THE AFGHAN SERIES, DAY 11, 12, 13
MAZARE SHARIF – KABUL – JALALABAD – KABUL
Worst food poisoning, Jalalabad. I rarely get ill during travels, maybe sometimes the odd hangover but rarely would I be physically sick.
WHAT I NEEDED WAS TWO TOILETS, ONE IN FRONT AND ONE BEHIND
That was all about to change when I finally arrived into Jalalabad this evening to be greeted with some of the worst toilet antics I have experienced.
WHERE IS JALALABAD?
Jalalabad
Luckily before I hit rock bottom I was well enough to enjoy the flight over the Salang Pass, which had the quickest change of scenery I have seen. One moment there would be snow capped mountains and the next there was nothing but flat desert. We even managed a quick glimpse of Bagram, an old American Army base just north of Kabul, another place out of reach to the tourists.
Worst food poisoning Jalalabad
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL –
Sultan Hotel, $50, 4/10. Hardest bed I know
Landmark Hotel, $50 7.5/10. Huge room - FOOD –
Roadside fish
Shawarma - ATTRACTIONS –
Kabul – Jalalabad drive
Viewpoint tank
Gun market
Bazaar
ABC Supermarket - STEPS – 5,255, 0 & 5,200
THE AMAZING DRIVE TO JALALABAD
Once we landed we met up with Ackmad Shaw, the driver who I had been with from the start and yes he drove here pretty much over night, the guy is a machine and is strictly powered by energy drinks only.
The initial 1 hours drive the Mahipar Pass is incredible and gives you some of the best views you will ever see. These views continued for most of the journey, even until we stopped for a lovely plate of fish.
Worst food poisoning Jalalabad
ROADSIDE CAFÉ
In all honesty I have no one else to blame but myself. I knew from the moment I got out of the car this was not a place for a dog to eat let alone me and my sensitive soul but I had been enjoying everything here and decided to plough on, sure whats the worst that could happen.
The preparation or what I saw of it was even more worrying. You could barely see the ground for the flies and chef even dropped a slice for good measure but sure back in it went and I winced only to be laughed at by my guide and driver – I don’t blame them! Its turned out that the driver (or apprentice guide) didn’t eat which should have been red flag number 384.
Worst food poisoning Jalalabad
FLAG….
- The current flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) is a plain white flag with the black words of the shahada in the centre.
- WHITE – Stands for “the (Islamic Movement of Taliban’s) purity of faith and government.”
THAT MEAL
Everything was wrong, even the fridge was falling apart from the mould that had gotten hold of it but the spices and smell seemed appetising – I feel myself getting nauseous from even telling this story. But anyway I in the end had very little, not because of the risk or the taste but the damn bones were so incredibly small it was hard to eat. So after maybe 2 mouthfuls (yes just two), I said enough was enough
Unfortunately the damage was already done and by the time I had made it to the hotel I was feeling every ounce of it in my stomach. No point going on but the next 36 hours were spent in what has to be one of the hardest beds I have slept in, no home comforts here!
Worst food poisoning Jalalabad
RELATED READ: THE MOST STRESSFUL TRAVEL DAY EVER
DAY 13
There was nothing but noise and smells from day 12, we can swiftly move onto day 13, our only sightseeing day here in Jalalabad and the day we headed onwards. The original plan was to go as far as Asadabad but as I am not 2 days behind I decided to give it a miss. A shame as it means missing out on the incredible Korengal Valley.
GUN MARKET
The main place to visit here was the gun market and after a moment of trying to gain the trust of a few sellers one was happy enough to invite me in for… you guessed it… some chai! He eventually went on to invite me back to his house for some food but for I’m still a day or two away from an appetite.
It seems that this little open square has been around for quite a while and sells mostly air rifles to locals for shooting animals. However, there was the odd assault rifle, handgun and a repair man who offered me anything in his shop as a gift. I could never imagine this at home!
KABUL ABC SUPERMARKET
As we had lost valuable time it was important to head back to Kabul to get back on track and after not eating for a few days I knew there was only 1 place that I wanted to visit…ABC supermarket.
ABC supermarket has to be one of my biggest surprises here. Not only does it have noodles and Nutella but it also has a few Irish delicacies; most notably Kerrygold butter and HP sauce (not Irish but may as well be!). Fair enough I’m not going to have a plate of butter with a smattering of brown sauce (I’ve seen enough of that recently) but it’s the huge selection of home comforts that one needs after having their guts emptied over the past 48hours.
Later we checked into the Landmark, not in the same league as the Serena Hotel Kabul but it was sure good to lay on a bed that wasn’t going to break my back!
SUMMED UP….
- MVP – Hotel manager was very helpful
- LVP – The person prepping the fish
- HIGHLIGHT – The views from the drive and the gun market
- LOWLIGHT – That fish
TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS
If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These past few days haven’t been easy but I can blame no one but myself! Days like these are my worst fear when travelling. I rarely build my itinerary with spare days to use so it can often ruin a trip and not to forget it usually takes several days after to recover. Here’s hoping I am past the worst of it!
NEXT UP
The cameraman and theme park of Kabul!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
159/229
This post was part of The Afghan Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
