A visual and spiritual revelation where the purity of turquoise lakes and the dazzling light of limestone cliffs evoke silent ecstasy.
We settle in natural caves between two lakes, living off improvised fishing and fish bought from an Afghan who catches them with dynamite.
The days, punctuated by the scorching sun and freezing nights at an altitude of 3,000 meters, become a smoky meditation (chiloms, tea, and stargazing), until an old Afghan man comes along to remind us of the geopolitical reality with his hatred of Israel, symbolizing the intrusion of human folly into this apparent paradise.
The idyll is interrupted by a sudden flood, forcing us to seek refuge in a nearby chaikana.
The return journey to Bamiyan and Kabul offers one last enchanting sight: a caravan of Kuchi nomads, whose women in red dresses and silver jewelry literally dance on the stones, embodying a wild freedom and beauty in stark contrast to the oppression that prevails among Afghan women.