This and That

Dear readers,

I collected some infos, which I had not worked into different articles before.

Kabul City is the capital of Afghanistan. It is surrounded by mountains and has also some mountains in the city area. General elevation is nearly 1.800m above sea level. Lots of houses are build at the steep mountainsides. The people who live there, have to carry up the water bucket by bucket. The rest of the city has water pumped into there houses.

In the streets police (dark green) and army (sand coulored) have a big presence in the city. They all drive Ford pick ups. Some of the cars have armed guys on the back of the car. It feels that every 10th car is a safety car, but I counted once. It’s more or less every 20th to 30th car, which is from police or army. Most of them are police pick ups. Still a big number.

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People are poor. Most people, if they have a job, they earn around 2000$ a year. For example the hostel cook earns 13.000 AFG,  190$ a month. Therefore he has to cook for 50 people, 3 times a day 7 days a week. He is busy from 6am to 8pm. / Hasan the psychologist, payed by a NGO earns 250$ a month.

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On the streets of Kabul are a lot of beggars. There is no social network to help them. Lots of people stay at day and I guess also at night under the river bridges. Men, women often with full burka cover sitting on the street. Partly with children. Some have injuries, half fresh or show there amputated legs…. Also a lot of kids are begging. From a very small age…. babies with the mothers,  but also 5,6 years old kids sitting allone on the street. With dirty clothes, sometimes trying to sell little things or offering shoe clean service…… Yesterday just on one street, 20 people streched out there hands at me and sometimes mutter in a suffering sound something to the me or other passing by people. Sometimes I get also angry, being bagged at all the time, even forcefully sting my body, taking my space….. Two weeks ago I saw a two boy gang (maybe 10 -12 years old) beating a 6 year old boy with a stick. Building up mafia structures….?? Lots of suffering……

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In Afghanistan are living a lot of different folks and tribes. People with white to dark brown skin. Men are wearing western or traditional clothes. Some have beard, some shaved. The women wear to 30% in Kabul city burka. Others have a full but not face covered cape. Sometimes you can see the colourful dress underneath. And some women wear just a hijab, for example roma people.

There are everywhere stands with fruits and vegetables and other goods on wheels. In the night every seller rolls his stand home. Most stands have only one type of goods to offer. And a lot of men have wheelbarrows. They transport everything back and forth, especially in the narrow ways in the bazars, but also everywhere else. At lunchtime they use there wheelbarrow for sleeping.

In the summer month Kabul is hot. I guess during the day at around 35 degrees. I have heard that sometimes in the summer some monsun clouds come even until here, but until now, only dry and no rain.