On Thursday night, our market research company hosted a "White Party" at their guest house. When you think of a guest house in Kabul, think about a massive mansion where ten or so employees live and work. A handful of them had just come in from Paris, where they are based, and decided to throw a shindig. The party was pretty sweet: they had unlimited booze (more than you can fit in a suitcase and smuggle across the border.) Don't ask where it came from, cause they wouldn't tell me... There was also a dance floor, bonfire, appetizers and great conversation. Je parle tres bien Francais apres deux verres du vin. But, as always, we had to leave just as the party was getting fun. Roshan has a midnight curfew on weekends and apparently people like to lovingly refer to us as the "Cinderalla Crew."
Friday was a big day of burger eating, arts and crafts viewing, furniture, DVD and grocery shopping. We started at Habibis (see post, "Time Out: Kabul") and then headed to the heart of Kabul's old city, to a place called Turquoise Mountain, to check out student art work. The Turquoise Mountain program was initiated back in 2006 by a non-profit organization specializing in urban regeneration, business development and education in tradtional arts and architecture. I browsed through calligraphy, jewelry and hand carved chess boards before purchasing a ceramic bowl for $10. 
Next stop was to look at hand-carved furniture and carpet shops. Since my arrival in Kabul, I've visited a couple of friend's rooms and seen the most stunning, light and dark wood, hand-carved furniture. Chests of drawers, mirrors, coffee tables, armoires - you name it, they make it. No seriously, they will custom-make a piece for you.The quality is beautiful and the hand-carvings are impeccable. Pieces that would cost upwards of $1500 in the US can be haggled down to $160. So... that's exactly what I did. I haggled with a very nice gentleman for a very beautiful piece of furniture. Worth every penny - just not sure how I'm going to get it back to North America.
After a quick pop into the grocery store to buy goods for family dinner that evening, we made our final stop at Nezar DVD shop. This place was heaven. They had original, complete box sets of pretty much every series you could think of, from Lost to Seinfeld to The Sopranos. And the box sets were no more than $30 a piece. Joel and I walked away with complete series of Dexter, The Wire, King of Queens, season six of Lost and three movies. And I am definitely going back for the Seinfeld set before I leave.
Saturday was a well-deserved day of rest, a little work and of course, the perfect day for a full-body massage. There was no good reason why I wouldn't head to Kabul Health Club and have my body massaged for an hour at the lowly price of $45. It was my first time at KHC, but I've heard they often throw massive parties in the garden area. The massage was fantastic, and I was blown away by the salon. They have all sorts of facilities: a steam room, sauna and work out facility, but the Jolie Salon was a real treat. They offer an "evening makeup" service for only $80...and if that doesn't satisfy your black tie needs, they can also do a one hour "Jolie Makeover" for $150 USD.
All jokes aside, the place was really nice, and totally empty. The service was great and the fresh juices were super tasty. I will definitely head back there soon for a day of relaxation.
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