A Day Spent in Jalalabad
From morning freshness to evening exhaustion under the blazing sun
As long as I live, I will always remember that scene
On the first day of Saratan month, I went to Jalalabad for a trip. The weather was nice as we passed through Mahipar near Kabul. But after crossing Mahipar, it started to get warmer. When we reached Surobi, the heat increased even more. Hot air entered the car, feeling like the heat of a tandoor. The car moved quickly as we continued our journey.
When we arrived in Laghman, the weather became even hotter. I kept drinking water, but my thirst wouldn’t go away. Finally, as we got closer to the Darunta tunnel, the heat became unbearable, and I felt I might faint. I deeply regretted coming on this trip. But at that point, there was no turning back, so we kept going.
When we entered Jalalabad city, it felt like we had stepped into a brick kiln. The heat was so intense that I kept drinking water. I sat in front of a cooler; without it, the time wouldn’t pass at all. Even then, the electricity kept going out now and then. By noon, I had lunch, but the heat made me feel like I would pass out. I went to drink a glass of ice-cold sugarcane juice, which made me feel better for a while.
At one point, I looked at my clothes—they were soaked in sweat. I went to the mosque and offered my afternoon prayer. The cold water there was refreshing. I sat near the cooler again for a while and then went out to visit Amir Shaheed Garden. I spent about two hours there. It was a beautiful place, but sadly, the heat was so strong that I couldn’t fully enjoy the outing.
Later, I left Amir Shaheed Garden and went to Angoor Bagh. That was also a wonderful place, full of different fruits from all seasons, stored in cold rooms. Even grapes grow there in the extreme heat. I tasted some grapes and drank a glass of refreshing sharbat. My heart felt fresh again, and I strolled around the garden. It truly was a lovely place.
The people of Nangarhar were very kind and welcoming. When evening came and the sun set, the heat finally began to decrease. Until then, it had felt like the heat was burning everything. I was amazed at how the people of Nangarhar live in such heat—they are used to it. But for me, spending just one day there was very hard.
In the end, I went with my friends to Gurguri, a famous picnic spot with green scenery, tall mountains, and cold, clear waters that bring joy to the heart. We swam in the river, and it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I didn’t want to leave, but the heat forced me to decide to return to Kabul. My friends were very upset; one even cried and asked me to stay the night since I had come after a long time. But they didn’t know how much the heat was affecting me.
Finally, late at night, I started my journey back and reached home around 10 p.m. My wife had prepared a delicious dinner with kebabs. I enjoyed it with cold water. That night, I kept thinking about Nangarhar—the beauty of the place and its people. Nangarhar has 23 districts, and I believe the people of Rodat district are the most hospitable. But the cool weather of Kabul is also a great blessing from God. As you read in this story, Nangarhar is a beautiful province, but its heat makes it difficult to spend time there.
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Bilal Mohammadi
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