Picnic at the Lake

By Eli | November 3, 2007 |

Yesterday we enjoyed an incredibly beautiful day at a nearby reservoir at the edge of Kabul. The weather was simply phenomenal. We couldn’t believe that it already early November and the weather was in the seventies. Nothing but gorgeous blue skies and sun.

A couple of colleagues and I patched together a hodge podge of snacks and such for a picnic at the lake. There were nice little platforms with tents and large rugs that could be rented to sit on. Other Afghan families were enjoying picnics as well.

There were obviously a couple of differences between us and them. First, their platforms were over flowing with family members. They also all brought gas stoves to cook on. Some even brought the whole goat and hacked it up with a cleaver next to us. They had cute little pressure cookers steaming along with rice as well. Some of the platforms put up shades so that women would be able to take off their head scarves and relax in some privacy. Kids ran around with their parents’ large shoes flapping about for fun, making eyes at us all the while.

We then drove around the lake to take in the view. There were little shacks with beverages and snacks for purchase. An amusement ride of a boat swinging to and forth could also be ridden for a small fee. There were cute little paddle boats that looked like swans for rent as well.

As always, we enjoyed taking photos of obscure things. Quick! Bricks! We must have photos! We laugh with the guard and the driver about what odd things they would take pictures of in our countries.