Bala Hissar Fort

Looming above downtown Kabul is the 5th century Bala Hissar Fort. Haven't yet had time to get out there and only just saw it yesterday from the roof of the Safi Hotel. It was used by the Brits both times they came this way, 1838-1842 and again 1878-1880. They didn't do so well. I found a picture of the fort from 1878.

Had an earthquake last evening and again this morning. Shook the villa pretty good both times.

Morning in Kabul

Up at 4:30 and day was already breaking. Waited an hour for better light to go up on the roof to get some pictures. We're in the heart of the city and one picture shows the green of a nearby park with a hill covered in TV, radio and communications towers. The other is looking north to the mountains that still have snow on them. There are about 3 million people living here in Kabul, and we're almost 6,000 feet above sea level. The elevation, along with my room being up four flights of stairs, promises to be a good fitness regime for my stay here!

Hot, dry, dusty. A thin layer of dust quickly gathers on everything, no matter how much you try and keep clean. Got in yesterday morning at 6:30 and watched the sun come up over Iran. Nice to finally get a full night sleep after so long in transit.

A wet Sunday morning

More B'Berry pics. We're fortunate to live a 5 minute walk from a series of great walking trails. This is Paco this morning enjoys the woods. Damp and early, but now that the obligatory ramble is out of the way, it's time for catching up with reading on the couch. For me, not Paco.

The other image is the Robson Square area of downtown Vancouver, taken from upstairs at the Vancouve Art Gallery, just two rainy days later. The BC Supreme Court complex is in the background.

Canadian Rocky Mountains

I was participating in a conference this week in Banff, Alberta. Fabulous weather, amazing scenery and the only camera I had was my BlackBerry. Here's a picture of downtown Banff in the early evening, and Lake Louise the next afternoon. Still lots of snow around, but melting fast as is the ice on the lake.