I only ended up staying in Afghanistan for one month at the KTC. I was there to provide relief for the veterinarian that is stationed there. I had a great time and quite enjoyed it actually. I met some absolutely AMAZING people there. They took me in immediately like one of their own which made me feel at home.
I did a fair amount of traveling in the Kabul area. I went off site maybe 2 to 3 times a week. AMK9 has dogs at different sites around the city. I don't have many photos as most of these compounds/bases do not allow photos to be taken in or around them for security reasons.
I went to HKIA which is a military base connected to the airport. It used to be run by the US military but now it's run by the Turkish military. There are troops from all over the world there. It is quite the process to get onto the base. I'm not sure I can adequately explain it. Just know that one time I had to go through a retinal scan with one of the Turkish service members that didn't speak English and he couldn't get a read on my right eye. Why he didn't eventually try the left eye I'm not sure. I couldn't adequately explain to him that I have a problem with that eye and because of that it he probably wouldn't get a read on it so I just stood there and watched him almost break the scanner slapping it when it wouldn't read. I thought he was going to send me away but he eventually let me in with a huge sigh. Good thing it wasn't working most of the times I went there or it would have become a problem. On the base they have a few restaurants, a few small convenient stores (called PX-"post exchange"), some stores run by locals with local goods, a post office, a UPS office, a DHL office, and a spa. It's pretty nice actually. There is a military vet stationed there so I met him and he showed me his clinic. AMK9 has a good sized kennel there for the dogs that are stationed on site and some outside "break" areas for them to run around freely. It also has a swimming pool for the dogs but it wasn't filled when I was there.
I went to Green Village. It is a small compound (bigger than the KTC where I was living) where expats that work in Kabul live. AMK9 has a few dogs stationed there. This compound has a spa, a couple restaurants, a coffee shop, a PX, a couple stores with local goods. I did go once for a pedicure and a massage. It was super nice.
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| Having coffee with Chris at Green Village |
I went to NKC which is the New Kabul Compound. AMK9 has dogs here. It used to be an American military base and it may still be. I'm not sure. I only went twice and once was to get my fingerprints done and the guy who did it was British military so ???? They did have a Green Bean coffee shop so I was able to get a treat while there!
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| Steph, Steph and me at Green Bean. Who knew South Africans were so tall?? lol |
I went to Nato HQ. This is where the NATO-led Resolute Support mission is headquartered. NATO took command of the United Nations-mandated International Security Assi stance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2003. Its mission was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that it would never again be a safe haven for terrorists. ISAF helped build the capacity of the Afghan national security forces. As these forces grew stronger, in agreement with the Afghan authorities, they gradually took responsibility for security across the country. ISAF’s mission was completed at the end of 2014 however, support for the continued development of the Afghan security forces and wider cooperation with Afghanistan continues. This is a small base but quite nice.
I went to Hal's compound which is literally around the corner from the KTC. I'm not sure what the proper name for this compound is but it's run by Hal who is a ex-Navy Seal. He was part of Seal Team 6 (not sure if I am allowed to reveal this but it seems to be common knowledge in the area so I guess I'm OK). Super nice guy. Obviously very smart and driven. He allows AMK9 to use his compound to help train the dogs (search buildings and cars, etc).
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| Building for searaching |
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| More building space to search |
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| My friend Zarko from Croatia and his search dog |
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| Chris and Tjep searching the building |
I went to Nowzad which is a British run animal rescue in Kabul to pick up some medications they sold to us. I would love to have worked some with them. Maybe another time. Please visit their website and read how the charity was founded and their mission. It's quite the place!
http://www.nowzad.com/
Each time we left our compound we had to wear our bullet proof vests. The vest does absolutely nothing to help you if there is a bomb explosion (IED) which is the most common type of "attack" you would encounter in that area but there is nothing you can do to protect yourself against that. It makes you feel somewhat safe though. Being a woman I also had to cover my head when traveling outside the compound and I always had to sit in the back seat.
The weather was quite pleasant actually. I was surprised. Kabul is over 5,000ft in elevation so it's kind of like Denver's weather. It was hot during the day but really high 80's to low 90's during the day and in the evening it would cool down. A couple nights sitting out in the garden I needed long sleeves! It was nice!
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| The garden area at KTC |
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| Grapes growing on the garden trellis |
The day I left Kabul, Afghanistan to go to Basra, Iraq I had just made it to the Kabul airport and heard there was an IEC explosion near Nato HQ on the airport road. We had just missed it.... Scary. Will miss all of the good friends I met there in Kabul. I hope to cross paths with them again.
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| Road to the airport |
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| Saying goodbye to Frank at the airport |
A few other random photos:
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| Playing ball with CWD Django |
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| Common occurence: begging in the street. Usually it's just the kids. They literally sit down in the middle of the street. UGH! |
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| Dust storm |
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| Driving through Kabul |
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| Herding sheep |
Next chapter, Iraq. Will write more soon!
"Life is life a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy and some are exciting but if you never turn the page you will never know what the next chapter has in store for you."
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