10 latest experiences http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte en-us It is very rare that you see something with your own eyes, and when you take a photograph of it, it looks the same. This is definitely the case with Band-a-mir Lake, one of the most intsensely blue bodies of water I have ever laid my eyes on. Band-a-Mir is actually one lake within a chain of many in a mountain region a few hours drive from Bamyan, in northeastern Afghanistan. Bamyan is famous for the buddhas that were destroyed by the Taliban in April 2001. But if you make it Bamyan, the next question will always be, "Are you going to Band-a-mir?" We were in Bamyan, and we decided that we were going to answer yes to that question. Loading the cars up early in the morning we drove the 3.5 hours, through small villages, and vast expanses of nothingness except random tanks and grazing sheep. Like an oasis, the first lakes in the chain rose up out of the desert. Bāmīān, Afghanistan Charlotte Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:22:41 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1468 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1468 Peshawar, the city in Pakistan notorious for harboring Taliban terrorists, smells surprisingly, absolutely lovely. Once you leave the polluted streets, the lush gardens of jasmine overtake the senses. I was in Peshawar to conduct interviews for a work project, and beyond the delicious scent of the streets, i was also surprised at how friendly the Pakistani's were. I was constantly invited for tea, meals, chats. The curiosity of who I was and what I was doing there was more than they could bare. There were many stories that could be told about my trip but I would prefer to spin a yarn about vignettes of my memories. Peshawar is a complex place politically, and my experience doesn't necessarily reflect the tone of the city, but I feel it encapsulates the generosity and kindness of those Pakistani's who did cross my path. Peshāwar, Pakistan Charlotte Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:08:19 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1466 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1466 It was when I saw the boat pull up to the shore and out piled a gaggle of women covered head to toe in black and blue burqua’s that I knew that this wasn’t any ordinary day out at the lake Kabul, Afghanistan Charlotte Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:51:40 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1464 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1464 Living the life of an expat in Kabul can be somewhat restricting, so when given the opportunity to break free of the armed guards and barbed wire fence, one does with great gusto. It was a Saturday and we decided that with summer upon us, a group of Brits would set off in a mini van and explore the Panjshir with a picnic. Using the local tour guide company we drove towards Jabal Saraj, which was the front line of the war in Kabul in 2001. It was here, among ramshackle stands selling diet pepsi, dusty vegetables and meat carcasses buzzing with flies that we picked up our cook. He was a short elderly man who careened around the vegetable stands picking up the orders of the vegetables that we called out from the van so we would be ensured the local price. “Yak kilo limu (one kilo lemon, char kilo tomato (4 kilo tomato), gusht? (meat?) We better make that char kilo too.” The cook with his pressure cooker and pots and pans crammed into the front seat and we made our way along the... Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan Charlotte Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:54:48 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1463 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1463 Afghanistan and cricket are not normally two words that go together. However, for the Afghan National Cricket team, their recent trip to Jersey proves that there is no better pairing. I linked up with the team in Kabul Afghanistan, and decided it would be a lark to follow the team to Jersey as they competed in the Div. 5 ICC World Championship. Most of the team had never seen the ocean before, or been outside of a Muslim country, which has a strict code of dress and behaviour, especially for women. Les ecrehou, jersey, United Kingdom Charlotte Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:31:21 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1458 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1458 Canada is well known as a winter wonderland, and skiing is an imperative activity if you happen to visit during the extended season which stretches between November to April. With Christmas over, and New Years looming, it seemed a natural decision to pack up our gear and head to the slopes of world famous Whistler. However, after checking the bank balances, we decided to head into the direction of the famous champagne powder of the Okanagan Valley, rather than the extortionate rates of Whistler. We set out to discover the wonderful wines and vast slopes with no lines of Apex Mountain in Penticton and Silverstar Mountain in Vernon. Vernon, Canada Charlotte Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:19:36 +0000 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1289 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1289 There was a man, a legend really, in Afghanistan who was killed on September 9th, 2001, by an assassin posing as a photographer from Belgium. This man's name is Massoud, and if you ever go to Afghanistan, his image will be burned into your brain. Ahmed Shah Massoud was an engineering student turned military leader who was responsible for driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan, earning him the nickname "Lion of Panjshir". There are gigantic posters of him everywhere in Afghanistan. Taxicabs have his photo pasted on their windscreens. To Afghans, especially those who live in the Panjshir valley, this lion is their king. Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan Charlotte Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:13:12 +0000 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/1281 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1281 Who needs loads of snow on a mountain when you have a James Bond revolving restaurant, and fondue dinners followed by evening tobaganning? Murren Switzerland is nestled among the Jungfrau region near Interlaken. It isn't an easy place to reach, and perhpas that is what makes it so special. From the airport in Zurich we had to take a train, then a gondola, and another train to reach the pedestrian only village of Murren. Mürren, Switzerland Charlotte Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:51:12 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/775 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/775 Nimpo Lake is the busiest float plane lake in BC, which is surprising because of how remote it is. Like many places in rural BC, it seems that you can drive forever without seeing any sign of life, and then all of a sudden you happen upon a hamlet of activity. My aunt and uncle have a quaint cabin on this lake, and had invited me and my friend to help in the annual activity of mushroom picking. What could be better? Gorgeous lakeside nature, fishing, bears, and spending afternoons in the forest picking mushrooms. This was before I discovered that mushroom picking in Nimpo Lake is serious business. We flew in expecting an experience in the wilds of Canada, and left realizing that mushrooms could be worth more than their weight in gold. Nimpo Lake, Canada, Canada Charlotte Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:22:27 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/781 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/781 I arrived in Galle, Sri Lanka almost 6 months to the day after the tsunami had hit. I wasn't sure what to expect. There was a definite feeling of resourcefulness among the people living there, and a desire to help themselves out of the natural tragedy that had washed up on their shores on Boxing Day of 2004. From the moment I stepped off of the train I was bombarded with tragic tales of families lost and livelihoods diminished. The woman selling sarongs on the beach said that this was the only income she was supplying for her family after her husband was washed away in his fish boat. Galle, Sri Lanka Charlotte Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:17:09 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/charlotte/experience/770 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/770