Rory Stewart has a moment of home comfort when some British soldiers he encounters on his hike across Afghanistan brew him some tea and send him on his way with other goodies, no doubt all the more welcome for being so familiar in a remote place. I liked the selection and the fact that they didn’t forget to include Stewart’s dog in their generosity.

See also the puzzlement of a village headman observing the curious behaviour of this foreign force.

‘They brewed me a cup of Tetley’s tea with milk and gave me a giant bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, and I told them a little about my journey. They seemed to enjoy the story. They were funny and relaxed … When I left, they gave me an airport thriller, some rations, some Wagon Wheels in a Marks & Spencer bag and some meat for Babur.’  

Source: Rory Stewart, The Places in Between (London: Picador, 2014), p. 205

Photo credit: sweetlouise at pixabay