What is it?? and Where is it??

[DARCY]

 I left a bloody good blue peaked  cap there while we were  having chai, I wonder if it is still  there

[Colin Davidson]

I wasn't aware that they sold Chai. In fact I wasn't aware that they sold anything at all.

[silver]

my "educated' ( ??) guess on the road between Herat and Kandahar ,,did I get the country correct ??
Silver

[Colin Davidson]

You're spot on Silver. Tommy Broomfield still refers to it as The Hotel California.

[Vicar]

I know it is difficult to tell where it is but there is another picture in the 'Afghanistan Slides' of the same place. There are two guys under a concrete awning and one is leaning down the side of his bike. You can see some of the street lighting in the background that does not work.

I think we could buy soft drinks from the hotel, again I don't think they were very cold. How could they be cold without power? It must have been ice or something. Vicar that is stupid, were they going to keep the ice cold in the fridge? I think not. I still think we could buy drinks there.

[Colin Davidson]

Vicar have you been on the RED again. That photo in the slide section shows the 2 guys next to the pillar, but you must remember that lights are usually turned on at night time!!!! That photo was taken in broad daylight. Have another RED.

[DARCY]

 I might have to back up my old mate Vicar, I can remember sitting around a table having a chai or maybe a soft drink ,or may be it was an illusion  

[kit carr]

i think it was called the helmand hotel. it was built between herat and khandahar for the road builders. i cant remember now if it was the russians or americans who built that side. it is on the river that runs to nowhere in the southern parts of aghanistan and northern baluchistan.W

[Colin Davidson]

Kit,
The Russians built the road from Herat to Kandihar, and the Americans built the asphalt road from Kandihar to Kabul.
Col

[Colin Davidson]

Probably all three, Darcy. I have heard that they have branched out and are now selling Blue Caps.

[kit carr]

th anks Col.

i can still remember the bumps where the concrete sections joined.

the hotel looks especially late 60/early 70 soviet design.

the blandness us memorable.

[Colin Davidson]

Kit,
 I have just looked on Google and the Helmand Province runs through that area, hence the name The Helmand Hotel. Technology, what would we do with out it.
Col

[Colin Davidson]

From memory, and that is a big ask now, I remember a swimming pool there, I may be wrong which isn't unusual. It was either empty, or full of green water. Maybe they didn't have power to run the filters!!! or the fridges, or the street lights.

[Vicar]

I'll back you Shirley on the swimming pool and you are right, that from memory it was old green water in it.

[Kathy Schlegel]

TK159 (Kathmandu - London 1977) had a pit stop there also. I remember it as being a hotel without guests that had been built by the Russians on the Kandahar to Herat road

[Colin Davidson]

Both pictures were taken at the same place, but years apart. Look closely and you'll see that it is the same building with a couple of Ruski's posing for photo's. The photo of the Russians was taken in December 1980.

[Colin Davidson]

Hi Kathy,
All trips, either East or West bound would stop there . Everybody would remark on why would they build a Hotel in the middle of no where, and never have any guests. Well we all know now. The Russians built the concrete road from Herat to Kandihar, which  was  thump, thump thump for 500 kms. They weren't stupid,they built the road with a half way house. They probably conducted military operations from there.
Good to hear from you again.
Col