Balakot was the biggest town we had seen in quite some time. Real bazaar, real cement buildings, actual streets. Even three chapali kabob restaurants!
This was the hotel we stayed in. Our room was upstairs, on the second floor. It had two beds, and a ceiling fan. And a bathroom. We hung the saddle blankets on the railing of the front porch. We soaked the feed bags in the bucket in the bathroom. They stank ripely of fermented grain. Right next to the hotel was for us, it's number one attraction. A field of tall grass. We tied our horses in it, and nobody complained. We saw Ghulam, the koochie from Paktia, and his brother, in the bazaar.