Welcome to Kabul

After flying over massive mountains swimming in chunky white clouds from Urumqi, China, I landed at Kabul airport. Dotted with choppers and men who resemble the Incredible Hulk in both colour and size, the only difference is these ones have guns. I was met at the airport by director, Dimitri and taken back to the Aina Media Centre, where things are very comfortable and I was given a warm introduction to my new home.

We did a quick excursion round town, didn’t look much different to any other Muslim city, few more guns, but that was about it. Security here is pretty tight we have a guards at the entrance and we must sign in and out anytime we go anywhere, I don’t think that’s because it is so unsafe, its just a precaution they use with most NGOs and foreigners......

Had a better walk round the yesterday, you don’t realise how much security is really presednt, until you look closely. Every important building that has any significance to the West or Afghan Government has huge concrete barriers lining the perimeter, razor wire and guards with AK's.

Kabul is soothingly erratic, there seems to be no system or infrastructure that people follow, more ordered chaos, it makes China look like Switzerland, so much has changed since I was last in Afghanistan in 2001.

Our first step is to do the interviews, to choose which students will do the 3 month course. We have about 40 applicants and we must select between 10-15. Once we have our students we will commence the course immediately.

Got a taxi home last night after dark, the city were empty, there is no official curfew, yet the only men out this late, had a Kalashnikov’s keeping them warm as the first years snow fell on desolate streets. Weird, there is a war going here, you don’t see it, but you can definitely feel it.



My first photo (of many) from Kabul: boys playing football next to the Qala Amir Shir Ali Khan Fort that towers over central Kabul

Im looking forward to posting more news from the Aina Media Centre very soon, stay tuned.
Travis
www.argusphotography.com
argusphoto@gmail.com