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| | | SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER
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Go to the Listen Again page | | | | | An extraordinary journey听to the听lapis lazuli mines听of Afghanistan听 | | | |
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In the summer of 2001,听cameraman Ian McCarthy was one of a 4-man film crew who entered Afghanistan to journey to the ancient lapis lazuli mines found in the northerly mountain ranges.听听They were accompanied by听American gem-hunter, Gary Bowersox, and an Afghan guide.听 Ian decided to take a tape recorder with him to keep a record of his experiences and adventures and, as would be expected, it听turned out to be a journey of a lifetime.听
| | |  | | On the Silk Road en route to the lapis mines听
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Suddenly One Summer
The chance to travel into the remote, mountainous northof Afghanistan doesn't come along very often and with the continual unrest in that country itis perhaps not one that everyone would jump at. For Ian McCarthy it was work - the purpose of the trip was to collect material for a television programme.It was atripthat filled him with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. He decided to seize the opportunity torecord his own personal experiences and thoughts during the four week trip on tape as it was one of those chances of a lifetime.
The journey began in Peshawar in Pakistan in late July where the crew met up with Gary, the gem-hunterwho they were featuring in the television programme andan Afghan guide. Nothing was to be straightforward about the trip, as after a long journey north to Chitral, they then had to be smuggled over the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan at night to avoid being seen as the border between the two countries was closed. Once over the border, days were spent travelling on horseback through high passes and deep valleys towards the gem mines. The crew stayed in chaikanas - small teahouses offering very basic accommodation and food.
Although it was a harsh, remote and raw landscape - nothing but jagged mountain peaks, precipitous paths and valleys filled with roaring rivers, it was extraordinarily beautiful - apart from the past ravages of war, it was almost untouched by human hand.For part of the journey they travelled through the Hindu Kush mountains and on the original Silk Road. After almost three weeks of constant travel, they arrived at Sar-e-Sang where the lapis lazuli mines are to be found, high in the mountain slopes above. Lapis lazuli has been mined here for over 7,000 years and these mines are thought to be some of the oldest in the world. Having completed the journey to the lapis mines, it was time to turn for home but they had one last interview to do before they left - an interview with Ahmed Shah Massoud - the "Lion of the Panjshir". Little did Ian and his travelling companions know that they would be possibly the last people to record an interview with Massoud.
| |  | | Ian (far right) and his travelling companions
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Having finally flown听out of听Afghanistan via Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Ian was听back home again by late August.听 But by a bizarre twist of fate, after a couple of weeks rest, he was en route to his next filming assignment in Canada when the events of September 11th took place - not only was Ian's flight caught up in the confusion as American and Canadian airspace closed but it was also confirmed on the news that Massoud had been killed by suicide bombers.听 The country and the people that Ian had come to know suddenly was under the sharpened focus of the world.听
Having travelled to many countries around the world in a 20 year career, it is still the trip to Afghanistan that holds the most intense memories and significance for听Ian, particularly because of the Afghan people.听 Although communication was limited due to the language barrier,听it was the warmth, open-ness and hospitality of the Afghan people who looked after them听in the mountains that Ian听remembers.听 He has hopes to return to Afghanistan one day to try and find out how they are.
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