How I ended up in this Godforsaken place I've already described. But what is Lal-Sarjangal like?
Most of the locals I asked about Lal, didn't know where it was or what it was like. When they heard "Ghor" (the province name where Lal is located), fear takes over as the place is considered having "security problems" (means it's fuck*ing dangerous coz of the Taliban). It's true to a certain point as big chunks of the province are indeed controlled by the bearded guys.
But not Lal. Being entirely populated by Hazara ethnic group it has no local disputes with other minorities nor Taliban are supported here, (as they are Pashtuns) hence no terrorist activity.
Lal is located 5 hours by car/van from Bamyan, and around 10-12 hours from Kabul. Alternatively one can fly from Kabul to Bamyan (30 min) and then continue by road. The Kabul-Bamyan section is a problem; one of the roads through the province of Wardak is controlled by Taliban and they regularly check passengers and look for high rank officials etc. The other-longer way through Parwan is much better but still it's not 100% safe. From Bamyan on the way is normal and people travel even by night.
Before coming to Lal I didn't know what was it like. I kind of expected some small town, a bit smaller then Bamyan, which I'd visited earlier that same day. Leaving Bamyan I noticed the absence of electricity lines so I started to create the image of Lal. We arrived at night and I couldn't see much but I've spotted some light bulbs so decided it wasn't that bad. I spotted mud houses and in the same kind of house I stayed that night and for the following 4 weeks.
The light of the next day have me a perfect view of the Lal bazaar, school and surrounding villages. Mud houses, solar panels to provide electricity, water in the wells, rare TVs and almost non-existent Internet. Not my first time in a place like that, but definitely the first one I'd stay for a longer time in and the call (yet another) home :)
I was actually somewhat surprised with myself how smoothly I made a transition from a modern-have-it-all city in China to this remote and backward village in Afghanistan. I loved it at the first sight. Private bed, hot showers and constant availability of any goods were over. Shared room, cold bucket shower, being constantly surrounded by people who watch your every step.
Life in here is all about socializing. People spend hours and hours sitting together (on the floor covered by massive carpet, they eat there, too) in rooms and talking. Visiting friends, family members and neighbours is a daily routine. Needless to say no prior to visit arrangements are needed.
I spent my first days staring at the night sky. The type of sky you can only see in deserts or open spaces without artificial light. Cloudless sky reveals all the constellations you can possibly see on the Northern Hemisphere, so visible that it's hard to no want to learn their names.
Lal is surrounded by hills. The village itself is already located quite high on 2800 meter above the sea level so hiking up easily takes you to 3000 m. The altitude already considered high. Since there's not much entertainment in the village I started regular hikes up and down the hills. After a week or so in the village I kind of got used to the altitude so the crazy panting while walking up got reduced to a regular tiredness.
In the entire district of Lal-Sarjangal there is not a single fridge. The nearest ice cream or ice coke is 5 h away in Bamyan. The meat has to be stored underground. It's quite expensive in a place where $150 is a lot of money, so meat dishes are not eaten on daily basis. The regular diet consists of rice, beans, potatoes, some vegetables, dried fruit and loads of tea. Somebody told me that Chinese and Turkish and the biggest consumers of tea in the world but Afghans should be places in the top of the list too. Lamb and chicken are served as well but there're considered a special dishes for guests or on special occasions.
Same room is used as a dining room and at night as a bedroom. Simple mattresses are places on the floor by the walls and that's it. People often don't even change their clothes for sleeping. Since electricity is not granted people don't really stay up late. 10 pm is a regular sleeping time and 6-7 am a time to wake up. In the houses located farther from the bazaar morning time means baking the bread in a tandoor.
Traditional houses are constructed from the mud-like material and wood. Two or more rooms as mentioned above serve as living and bedrooms. The kitchen and storage rooms are located on the sides of the house. In front of the building there is a large yard and a well. All surrounded by high walls with a metal door (for knocking to be heard from inside of the house?).
It's truly a different world. Like you go back in time and see how things were 100 years ago. Donkeys are still used to transport goods, water is carried from wells and clothes are washed in the rivers. Less and less places like this are found in the world.
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