Another Day in the Very Uneven Distribution of Wealth and Democratization

Abu Dhabi- To get from Tajikistan to Abu Dhabi was a bit of an arduous trip via Kabul and Dubai and no sleep. Here are a few random shots from the Blackberry from 24 hours in my often bizarre life.

Samira, the sassiest beer wench in Dushanbe. Bar Karaoke, Hotel Dushanbe. Sim Sim (Tajikistan's national beer) pivo in the foreground, just 2 somoni (less than 50 US cents).

The man, the legend. Rudaki and arch. Rudaki was a lauded Persian poet for whom Dushanbe's main thoroughfare was renamed (from Lenin) after Tajik independence.

Nothing to see here, move along. The Dushanbe airport, where the metal detectors are not on and no one is looking at the x-rayed baggage. And that's after the French taxpayers put money in to refurbish the place... (so the French airforce can use the tarmac en route to Afghanistan).

The Kabul airport, where every kind of sketchy aircraft comes and goes all day long. Probably the most interesting airport in the world for a layover. Here I get stirred by a buzzing Mi-8. Six American soldiers died this day.

De rigueur decor, Kabul airport. Those are big binoculars!

View of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building (for now) from the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Emirates bus. It’s getting hot in here.

The comfort of Abu Dhabi. Good times at the Meena villa, if only I could figure out how to work the entertainment system.

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