Dee for understanding me and for your ability to lift me up when I feel rock bottom

SQ for all the times you listened to me complain and for turning into a rock star

B&A for treating me like your own daughter and making me feel at home even when I was thousands of miles away

F-diddy for believing that I can be something much more I than I thought I could be

SK for her constant, unconditional friendship

Ebony for being the truest person I know and inspiring me to be the same

Stroker for getting me through tough university times and all the times since then

JR for your solid, reliable presence in my life despite the distance and time apart

Dad for your genuine interest in my career, life and experiences

ND for being awesome and going out of your way to make me happy

FM for supporting me when I first moved to Jordan and growing into the most beautiful person

JM for the unforgettable adventure we shared that I’ll never forget

M&V for making me realise that I can achieve anything and that life can be as beautiful as you have made yours

YT for our lovely coffee breaks that provided me the daily reality check that I needed

AH for your faraway friendship and your free spirit that reminds me of beautiful, spontaneous times

AWJ for your energy and spirit that blows me away

Matty OC for making me proud

SZ for being the calmest and most patient person I know

TM for sharing the first night of your honeymoon with me

Sim Sim for the fun Amman nights we shared and heart to heart conversations that lifted me

SP for our bi-annual fleeting meetings that fill me with love and pride

Van for impressing me with your entrepreneurship and independence

AF for being the most fun travel buddy ever and for all the holidays yet to come

YP for welcoming me into your life with open arms and for the friendship that we share

Hakimito for not conforming to the norm and following your dreams

Looking over the Bamyan Valley in the early fresh morning, watching the mist sail past the empty Buddha niches, almost exploring them before moving on, sends a feeling of absolute completeness over me. To feel complete is something that we all strive for. In love, work, experiences and dreams. So I savour this moment, as who knows when it may disappear.

Bamyan is a magical place, one which I will never forget. There I felt far away from congested Kabul, far away from the breaking news stories of how the ‘war on terror’ is or, in most cases, isn’t progressing. The Afghanistan in Bamyan is another world. It is peaceful, clean and rich in the history that binds the people together.

Two and a half hours west of the Buddhas lies Band-e-Amir ‘The Commandar’s Dam’. Before coming to Afghanistan I had heard so many stories about this place from friends who tried to describe to me the beauty of these six lakes. I must confess, they failed! Because as we approached the site, the first glimpse of deep lapis lazuli coloured water glittering in the sun literally took my breath away.

Band-e-Amir on a Friday is full of Afghan families picnicing under the waterfalls that surround the lakes. Some take advantage of its so-called magical powers and bathe in the icy water, in the hope that they will be cured of their diseases. Women walk along enjoying the cool sensation offered to them by dipping their feet playfully along the shoreline. Boys make fools of themselves trying to impress each other with tricks in the water.

After a feast of tender meat and potatoes, cooked in a portable pressure cooker, eastern by the side of a spectacular waterfall, me and my Afghan friends set on our way to walk around the lakes. To my delight, after Band-e-Haibat (the largest of the six lakes) we came across some smaller lakes, which were almost private pools made secret by surrounding foliage. Here the water was warmer and much more inviting. The temptation to strip off and plunge into the pool was overwhelming, but in front of my Afghan colleagues I thought I should retain a hint of decency.

So, I promised myself I would come back to this spot and fulfil that desire.