Kunduz

In the past I've complained that Kabul is hot and dusty. However, Kabul has nothing on Kunduz. Kunduz was so dusty, my exposed skin itched from the caked on dust (dust + sweat is not a happy combination).

The town was so hot, that children played in the open sewers and the drainage ditches into which the open sewers flowed. Either Kunduz is due for a cholera epidemic, or these kids have become so inured to germs that they'll never fall ill again.

That off my chest, the people there are fantastic and they still appreciate Americans. Kunduz is in the north, near the Tajik border, and was under the rein of Masood during the Taliban period. They look upon the foreigners as peacekeepers, and are happy to have them there. At least, so said a man I spoke with on the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) base - a quasi-military outfit - and my experience there bore this out. The climate might have been hot and uncomfortable, but no one in Kunduz made me feel unwanted, or stared at, or the brunt of any hostile feelings.

So thank you, Kunduz, for your hospitality! And I hope you get a closed sewer system real soon.