Some pictures of a beautiful morning flight back in from a mission up north. My camera is pretty poor so you have to imagine the sunlight underneath the clouds forming sharp shadows :) For a few hours after a front passes through the air is very clear and the mountains remind me of the southwest US - dramatic relief with no vegatation.
The mountains had a fresh coat of snow from a few days before. Off in the distance you can see a large thunderstorm brewing. Fortunately we were landing to the south of it.
Another oasis of green in this valley with houses scattered throughout. These strips of green will be separated by miles of emptiness.
Great picts.! Came out good at screen size. That is really rugged country! Must be diff. to build any type of "good" road system. No wonder they are still at "tribal" culture. I think this is another one of those "loser" countries like most of Central America & many of the African countries. Just don't see any hope of them outgrowing their corrupt tribal cultures. No real resources & no basis for supporting programs that are "good" for the country as a whole. Who cares what the next valley over needs when your needs are so overwhelming!!
ReplyDeletePS: Snow in our mts. today also. Spring is moving into winter again!! Suzy has seeds at hand & plants in the mail. Doesn't look good. The transition from 90's in SA to 40's in Pend. is interesting to say the least. Cheers!! DAD
I think the term loser country may be a bit harsh but I agree with your point. It is hard to imagine them developing into something we would consider a unified country. Everything is so provincial that it takes the idea that all politics is local to another whole level. Considering that even the idea of Afghanistan as a separate country is a western invention it is not hard to anticipate problems holding it together. There isn't enough industry to develop the infrastructure to bind the different areas together. We had the same situation in the US but the difference is we always had the idea of a country and that held us together (barely) until we developed the economic and cultural ties, both of which Afghanistan lacks. It will be interesting to see where it stands 50 years from now.
DeleteThanks for word list. Helpful.
ReplyDeleteAfghanistan... a total refutation of the Gandhi ideal... All a country needs is you and me and our cabbage patch and a chicken and a loom. And a lot of not anything else. Without industry you have no surplus, thus no infrastructure...But you know that. (: Arthur was a bit harsh with the "loser" word but I think I think that because the word seems personal... a dismissal of individuals rather than a refutation of a system. I am always telling Art "Play nice". But you know that too. (:
ReplyDeleteI do know that on both counts :). As I think we have mentioned earlier people have a tendency after the fact of romantizing the rural undeveloped lifestyle but the vast majority of people if given the choice would prefer roads vs days of traveling on foot and medical care versus a life expectancy of 40 years. As you said that can only be done if there is a surplus either from within or without. In Afghanistan it is from the outside so sustainable only as long as we are willing to do it which I don't think is going to be all that long.
Delete