Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Nation & World


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Afghanistan Journal

Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton, who just returned from assignment in Afghanistan, shares his observations about life in a country now in its third decade of war.

Blog Home | E-mail Hal | RSS feeds Subscribe

October 24, 2009 at 9:20 AM

Comments (3)     E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Hashing through Kabul

Posted by Hal Bernton


Kabul -- We ran along a route that took us past the poppy palaces built with drug money, and down a side street where a young carpenter tapped together wooden door frames. We ran along the trash strewn course of the weak-flowing Kabul River,

We made our way down a slimy tributary that offered whiffs of sewage.

We sprinted past dogs, cats, sheep, goats and an irate donkey.


Steve Morgan, of Boston, Ma., runs along the Kabul River

Somewhere in the middle of the course, there was a stop for beer. Then, at the end of the course, there was more beer, along with plenty of off-color humor and off-key ditties.

This was the 341st run of the Kabul Hash House Harriers. It attracted more than two dozen expats, most of whom opted for a slow-paced walk. Though Kabul may be a somewhat out of-the-way venue, the rituals would be familiar to hashers all over the world, including the Puget Sound area.

Hashing is a mix of running, route finding and beer drinking fellowship that traces it roots back to 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia when a bunch of bored Brits started a running club. Rather than just jog around the tropical city, they designated one guy as the hare. He would head off early and mark his trail. All the hounds would follow in pursuit. There was always plenty of beer on hand.

Hashing faded away during World War II but has made a big comeback. Today, there are thousands of these clubs all over the world. The Kabul Hash House Harriers started up in 2004. The clubs hosts weekly runs that explore different parts of the city and sometimes climb up into the hills.

I arrived just in time to make the start. I tried to do a quick, rather public courtyard change from my long pants into gym shorts. But by the time I had stripped down to my red boxers, I heard a bunch of hashers yelling at me. In Afghanistan, it's rude to go out in public with your legs showing, and these guys weren't about to be embarrassed by my ignorance.

Most of the people we passed on the run appeared somewhat bemused by the sight of these weird Westerners. Children laughed and a few jogged alongside for a short distance. One lady tending sheep along the river shooed us away. One young man, whom we invited to join us, said he was too stoned.

I liked the run.

After spending so much time in Kabul in the back seat of a car or in my guest house, it felt liberating to lope through the city. I hope in some small way, that by not succumbing to the fear and the blast walls, we offered a visible sign of faith in the future of this place.



A sad update.

Anton of Afghanistan has passed away. He is the German shephard who retired to my guest house here in Kabul after a career helping detect bombs. I wrote about him in an earlier post as a gentle, friendly presence. He was much loved.

Anton took sick quite suddenly and appeared to have been poisoned. It is unclear just how that might have happened. He was buried in the garden here, along with his favorite white plastic toy.

This guest house is still a friendly place but the mood here isn't quite the same since Anton died.



E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Hey sorry to hear about the dog. They call that a river? This is a very informative blog. And I thank you for the effort you have put forward on...  Posted on October 26, 2009 at 2:12 PM by grumpyoldman. Jump to comment
Here in Thailand neighbors poison dogs if they don't like them, or their owners. I've been avoiding reading this because I knew it...  Posted on October 26, 2009 at 9:19 PM by M-M-M-Merrill. Jump to comment
Thanks for sharing your Afghan journal -- the descriptions and photos show me another side of the country. I've bookmarked it to read your...  Posted on October 28, 2009 at 7:46 AM by woodworks. Jump to comment

Recent entries

Nov 19, 09 - 8:21 PM
Fort Lewis remembers two soldiers from a hard-hit platoon

Nov 10, 09 - 1:03 AM
The camera guy, and some thoughts upon leaving

Nov 3, 09 - 1:44 AM
A gift of water, and life.

Oct 30, 09 - 1:19 AM
Faces of those fallen

Oct 28, 09 - 10:46 PM
A wake-up to gun fire

Advertising

Advertising

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 

Advertising

Browse the archives

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

About the author

Hal Bernton has been a staff reporter for The Seattle Times since 2000. He has roamed widely around the Northwest for regional reporting and to help in the newspaper's military coverage. His oversees assignments have taken him to Russia, Algeria, Aceh Province in Indonesia and Iraq in December of 2003 and January of 2004.

Related links

Afghan News Center
Pajhwok.com: News of Afghanistan written by Afghanistan journalists.
McClatchy News Service: Dispatches from Afghanistan and beyond.
Talking with the Taliban: A Toronto Globe and Mail series.
Foreign Policy Blog on Afghanistan
Michael Yon: Embedded blogger Michael Yon posts front-line dispatches.
Washington Post's Afghanistan/Pakistan site
Abdulhadi Hairan: Afghan writer reflects on events in Iraq
GlobalPost's Taliban project: Features wide-ranging coverage of Afghanistan.