Concierge, Oh Concierge . . . This is on the square: Afghanistan has a tourism minister and he says the country will be ready to receive tourists in about two months, when the weather has improved. Springtime in Kandahar. The thought sends chills up your spine. Even the most ardent boosters of Afghan tourism might admit some obstacles must be overcome. The national airline, Ariana, currently owns two functioning planes. The capital, Kabul, was essentially a pile of rubble before the most recent round of air strikes made things untidy. One of the best-known tourist attractions, Bamiyan, is most famous for what used to be there, the giant Buddhas carved out of the mountainside. The Taliban, who had little appreciation of cameras or shorts and no use for tourists at all, blew them all to heck. And then there are the more than 10 million land mines still littering the otherwise tranquil countryside. Still, adventure travel is hot these days, and how many times can one do Disney World? And let's not overlook the opportunity to meet interesting people, some of whom are still at large. Ed Fowler 713-961-5645 efowler@mrds.org Millennium Relief & Development Services ============================================================== (c) 2002 Millennium Relief & Development Services, vol. 2 no. 6 'Insight' is a publication of MRDS to interpret current events in light of the experience of members of our international network. 'Insight' archives and other information can be found on our website. 'Insight' may be freely copied with this citation. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, simply reply and request to be removed. Millennium RDS, 5116 Bissonnet #358, Bellaire, TX 77401-4007 Tel: (713)961-5645 Fax: (713)961-5735 www.mrds.org <http://www.mrds.org> insight@mrds.org. ==============================================================