Kabul diaries

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: The conveyor belt at the airport is a lot like life in the cty itself. Kabul is a moth-eaten city with a war-tainted landscape — rumbling and shaky. But the city is intriguing and inviting — many a friendship is offered and currency isn’t a problem — Indian money is acceptable, desirable even. Taj Mahal, Shahrukh Khan, Jalebi — India is well-known and much loved.

The next few days helped me discover the best of the city. Shehr-e-Nau, I found, is Kabul’s hustle and bustle. From ‘Poplino’, the Italian eatery to ‘Herat’, the Afghan kebab resto, here mobile phones jostle for space with money exchangers and book sellers. Anna Seiersted’s ‘The Bookseller of Kabul’ is also located here — Shah Mahmud is an institution. Chicken Street is where the antique shops and the bakeries are.

Not far away is the Ministry of Interior, as forbidding as the other governmental buildings in Kabul. After a bizarre but useful rendezvous there, I head to the Indian Embassy, where all are welcoming and helpful. My work also takes me to the depressing UN compounds and pockets of power that manage the country. Between the UN, aid agencies, the police and the army, the topography of Kabul makes it hard to notice the astounding architecture and the beautiful gardens — Bagh-e-Babur is almost deserted. I visited the Qargah Lake outside Kabul, turquoise and deep, a popular picnic spot for many young Afghans and families. After a lovely tour of the Ka Faroshi Bird Market, my Afghan driver, Ghulam, insisted his mother is the best cook this side of the Panjshir valley. But I settled for pulao rice, cauliflower and spinach curry, British style chunky fries and unlimited Pepsi at a city kebab joint. As I awaited my gosh-e-fil (elephant’s ears pastries), the owner wanted to know if I am married, why I am not, how many children I will have and what they might be called. He was aghast at the possibility they might not have Muslim names. My pastries were lost in the questions. Vegetarians may find the place difficult — after four days of spinach, I felt more like Popeye than ever. But swanky restaurants like ‘Sufi’, nestled behind heavily barricaded walls, offer excellent Afghan food. Cabul Café is popular too.