One of the most peculiar aspects of embedding with coalition forces is how often one find themselves hitch hiking or trying to hop on a helicopter.

Over the years, I developed a technique that helps by embracing my inner highway hitch hiker.

My hitch hiking destination card.

The American hitch hiker carries a sign with a name of a city.  The embedded hitch hiker hangs out at the helicopter landing zone and slowly walks up to the pilot or crew chief and asks if he can jump in.

I started using the sign a few years ago in Iraq.  It works well.

It worked to get me a ride from Mehtar Lam back for FOB Fenty.  In fact the pilot and crew chief got a kick out of the sign.  Especially when I give them the thumb.

The Blackhawk I jumped on wasn't going to FOB Fenty, but they were going close enough that they gave me a ride.

Once back in the TF Mountain Warrior PAO office, I had a quick end of embed chat and made arrangements to come back out again in the fall.

I'm disembedding early to work with a friend of mine on an election project.  The Provincial and Presidential elections are on the 20th.

I'll be make a lightning fast tour of the country on this project, meeting candidates. parties and election observers.

But before I embarked on the project, I hooked up with my friend Shem who does logistics work in Eastern Afghanistan.

Shem picked me up from Fenty and we drove around Jalalabad low profile to his safe house.  From there his cook took me to some meetings at a guest house in another part of Jalalabad.

Jalalabad is colorful, crowded, congested and smoggy city and Khan, the cook/driver, was a great tour guide.

Yes, I drove around Jalalabad with an Afghan at the wheel, no western expat gunslinger, no weapons, in a beat up Toyota 4x4.

I was safer with Khan, than I was with the US Army in an MRAP.  Armored vehicles are a target.  Guns will often get you into more trouble than they can get you out of.

Speed and blending in to the background, the camouflage of looking like every other Pathan, work very well when driving down the danger road.

While Shem went off to do some work.  I hung out and took advantage of the wi-fi, setting up shop on a cot under a ceiling fan.

JD takes the comfy chair revolution to Afghanistan.

After a delicious meal prepared Khan of breaded chicken, greens, veggies and potato, Shem and I retired to the roof top for a beverage.

A fine Afghan meal.

The guys who live and work unilateral in Afghanistan are part of a breed that would have fit in rather well at the Victorian era Royal Geographic Society.

The live in the local community, supply themselves off the local economy, develop a network of information from the local community and live quietly.

They live the way more diplomats, spies and special forces types should live.

As coalition forces have become more and more concerned with force protection and defense--they have slowly removed themselves from the human terrain and made themselves big, slow targets.

In reading the Western literature of Afghanistan and the frontier one sees the stark contrast.  Where the British officers used to take on local dress and travel through the region the way Pathans did to recon an area--we try to recon it wearing ACUs and from armored vehicles.

The better way to recon an area is to "rag up" and drive around in a crappy Toyota pick up truck.

The next morning Shem dropped me at the Taj, the premiere guest house in Jalalabad.

My room at the Taj.

The residents of the Taj are an eclectic blend of NGO workers, logistics and security professionals and the odd adventure traveler.

The Taj is an all inclusive resort--well, at least by Jalalabad standards with three meals a day, a pool and Tiki Bar.

The world famous Taj Tiki Bar.  A must visit for the serious adventurer.

For the next week I will be moving around Afghanistan at almost record speed for the elections work.

Being a former political campaign manager, I find the Afghan way of politics fascinating and cannot wait to dig in to the machinery.

And Machinery is an apt word.  To understand Afghan politics one really only needs to read 'Plunkett of Tammany Hall'.  A rather short book on how the Tammany political machine of New York city worked in the 19th century.

Various newsprint ads for candidates.

Understanding the Single Non-transferrable Vote System is another aspect of Afghan politics that must be mastered.

I'll go into that in a subsequent post.

Sunset as viewed from the patio of the Taj.

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