Kabul diary 3

Tues 10 Oct 8.15pm
Yesterday I completed the working day (till 3pm) at Elliott's hospital which is a co-operative venture between an American Adventist University, US-AID and the Afghan government. A saw the pharmacy stocked with medicines donated by the USA. There are many NGO's here and much western aid. All Elliott's students are post graduate doctors. It is an orthopaedic hospital but he teaches internal medicine. I met one of his students who had just come in from the presidential palace having been asked to be physician to the president. I do not know if that is a request he can refuse but he said he wanted to as it would take him away from hospital work.

Katy spent the afternoon with Marty teaching Elliot's students to improve their English. In the evening we took the Larson's out to eat at an Afghan restaurant. It was good. The menu was priced in dollars and it worked out at about 10ukp each including my use of a hubble bubble pipe for the first time. I smoked sweet mint herbal tobacco (no nicotine)

This morning we went to the Babur's Gardens. He was the first Mughul emperor in the early 16th century. Kabul was his favorite city and from here he invaded India and here he made his pleasure garden where he is buried. The gardens were almost destroyed in the civil was of the early 90s but are now being largely with money from the Agha Khan. Photos will appear on the blog later.