Afghanistan

Kabul – The palace, the museum, kite flying and the kite runners. The houses up the hills are built with no title – the city is for 500k people and now has 4 million. Seem to be if you can make it stick to the hill its yours. Lovely park for Barbur – the Uzbek who took India and formed the 300 year Murghal emprie. People were shy but friendly. Learning the history – wow, in the 1960s this was the place to be. Women in skirts, Kabul University lecturers had western educations – it was all on. More study required on how it fell apart, as with everywhere, very very sad that in a place of such rich history (Afghanistan was the center of silk road and intellectuals around 1000 AD). There were libraries with over 10,000 books at a time Europe was in the dark ages. Very lucky to have a friend and guide Mohammad Sulaiman Akbari who exemplifies the spirit of people who want to help their country. 12 years as a refugee, then gained scholarship and now a rising star at the World Bank. It brings home that when we see photos of millions of Syrians, Sudanese, Palestinians, and many groups without the PR that they have the same hopes, aspirations, and potential as everyone else. Well done Mohammed you are a legend.