"Live the Cover!" Contest: Mexico

Great Travel Moment

While working in Kabul, Afghanistan I had the opportunity to fly kites on a hill overlooking the city. It was a Friday afternoon, and there were hundreds of people, mostly young boys, gathered to fly fighting kites. Each kite flyer handled their kite like a fighter pilot, soaring and diving, attempting to come up from below with enough force to cut the string of a competitor. A helper fed out the string from a large spool, dancing in the shadow of the kite flyer. As strings were cut, the suddenly freed kite went fluttering as the wind dictated, chased by dozens of smaller boys, the kite runners. The fights on the ground to retrieve the fallen kites were as fierce as those waged in the air, sometimes decided only by flying fists. It was an unforgettable afternoon, sharing with the kite flyers and runners the momentary freedom and joy from the country's ongoing conflict.