Battlefield Tourist

We stop on the northside of Moqur for gas and realize that the right wheel on the trailer is about to fly apart at the axle. Nadir finds that there's a tire shop just down the street. At this point, things are not looking good. We head back into Moqur and end up doing a u-turn in this ungodly crowded place. The truck attracts attention, the u-turn attracts attention and the white guy in the passenger seat attracts attention.
Nadir figures out that the shop is down a small alley which opens up into an enclosed area that acts as the working area for about a half dozen auto service-type shops. There's a narrow alley running out of the place, but deeper into the city. If there was a place to die, it was here and our trailer was toast.
Nadir gets out and starts working a deal to get things fixed. Obviously, he being fluent in Pashtun, Nadir's presence was key to everything getting off to a good start.
At this point, me and the AK (now known as "Fear") step out of the truck and keep a keen eye on Nadir. Watching for any approaching trouble.
In all, the men and boys were very nice. It appeared genuine. Our wheel definately was FUBAR and these guys put some major ingenuity and resourcefulness into fixing it. They even had to weld it and the whole nine yards.
After an hour and a half, they finish the job. Nadir coughs up $40 and he hurriedly says "Let's go, David", and he gets out of dodge. I had already given away all the food, water and magazines that I could give. Everything was fine, we were just glad to be out of there. Had we not stopped, Ghazni Province ahead offered nothing but desert of the most barren kind: So dry and windy you could count a dozen dust devils at any time. Many reaching over a hundred feet in the air.
A few more hours up the road and we are in Ghazni City. Very old city with many very obvious historical sites right next to the road. As we leave the town, I want to ensure the AK works, so I chamber a round and drop the magazine. BLAM! A big puff of dust kicks up as the rifle kicks back in my hand. Just like L.A.!! I really wanted to fire it full auto, but only having one magazine's worth of ammo, I didn't think it wise. At least it works and is in nice shape. Something to have at the house in case of an emergency.
Obviously, the first thing Kamaal goes for when we get back is the AK. Cracks me up. Tells Qubon to put it in his room. Of course I redirected him. Seriously, what nerve. Why in the hell would I go through the trouble to get him an AK? This is on Saturday, May 29th.

I've been out of the field now a week. Not my best, that's for sure. The plan was for me to come to Kabul for 2-3 days, renew my visa, then head back to Kandahar to join the Marines for an extended operation that could go well beyond a week.
Of course everything is going fine. I have to pay a $40 late fee on my visa, which is understandable. Unfortunately, I get the bad news from Captain Dent that he doesn't think he can get me to the Marines as we'd planned. No further explanation and that's the last I've heard from him.
In the meantime word came out of two major contacts in Oruzgan. One, with the group I was with, had killed 17 ACM and had three wounded. That's the type of luck I have. Spend all that time with the Marines, and then I lose out on the finale. It's the most extensive contact in a year. Had everything worked out to be there and the Marines failed me. That would've been a nice payday. Instead, I'm in Kabul fighting off a clueless assignment desk.
With that falling through, I'm back to trying to work with the army. I'm trying to get to Zabul or southern Kandahar Provinces. That is definately where the majority of the fighting is at currently. One more operation, than get ready to head home for a month. That will be good. I have a date set with the ISAF Quick Reaction Force scheduled the week I leave. That'll help me get ready to head out on a good note. Now I need an operation or two to fit in between.
Whatever happens, I have to get out of Kabul. My desk continues to call me and ask me to cover local stories here. I have no vehicle, no phone, no internet and no translater.
Now, I'm an American in a city where there is a fawtah proclaiming the death of all Americans, including civilians. Now, if you had none of the above resources,
would you be wandering around the streets of Kabul, alone, stumbling through phrases like, "where's the hospital?".
By the way, Kabul has had its first reported deaths due to AIDS recently. Having been too slow at getting back to the field, they want me covering local stories. Never mind that I've produced 3 exclusive stories in the first 5 days of the month. Never mind that I don't speak Farsi. Forget the fact that there is no local phone here at the office or internet. Very frustrating. Mildly challenging I'd say. Not sure how it will get done, and frankly, I'm not stressing it. I can only do what is within my realm. Beyond that, I can't afford to stress. Just isn't worth it.