Status Updates From The Places in Between

The destruction of the Bammiyan (?) Buddhas was a shocking act of vandalism - but can’t help but be impressed by the stoic responses from the Hazarat men Stewart speaks to about it. ‘We have more important things to worry about’…

The lack of genuine understanding of Afghanistan and its people is not what is shocking to me. Afghanistan and its cultures are really quite alien to Western minds. But what is shocking is the lack of respect for the cultures shown by the West on its many incursions there. No liberal democracy will ever work there without that understanding.

We are in very different territory now. Stewart describes the various villages, with their sometimes taciturn, sometimes welcoming head men with clarity but keeping the emphasis on the momentum of the journey so we are never slowed too long. Find myself cheering the dog on every step.