memorial monument of the taliban's destruction.
anyway, the town of bamiyan is among the most interesting in afghanistan. the inhabitants are hazara people, who have characteristics almost similar as chinese or mongoloid. that's why sometimes they thought that i were local too (due to my mongoloid face).
it is said that hazara people were disliked by the taliban, as they believe in different sects of islam. but believe me, both hazara and pakthans are friendly hospitable, despite of their different religions.

the children living under the giant buddhas are ready to welcome to future

this would be your daily life in afghanistan. drinking morning tea with nan. remember they always throw the nan on the floor. for sure, it's not healthy. so if you are worrying about your health, it's better to avoid eating it.

These comments were originally on my deleted Velayat-e-Bamiyan page:
traveldave Tue Sep 30, 2003 07:57 CST
An enjoyable page. It's nice to see that Afghanistan is slowly opening up to travel. Hope you write more about your travels to Afghanistan.

Irine_29 Tue Sep 16, 2003 21:08 CST
great photos and reports. indeed the photo with the man and the 4 wives is really good.


drolkar Tue Aug 26, 2003 21:17 CST
Many thanks for visiting my homepage! Yes, I hope to go to Afghanistan next spring... to shoot a film. Do you have any suggestions about getting there and-or getting around safely ?? I will write again soon... Best wishes from Catherine

Sharrie Sat Aug 16, 2003 22:12 CST
Wonderful! Do we need a visa here?