It's a little hard to explain, but... somehow, as part of a nine month expedition to the Middle East, I found my way into western Afghanistan in May of 1975, and spent just a few days exploring Herat and environs. Some of my most indelible (and inedible) travel memories emerged here... in particular the fervent admonition of a local boy to not venture down a certain provocative street at dusk...

The ziyarat (shrine) of Imam Ali Reza, Mashad, Iran. The dome is indeed gold-plated.

The 'Blue Mosque' of Mazar-i-Sharif, in the north-central province of Balkh.

 You may follow the stream. Realize that it leads to the Ocean. Do not mistake the stream for the Ocean. - Nawab Jan-Fishan Khan

"In the days when it was safe to travel anywhere, the trucks were resplendent with rainbow colours, and piled high with anything from firewood to wolfskins. Safety was relative: the driving was fast and furious, the drivers often had cataracts in both eyes, hashish was smoked incessantly, and the burnt-out wrecks of head-on collisions were not infrequent by the roadsides." - A Lament for Bamian, found at http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~iany/photos/photos.htm

    Posted 2 Dec 2001, WA. Last updated 9 Dec 2001. 

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