Afghanistan’s capital first received an influx of foreign tourists in the late 1960’s when it became an essential stop-off on the hippy trail towards enlightenment. Chicken Street was the home of cheap hotels and souvenir shops. Chicken Street is still here, selling souvenirs, artwork and antiques, although the chickens have gone. Much of the rest of the city has changed beyond recognition in the last 30 years, new buildings in the city centre, promising signs of post-invasion reconstruction, give way to rubble and ruins on the outskirts. Yet there are occasional outbreaks of tranquility. Many mosques and mausoleums of interest remain standing, as do the lush Gardens of Babar, and the European Cemetery, final resting place of Auriel Stein, the great Silk Road explorer. Similarly, the stunning Sakhi Shrine is an example of beauty within the city (pictured). There is little left of ancient Kabul although the city walls and the Bala Hissar (sadly off limits and used by the Afghan military) still stand to give a glimpse of what it was like. There are also plenty of interesting places revealing Kabul today. The Omar land mine museum is a sobering introduction into some of Afghanistan’s more modern history.