FOR YEARS one of the curious features of embedding in Afghanistan was that ISAF/NATO required reporters to fly in to Kabul International Airport and find their own way to the embed embarkation point at Bagram Airfield 60 miles away and then find their own way back to the airport when the embed was over. 

For frequent embedders with an active press credential, they take it one step further and all but encourage the reporter to make their way from the civillian airport to the location of the unit they are covering on their own. 

Which was why on the morning of June 16th I found myself drinking tea at the waiting area of parking lot C of Kabul International Airport. 

JD at the restaurant and waiting area of Parking Lot C, Kabul International Airport.  My goal when travelling internationally is to look like a Russian.  I kinda pull it off.  Photo by H-JD.

I was waiting for H-JD, one of the best interpreter/fixers in Afghanistan to pick me up.  Like many interpreters who have worked with expats and the Special Forces, H-JD took a western nick name--JD--the 'H' for 'Hazara' gets added on when I'm around to distinguish between us. 

The flight from Dubai on Kam Airlines unexpectedly arrived on time so I waited around for an hour drinking tea watching a parade of Afghans being picked up and dropped off the from the airport.  For some Afghans, travelling by jetliner is a major production with dozens of family members being there for the drop off and pick up. 

The plan at that point was for Tim Lynch to drop me off at Camp Phoenix where I would begin my embed with the US Military. 

That plan was radically altered when H-JD mentioned off-hand, "tomorrow we're driving up to Bamiyan." 

IN THE OPENING ACT of every story, novel, movie or play the lead character decides to embark on the adventure or journey and crosses the threshold. 

On the flight from Dubai to Kabul I tried to decide where the threshold point was on this trip to the war.  The threshold point should be one of no return, the narrative arc begins and cannot be undone.  It does not have to be a physical act, it can also be psychological, a commitment to the journey or task. 

The physical point of no return for the embed trip could have been when I got on the flight from Dubai to Kabul.  The actual commitment in my own mind had been made weeks earlier. 

When H-JD mentioned Bamiyan a whole new journey opened up before me. 

Last summer when I was in Afghanistan working on an elections project I heard the legend of the Sleeping Buddha of Bamiyan. 

In the city of Bamiyan northwest of Kabul there were three giant statues of Buddha.  Two of the statues of Buddha were of a standing Buddha carved out of the cliffs.  The operative word is 'were' because in 2000 the Taliban destroyed the two standing Buddhas with explosives. 

But they did not destroy the third giant Buddha statue, the one of the Buddha lying asleep as he entered nirvana.  The Taliban didn't even know the sleeping Buddha existed because it had been lost to the ages only mentioned briefly in the writings of Chinese monk and traveler Xuan Zang who passed through Bamiyan around 632 AD. 

After the fall of the Taliban, archeologists went in search of the sleeping Buddha and, after hearing the stories and the legend, I too wanted to go in search of the sleeping Buddha of Bamiyan.  I wanted to cross another threshold into a new journey. 

THE SAFE HOUSE in Kabul where I met up with Tim Lynch and Amy Sun was down a non-descript back alley in central Kabul ran by two Australian expats who kept plenty of beer on hand. 

Amy, Tim and H-JD were going to Bamiyan on what amounts to a vacation inside Afghanistan.  Bamiyan province is the safest place in the country.  The few soldiers assigned to the province can be seen out in the city without body armor or even a side-arm. 

Amy Sun is an engineer and post-grad student at MIT who works with the FabLab projects . 

Tim Lynch a retired Marine infantry officer well known for appearing on the cover of Soldier of Fortune Magazine, does studies and observation work and security for Non-Governmental Organizations. 

The decision for me to go to Bamiyan was made in about two minutes by Tim. 

The sequence followed the first few steps of the well worn path of the hero.  There was the lead charachter, me, in his natural environment--waiting around in some strange foreign airport dressed like a Russian thug.  Then the call to adventure, "We're going to Bamiyan."  Followed by the lead character being a bit reluctant--I had an embed to do, legit work, that I didn't want to screw up. 

Tim, though only a decade older than me, played the role of the 'encouraging wise old man' when he said, "nah, we can make this work." 

It was a done deal when the Commanding Officer of the Team I was set to embed with had no issue with me joining up with them a few days late.  The Team Commander had heard about Bamiyan and understood completely. 

The threshold commitment was made on that afternoon and we had dinner at Boccaccio, an Italian restaurant near the US Embassy.  The physical crossing of the threshold was the next morning when we loaded up in the old, but mechanically sound, Toyota Land Cruiser and headed for Bamiyan. 

I REGRET that I do not have the time to do proper justice to Bamiyan now--I'm embedded with a team of US Soldiers.  When I get home I will take the time put together a piece that does proper justice to Bamiyan. 

For now, here are some pics. 

Valley of Bamiyan as viewed from ruins of small Buddha.

JD about 1 mile from the ruins of the small Buddha.  In addition to the Buddha statues, there are carved out grottos where monks lived and meditated.

Large Buddha at dawn.

Hotel Silk Road Bamiyan.

Ruins of the Red City.

Ruins of the Cursed City.

JD with the Land Cruiser along the Bamiyan River gorge.

Road to Bamiyan.  The Bamiyan road is about 130 kilometers of improved gravel road and goat trails.

More of Bamiyan road.

The Sakhi No. 1 Restaurant.  Excellent rice pillau, but if you are not used to the local food, avoid the beef curry.

Red City expedition team, from left:  H-JD, Afreen, Tim, Amy, JD.

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