next train comes and they say within an hour. Can I buy a ticket? They laugh. No one takes the train to Termez. Jonathan warns me about the Russians who guard the border.
They are smart, tough and some are crazy. He tells me stories of mumbling generals and crazed Russian soldiers hiding in camouflaged bunkers. Even the UN needs written advance p'ermission to enter this zone.
three qroups I need to worry about: the Taj iks, There are
the UZbeks and the Russians, who answer to no one and shoot to kill. Not the best place to ride the rails. A train pulis up. The windows are cheap plate glass and sealed in
by wire mesh. Guide books say Soviet trains were sealed to stop kids from throwing rocks. Not quite true. They are sealed to keep people from escaping during border searches when they lock the doors as well. As the train pulls out, I toss my rolls of film to Disa and she gives me $200. I wave goodbye to Jonathan who is surprised that I have decided to take a train trip through no man's land. As soon as I jump on the train I realize I may have made a mistake. But I am on my way to Afghanistan .
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