tonight we decided to get off the compound and go out for dinner, and since we're now officially allowed to eat in wazir akbar khan again (it's a higher profile neighborhood and had been off limits for a few weeks) we decided to go to bocaccio, which is a really nice italian place. I. came around to pick us up in the I *heart* Afghanistan van, and we drove downtown. I. likes to say that 60% of suicide bombs go off on saturday, but this is really only because he's a driver who doesn't like driving, especially on saturdays, when traffic is bad.
we got stopped at an intersection by police with big guns, asserting their power because they can. (we've been advised to stop at checkpoints and follow police instructions since they've been known to shoot cars that don't comply.) the policeman first told us we couldn't go left. I. told him we're a car of foreigners going out to eat. the police demanded passports, and we handed over a few photocopies, which i'm sure he couldn't read. then he let us through. security is a funny thing here. i set off the metal detector at the restaurant, and the guard just waved me through.
dinner was absolutely lovely, and for a moment, in a stylish and warm place, surrounded by various english accents, drinking beer and eating good food, you could forget that you're in afghanistan.
but i was reminded soon enough.
getting into the car after dinner, i stepped back to open the door, and... fell into the jui. yes, the open sewer. no major harm done, just soaked up to my right knee. it was probably a blessing that there were no street lights to illuminate what i had just stepped in to. everyone had a good laugh. once we got home i stripped off my clothes at the door and jumped into a very hot shower.
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