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Afghanistan posts

Afghanistan Peace day celebration gone wrong

Afghanistan Peace day celebration gone wrongSep 25th, 2009 at 4:00PM: It is Friday afternoon again, so as most of you wind up the week in your office while trying to reach a new high score, or by thinking of ways to decorate your cubical, check out this funny video. tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/09/25/peace-day-dove-gone-wrong/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; digg_url = ...

Afghanistan creates first national park

Afghanistan creates first national parkSep 10th, 2009 at 12:30PM: A few weeks back we mentioned that Afghanistan has been actively trying to build tourism in an attempt to bolster the country's economy, and we even mentioned that the Bamiyan Province in particular was at the forefront of this movement. Now, the country has taken another step in that region by designating a UNESCO World Heritage Site as nation's first national park. The new park is located ...

Afghanistan wants you, but you might want to wait

Afghanistan wants you, but you might want to waitJul 7th, 2009 at 1:30PM: A Tourist Information Center was just erected in Afghanistan's Bamiyan valley. Customer service lessons are in progress – already making the region friendlier than most airlines – but it may take some time before Afghanistan is ready for regular visits. After all, seven U.S. soldiers lost their lives in the war there yesterday. If you think Afghanistan is ready for western tourists, ...

Five great reasons to travel now

Five great reasons to travel nowMay 20th, 2009 at 3:00PM: You've been bombarded with pessimistic accounts of the travel industry's decline. And, yes, I am fully aware that I'm part of it. Frankly, these reports are true. There is a problem – i.e., people aren't traveling – and it's driven by a combination of macroeconomic challenges and company mismanagement. But, these conditions also mean there's no time like the present to get out on the ...

Afghan wildlife refuge: no hand grenade fishing

Afghan wildlife refuge: no hand grenade fishingApr 24th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Afghanistan is going green. The war-torn country has declared Band-e-Amir its first conservation area. While it may be premature to book your trip to this spectacle, at least there's hope that you'll get to enjoy it someday. Band-e-Amir, like the rest of Afghanistan, has had a rough run over the past 30 years. Let's face it: that's how long the country's been engaged in one war or another. The ...

A dozen lucky people are going to Afghanistan!

A dozen lucky people are going to Afghanistan!Apr 23rd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Bored with the usual travel fare? Get in touch with Poland-based Logos Travel, and you could find yourself in Afghanistan for two weeks. All 12 spots have been purchased – at prices of up to $3,700 each. Poland's Foreign Ministry doesn't think this is a bright idea, though, and issued a travel warning ... as if one were necessary. In case you didn't know, people are fighting over there. ...

Afghanistan, an accordion, 'Elvis' and Johnny Cash

Afghanistan, an accordion, 'Elvis' and Johnny CashMar 31st, 2009 at 8:30AM: A friend of mine just sent me this video from the start-up Web site GlobalPost, and it's fantastic. Gregory Warner, a freelance foreign correspondent living in Afghanistan, is an avid accordion player, and he tries to use the instrument as a means to connect with the people he's covering. The way Afghans respond to his accordion music is somewhat unexpected and reveals some truths about the ...

Destination on the Edge: Kabul

Destination on the Edge: KabulDec 29th, 2008 at 10:00AM: While the wealthy winter on St. Barth's and in St. Tropez, the adventurous need something a little different. Instead of settling for the mundane, invest in the time of your life. Go to Afghanistan. For those with an addiction to thrill, the definition of "luxury" is changing. Conspicuous consumption, a taste for exclusivity and bragging rights crystallize when you step onto the dusty Kabul turf. ...

A thousand splendid "truths" about Afghanistan

A thousand splendid Feb 18th, 2008 at 9:30AM: This weekend, I was talking to some friends about the increasing popularity of all those fiction bestsellers from other countries, namely Khaled Hosseini's "Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". People like reading them in part because Hosseini is a good writer, but they also like reading them because they feel like they are learning about life in Afghanistan. The conversation turned to ...

New, tasteful hit in China: Osama bin Laden-shaped candy

New, tasteful hit in China: Osama bin Laden-shaped candyFeb 13th, 2008 at 11:30AM: The things people make money on in this world are quite amazing. I especially wonder about the Osama-inspired merchandise that people seem to keep producing for some reason. A friend sent me a link to Wired's defense blog. The author, Noah Shachtman, seems to know a thing or two about this topic. Sick of eating "baked scorpion on sticks" and "rat-shaped lollipops" in China, he is marveling over ...

One for the Road: Colour - Travels Through the Paintbox

One for the Road: Colour - Travels Through the PaintboxNov 27th, 2007 at 9:00AM: This book beckoned me from a front table at Artisan Books on Gertrude St. in Melbourne's Fitzroy neighborhood. The 2006 paperback version I bought has the bold cover shown here, although I've seen several other versions of this book that was originally released in 2002. Regardless of what it looks like, Victoria Finlay's Colour: Travels Through The Paintbox is a masterpiece. Just as I enjoy ...

America's Next Top Model, Afghani-style

America's Next Top Model, Afghani-styleOct 5th, 2007 at 8:53PM: Imagine models dressed prudishly in jackets and long pants strutting their stuff on a low-budget TV would hardly seem the stuff of controversy to most of us, but in the Middle East, it has the potential to raise a few eyebrows. It's true -- a version of America's Top Model has now hit the most unlikely of places: Afghanistan. Of all the bits of American culture to adopt, they just had to pick that ...

Savvy Traveler: Arab vs Muslim

Savvy Traveler: Arab vs MuslimAug 24th, 2007 at 4:05PM: It is a little frightening how many people use the terms "Arab" and "Muslim" interchangeably. Shows how much we know about that region of the world even after years of being intimately involved with the Middle East. One often hears that people say "Arabs" when referring to Iranians. They are actually not Arabs; they are primarily Persians. Yes, they might practice Islam but that's another story. ...

Afghanistan - Back On The Travel Map

Afghanistan - Back On The Travel MapAug 17th, 2007 at 11:00AM: The troubled nation of Afghanistan is inching its way back onto the intrepid traveller's radar. Lonely Planet's first guide to the country is published this month, and recently we reported on the coverage of Kabul's unique charms in the New York Times. But while peace in former trouble spots like Cambodia and Bosnia has restored the architectural heritage of Angkor Wat and the bridge at Mostar, ...

The Places In Between

The Places In BetweenDec 27th, 2006 at 7:36AM: We're not shy about plugging audible.com. First, listening to books gives our computer-weary eyes a needed rest. Two, schlepping around an iPod is easier than a big, new hardcover. Third, often the authors themselves read the books, adding an extra dimension that reading can't touch. (audible.com version of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, anyone?) We've been hearing about another book ...

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