Kabul to Gardez was a very interesting trip. We left the compound about 7:30 in the morning for the 60 mile 3 hr trip. The convoy to get me there consisted of 3 vehicles—2 soft skinned and 1 armored. All three were Land Rovers. The armored vehicle was in the middle which is where I was. A Ronco security team was in charge of getting me there. At 7:30 am many people are trying to get to their assignments so there are a lot of vehicles trying to get out of the place and it is slow going. Each vehicle passes through a series of 2 gates with one gate opening and closing behind then the second opening leting you out of the compound. When we got to the street we picked up our armed rider for the vehicle I was in and we also picked up the 2 soft skinned vehicles each having 4 armed personel. Instructions were if we take fire and are incapacitated then we move to the nearest mobile soft skin for escape.
Traffic in Kabul was crazy and everyone had to keep up with the vehicle in the lead. In and out of traffic, dodging bikes and motorcycles, avoiding pedestrians…just general chaos. Nothing looks clean or prosperous and everyone looks poor. Lots of men milling about, lots a kids running around but very few women. The word is that the women were at home or in the fields working while the men sat around talking. Lots of taxi cabs running around, as you drive around lots of people washing vehicles. Air compressors sitting at the curbs everywhere with tires in the shade and sometimes a conex with tools where cars pull up to get air or just fixed.
As you got ouside Kabul there were lots of little communities. Shops along the road that sold everything. Rugs, watering cans that they use for hygene, tea pots, tons of fruits and veggies, meat that is just hanging there covered in flies and pieces chopped off as sold, propane vendors. 100 pound canisters that people brought up smaller tanks to fill. Lots of little freon tanks being filled with propane. So all sorts of things being sold. No shop was really empty and most seemed quite full and people everywhere.
As you got into more rural areas there are lots of fields with all sorts of things being grown in small plots that they call jeribs which is a very inclusive term. Lots of them were empty so there is potential for some multi cropping of some type. Lots of sheep, goats, donkeys and a few camels. These generally have free range. As you look over the landscape you can see tents associated with these herds that house the Kuchi or the nomadic herders. These are a tribal people that really answer to no one but their tribal leader. These nomads are also some of the primary beekeepers in the country. They move their bees with them as they migrate. They move using trucks, tractors with trailers or anything else for that matter.
We almost had a bad incident on the trip. Lots of people hanging out along the road. A lot of kids. We finally got to a straight away that the caravan gained some speed---not fast just sped up a little. A little girl ran out in front of the lead vehicle. He literally laid 40 to 50 feet of skid marks and went sideways and almost went into the ditch but regained control, came to an almost complete stop and then we proceeded on.
The final stretch of road to Gardez was very mountainous and dangerous. The security detail was pretty nervous about driving it as the Taliban can sit in those mountains and just pick you off and that happens regularly. It was actually a very beautiful drive. As we got into Gardez it was the same as all the other towns other than the fact that it is a University town. The University is only 5 years old or so. The FOB is just outside of Gardez.
We arrived at the gates of FOB Gardez right at 10:30 am. We went through security and waited for an escort onto the base. It took an hour or so for that to happen. Once we got in we met up with the ADT group immediately and were shown around their area and introductions were made. It was then chow time and the food is pretty darn good. It will be hard to stay on my diet here. We ate and then headed back to headquarters. John Morris and the security team left at that point and left me to the ADT gang. That was Saturday the 30th. Five days behind schedule or around here right on time—everything is in windows, nothing is right on time especially travel. Next….My first days with ADT
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