Traveling in china

We came back from China. We traveled in the land for a little more than 3 weeks. It was lots of fun. Fantastic experience, some times we loved it and sometimes we (I) wanted to just run away. It is really huge country we spend five nights in the night train. I liked people in the countryside a lot although there were some strange habits that I could not get used to that! (like spitting, public toilets, etc).

It is crowded; I mean hundreds of people where ever you go! There are so many people in the streets. Lots of movement and energy! I really like that.

It is weird when you are some where and there is no way of communication. And what ever you say they do not understand! And some times even the body language is different! Ah getting food become such a challenge… ;) very simple things that generally you do not think about it becomes very important, like: eating, going to toilet and talking! (with the same order!)



"Here is an example of toilet, in a hotel. Very friendly and social! (we almost always used the touristy ones, which had a separating wall! Luckily!"

Finding the train and taking bus, etc all was great fun! Trying to pattern match the Chinese characters and make sure that actually the bus goes in the direction that you had aimed for! Especially in such a crowded country, where every body and everything is running, can be fun. In Shanghay and Beijing the metro stops had some English written too, so you could just count after how many stop you arrive. We got pretty good hand on it, people were usually very nice, we could double check the characters on our ticket and the lonely planet book and we would ask people. They were generally very nice and helpful.

We both were surprise to see extend of the capitalism. I did not see any sign of communism, except of the Mao’s photo hanging in some places. Nothing of the social security, forget it! All is about Money…. or maybe people were treating us differently because we were tourists. No matter if went to temple (which I always had this romantic view of peace and happiness) or went to a mosque or an archeological site, people (officially or unofficially) were trying to get some thing from us. Pretty much opposite from the idea of happy people, who share everything and fighting capitalism, when money is evil!



"Trains, Hard sleeper, top view. It was very nice, noisy, with many people. Indeed Chinese do not like the walls, the hard sleeper compartments also do not have any separating wall."

Getting away and learning how to say “NO” to people who suddenly jump in front and try to sell some postcard, jewelry, etc was a challenge. Especially at the beginning when we (Simon) wanted to say politely that actually we do not need this 5kg Buddha statues! And definitely we can not pay 80 € for it!

If you want to go, you should go soon, this tourism industry is changing the country and people tremendously. We ran away from them by going to north, and to inner Mongolia.



"Beautiful mountains of Huangshan, in early morning."

The nature was pretty, I was astonished to see that the Chinese painting of the mountains with round peak, is actually exist and it is not just a static imagination of painters mind! Amazing, really pretty! Walking on the great wall was fun too. It was raining and I really enjoyed it. All the time thinking of Marco polo who walked there, (Iranians know what I mean: the stories of Marco polo and his travels trough silk road to china, was on Iranian TV for tens of times, in all the forms of film and cartoons, and I was a fan of him!)



"On great wall. It was very dreamy. All day rained, and the view was spectacular!"

In short we went to mountain, and desert, in the north. Hehe, Simon made(!) me to drive a camel, YOUHOU , at last after 30 years of life I saw a camel in real! And it was such a fun riding her. She was going slowly, you would feel like sitting in a boat, with a relaxing rhythm, until she would reach a hill! Then it was scary! Because she would forget that actually I am sitting on her back! And I might fall down of the hill, as the result of her strange movement of neck and bending of her body!



"Me, riding a pretty camel. It was a pretty desert."

In short we started from Shanghai, to Hangzhou, Huangshan, Xian, Zhongwei (Shapotou District) in desert, Yinchuan, Bayanhot (city in inner Mongolia), and we came back from Beijing.
I’ll write a couple of stories from the trip.

China

Hey friends,
Sorry! I didn’t get the chance to finish all the Kabul stories.
I am travelling in China,now.
I'll get back to write here again in June....

Is Kabul dangerous?

I would say No! Considering the circumstances! And what are they?
I think the dangers in Kabul (and maybe in Afghanistan, as I was told) are; first: if you are been taken as a hostage, second: you could die in a suicide bomb attack. There are ways of avoiding both. If you stay away from Americans, and the route of military transports, as well as very crowded places the chance of getting killed in a bombing, is not too big! And if it happens you are just bad luck! (Car accident in Tehran is more probable maybe!)I think kidnapping is the bigger fear especially for foreign looking visitors. Any way almost every body in Kabul should have a trusted person who drives her/him around. I have to say that I didn’t fear taking a taxi myself. It was ok and people were very nice. Being Iranian and woman has it’s own advantages. Honestly I didn’t really feel being in danger. This could be because of two reasons, first: I knew the language, customs and I had no problem in communicating with people. I was very well aware of my surrounding and I could foresee how things are developing. Second: I had very good people and resources that were giving me enough information on what is happening (had happened) in the city.



"Jade meyvand"



"Center of Kabul"

However, I think living in Kabul as an Afghan and especially for a woman could be really difficult. Women feel extremely insecure. I heard that in every conversation. I could feel that I do not have freedom in moving around. As a person who always took care of herself, being dependent on another person to drive me around was really annoying. Once Hashem told me if I would stay a little more I would learn the addresses myself and then I could also take care of myself. Maybe next time….

I didn’t know (generally) people from the same parents do not have similar family name in Afghanistan

Me (sitting in the office talking with my colleague): hey guys do you know who is “P” that the young students love him so much? Is he really honest in his political claims?
H (the colleague who I asked him): you shouldn’t ask me this question!
Me: why?
H: because he is my brother.
Me: OH! You guys have the same mother? (I was surprised since here having the same mother but different father is some thing very rare, because this would be the consequence of dead husband or divorced women, and there are strict rules for these cases. I’ll write about it later.)

H: NO! We are from the same parents!
Me: what? don’t say nonsense! His family name is “P” and yours “H” how can you be brothers???!!!
H: believe me! Ask others. We do not have the family name in Afghanistan. We have Takhalos (what do you want to call yourself)

And he was right. Now I see why people here just call each other with the first name. Just like the old times in Iran, (that I haven’t seen!) I do not know how it is in other parts of the world. It was really cute! It seems the concept of having sort of family name had came for the people who were applying for passport for immigration purpose.

Also here marriage is not registered anywhere! I was teasing my friends: “good! can I have as much as husband I want to? Who knows, nowhere is registered!” They were shocked and trying to explain me that of course the family knows you are married! (maybe that’s why the family and tribes have such strict (some times inhuman) rules against women.)

I did not expect to see disco or bars in Kabul in which alcoholic drinks are served:

Second night I arrived in Kabul, two Iranian guys (my neighbors) suggested on going to a nearby disco, what! Disco? in Kabul? Is it safe? If Taliban gets annoyed and blow it up, then?!
They told me no need to be scared, here you can legally buy and drink alcohol, no problem!
Cool! I asked an Afghan friend to join me. Then I realized that Afghans are not allowed to the discos, and bars.



I was really annoyed, how can be? So unfair, why is it accepted the “Others = internationals” do whatever they want?


"a Chinese restaurant in Kabul"


"This was my first drink in Kabul!"

Another night, I went to a famous bar, and I saw the law hanged on the wall, that Afghans are not allowed. And ironically the owner himself was afghan! He told me “I can not also serve you alcoholic drinks since you are Iranian and you should be Moslem!”
me: “ Idiot! Any way by law you should! I am a foreigner! give me then a Tequila! with lime plz”

I also had a food in very fancy foreign restaurants, Chinese, Italian, French, middle eastern, … name it!
Very paradoxical.



"The overexposed hanging frame,
says that: Afghans are not allowed! "


"Antique guns: Decoration inside
a fancy restaurant"

The government is trying to forbid serving alcoholic drinks. Most of the discos were closed. Actually I think this way is better than the current situation. There are a lot of foreigners there, and people feel they have been colonized; there are much negative feeling about these internationals, which bring so called “Haram” stuff.
No need for putting oil on top of fire, with disrespecting the general believes…

I was amused to see every body in Kabul has one mobile phone

This is really one of the funniest things. The most out of context technology resembling the consumer side of globalization! (hehe, what a statement!) I also immediately bought a mobile phone, you can’t do anything without! Actually an afghan friend had told me as one of the security instruction to buy a mobile as soon as I arrive and always have enough credit on it. Indeed I should have known that it is easy to buy a mobile phone, but it was funny to see there is hardly any fix telephone line and just mobiles. Lots of people had such a fancy mobiles! One guy laughed at my old and simple mobile. The mobile commercials were the most dominate ones, actually almost the only one! Three companies: Rooshan, Ariba and Afghan-sim, all foreign company, British, Arab and American. You wonder if really connecting people in this part of world is important. I mean if this is the philosophy behind it? Or is it again the matter of good business?


"Mobile shop, you see them every where"

From marketing point of view it is actually smart, case study: there are almost no addresses here, houses do not have number, and most of the streets do not have any name sign. How do you find an address?
Me; I want to meet A (imagine A is actually the Parliament member, who I want to interview her about women movements).
Me (calling): after lengthy greetings, would you be so kind and give me a time for interview this week?
A: maybe tomorrow
Me: Oh great! What time?
A: call me in the morning. If this number doesn’t work , the other one…
Me: sure!

Tomorrow morning:
Me (calling): where is the address?
A: come to Kabul City center (a big building some where in the Shahr e Nouw) then I’ll tell you how to come here.

Kabul City Center:
Me: I am in Kabul City center, where should I go now?
A: take the first street which has a kiosk on the …..

…… and after couple of times calling and spending at least 1$ I get to the appointment.

I asked from an executive director of one of above listed mobile company. “why every body has a mobile phone and what is your motivation”? he answered, “mobile is cheap here, it cost nothing! You almost phone for free”.
I guess I would pay around 5 cents every time I call, (not that much cheaper than in the Netherlands) so if making one appointment cost around 1$, and average income of government employers is 50$ a month, can some body do the math?


"Mobile advertise, Ariba, with cute girls!"

What is the use of consumer technology, when is just helping people get lazier and empty their packets? Wouldn’t they try to at least put a number on the houses of their street if they weren’t be connected to give direction on the phone? Maybe yes, maybe no! nobody knows! I still wonder whether you would need a certain educational and infrastructural base for bringing new consumer technologies, not educational, not beneficial for the development. Would it work if you take current high tech devices to a society of 100 years a go? It is amusing to observe that here!


"Mobile commercial on the ruined building! again Ariba"

I did not expected days and nights without electricity in Kabul

I knew there are difficulties with electricity. I was expecting to be some similarity with the war time is Iran, staying without electricity for couple of hours a day, is OK. However it was much worst. Despite that I was just in Kabul, (not even a small city) every two days we had a couple of hours electricity. All the people who can effort it have a generator which works on the gasoline. The fuel is very expensive, so just who can pay have light at home. Well again it is in Kabul, not in small city or so!



"Switching on the generator!"

The direct consequence is on the traffic. It so funny to see there is no stop light in the cross roads, even if it is, there is no electricity for them to work! Often a police man guiding cars. Any way I do not know really how people know where and when they are allowed to go or when to stop!

Here the electricity generated mainly from water, with dams which are build on the rivers. Last year winter has been very hard. It was a lot of snow and freezing cold. People were telling me the rivers were frozen with little water to get electricity. The North of Afghanistan has good resources of water, originating from the high mountains reaching to Himalayas. It such a pretty scenery in Kabul, when the day is clear.


"Kabul river and the mountains"


"Kabul river: view from the bridge "

Just couple of weeks ago, I was fantasizing with Simon what would happen if there is no energy, and no electricity. Here you go! Some evenings was fun sitting under the head lamp (or candle light), running my laptop on the battery, and writing my diaries ;-). It reminded me of when I was 8 or 9, during the Iran-Iraq war. Me and Mahsa (my sister) had to do our homework under the candle or oil light, the oil light had some metal bars around it, and in some angles it would give shadow, that was really annoying! we would often argue who sits where to get a better spot on avoiding the shadows on the pages of notebook. There were nights we would get bored on sitting in one place, and we would play with melted candles or make shadows patterns on the wall with our figures!

I am becoming pretty nostalgic here!!!