Beautiful place, watch the landmines...

Looking back it was one of the most beautiful places Ive been. As dangerous as it is I would be very happy if someday I can return on my own, sans military, to travel and again feel the same sense of culture, humility and hospitality I felt before. Kandahar is not a very pretty, nor clean, city. But the mountains northwest and northeast are beautiful. I got to see what I thought to be an ancient buddhist monastery somewhere northeast of Kandahar, Opium and Marijuana fields dot the landscape with roads carved straight into cliffs with roaring rivers below. I was told by the locals some of the villages could be more than 500 years old around Kandahar. The southwestern corner is extremely hot and dry-wouldnt advise casual travel there. Never got way up North but I heard it was awesome. Be extremely careful about landmines and unexploded munitions as they are EVERYWHERE, not to mention those pesky insurgents and warlords...