The breathtaking view of mountains is about the only thing Afghan I really miss today.

Mountains were so gorgeous and awe-inspiring that I was shy to take pictures of them, knowing in advance I would not be able to make my camera translate the beauty that caught my eye into digital imagery for a Web site.

Yet I clicked and clicked whenever I was struck by a particularly beautiful sight, provided I had functional cells for the camera. Pakistani and Chinese batteries were fine for a small radio set, but even new ones were not powerful enough for my CoolPix 990, basically a point-and-shoot camera from Nikon.

With no electricity on the road to charge my small storage batteries, I think I missed the best sights anyway.

I don't remember the names of the mountains pictured on this page, but it doesn't really matter, as far as I'm concerned. Most likely, it was the Hindu Kush mountain range.

It was weird to see clouds below the mountains at the height of about 5,000 meters above sea level near a shed where my colleagues and I spent a cold October night.

The blue sky and white clouds during good weather spells added to the beauty of mountains which usually came in different colors in various parts of the country.

Sunset over a minefield near Kabul. February 2002.