Thursday, September 11, 2014

Bibi Mahru Hill

                                

I walked up Bibi Mahru Hill today to see up close the giant Afghan flag, a gift from India, that they raised yesterday. The wind was misbehaving so no shots of it waving gloriously but you get an idea of the scale and of the dust cloud that hangs over the city from the photo on the right.



 A large mustachioed soldier yelled at me for walking on the grass. I heard shouting behind me and then realized everyone was staring at me. I turned around, ""Oh, should I not take photos?" (everyone else was) He ignored the question. "Do you rent your house or do you own it?" He asked. I stared at him blankly. "It's a question," he said "Do you rent your house or do you own it?" "I rent it." Ha, he guffawed to the other soldiers. "This boy is a renter. It's obvious you're a renter because otherwise you would know that when you own something you shouldn't mess it up." He gestured to the grass patch I had walked through and I finally got it, then realized I had walked back onto the grass as I approached trying to figure out what he was going on about. I stepped back and apologized profusely. Few people seem to care about such things here but those who care really care. A friend of a friend was driving me home the other night and refused to run red lights. He was the only one and everyone else honked. "I'm the only one in this country who cares about the rules. Even the police tell me 'Go, go.' I'm not going. I'm going to teach them all."


The caption reads:
The National Army
The National Power
I don't know what ad agency or ministry came up with that design, but it looks to me a bit like the little girl is begging for her life. Nice butterflies though.

I didn't take a picture of the empty Soviet-built olympic-sized swimming pool with its series of ever-higher diving boards that were apparently popular for executions during the civil war. This one I found on the internet (credit Elliot Woods):



It may qualify as a Thomasson unless its function is in preserving national memory.

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