Greetings From Kabul

I made it! Not sure where or how to begin describing what I've seen so far. Guns, dirt, open sewers, poverty, goats, mules, crazy drivers, burkas, kites, children.....

Philly More Dangerous Than Kabul?

Wednesday night, the evening before my trip, I witnessed a gang shooting in South Philly. In fact, I was in the middle of it. I was at a stop light when all the sudden a pack of kids came riding by on their bikes. About 30 feet in front of me they all started to fight. I put the car in reverse to get out of there. A tall skinny kid in a white t-shirt pulled out a gun and started shooting. I heard pop, pop, pop, pop, and a bullet whizzed by the car. Everyone scattered but one kid who got shot in the leg. The shooter started walking my way then he ran away. It was over in 30 seconds. It is amazing how fast this happened and how close I came to being killed.

Pleae don't tell my mom about this, she would only worry!

Stuck In Atlanta

I arrived at Philadelphia Airport two hours ahead of my flight, however the flight was delayed. We sat on the the runway for 2.5 hours! I missed my connection in Atlanta for Dubai. Next flight not for 24 hours so I'm stuck in Atlanta. By the way, Delta sucks. They did not offer me any assistance.

Two Continents

My trip to Afghanistan will include a trip to Kenya. Leah and I will fly from Dubai to Nairobi for my birthday. We will go on a Safari and will stay several days on Lamu Island.

Lamu Island

Lamu Island is a part of Kenya's Lamu Archipelago, and there is one town and three villages on the island. As Kenya's oldest living town, Lamu has retained all the charm and character built up over centuries.

We will also go to Masai Mara National Reserve. The Masai Mara is a large park reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park game reserve in Tanzania. Named for the Maasai people (the traditional inhabitants of the area) and the Mara River, which divides it, it is famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of zebra and the wildebeest from the Serengeti every year from July to October, a migration so immense it is called the Great Migration.

Afghan Blogger

While researching my trip, I came across the blog of an Afghan named Nasim Fekrat. This is how he describes himself on his blog:

My name is Nasim Fekrat and I'm 25 years old. I born in the land of pain and injustice. Whatever I want for myself, I wish for the others. I write from Kabul. I write what I see and what I hear. I am the winner of the in 2005 Freedom of Expression Blog Awards of RSF (Reporters without Borders) - France among seven Bloggers throughout the world. I am obviously a defender of freedom of expression and independent media free of threats and intimidation. I want to highlight the problems of my society in an independent manner, without fear and in a non-partisan manner in regards any group or political interest in Afghanistan.

I 've had several e-mail correspondences with him and I've learned that he is an amazing young man. He sees blogs as an alternative media source. He writes that most of the Afghan media is slanted by political parties. He believes that blogs are an alternative method for getting the truth out about what is happening in his country. For more about Nasim, see this recent article in Slate.

His mission is to teach Afghans about blogging. He has held workshops and is planning more. He is seeking donations of money as well as computer equipment including laptops and memory sticks. If interested in making a donation, please let me know. I'm planing to meet him when I'm in Kabul.

Click here to see his amazing pictures of Afghanistan.

Off To Kenya

My sisters Sandra and Leah, are the adventurous world travellers of the family. Between the two of them, they have been to India, Nepal, Cambodia, Turkey, Belize, South Africa, Zambia, Russia, Thailand, Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and of course Afghanistan.

So I'm excited that Leah suggested I go with her from Kabul to Kenya for her vacation. It will be quite a contrast, one that I'm looking forward to seeing.

Dubai, Here I Come

I booked a room in Dubai. They have some amazing hotels. This is where I'm staying.

I will stay one night here before flying to Kabul. Leah and I will explore Dubai when we come back through on our way to Kenya.

Trip is Still On

On Monday, July 7 there was a bombing at the Indian Embassy which killed 41 people and injured 140. Leah called to say that she was safe, but that the blast occurred in an area that was otherwise secure. The force of the blast shook her office and blew out all the windows of her bosses house. She expressed concern about my pending visit. We agreed to monitor the situation. The plan is to fly to Dubai. If the violence worsens, then I will stay there for a week, then Leah and I will go to Kenya.