"Mayne ast! Mayne ast!"

"There are mines. There are mines!" the Afghan soldier yelled as the two men - one a Bermudian - stumbled into a life and death situation.

But what planted a Bermudian in the middle of an Afghanistan minefield? Good question. For documentary filmmaker Robert Zuill and his Afghan driver Shuja it was the chance to shoot video of live scud missiles abandoned on the side of the road. They backed-away very slowly and tried to retrace their steps.

It worked because now Robert Zuill, still in one piece, is back in Bermuda and working for the Bermuda Government's Television station, CITV. But his six weeks in the terror-tainted and kidnapping corner of the world, last year, has also sent this former CNN documentary producer and PBS cameraman on another mission - water.

Perhaps an apt mission for a Bermudian, the water project for Kabul (the capital), Afghanistan hopes to make life a little easier for thousands of refugee kids. How? Well because Kabul is full of hills the refugees have fled to higher grounds (where no one wants to live).The water has not followed so the children hike up and down these hills/mountains to provide for their families.

But there is a solution - water tanks - and Mr. Zuill is on a mission to find funds for these. But how dire is the situation in Afghanistan? How can you help? I wanted to know as well, so I sat down with the filmmaker to find-out if for his six weeks he was dodging bombs and what has water got to do with it all. Here are his answers and the full interview and photos can be found on www.robynswanderings.com.

Q:Why were you in Afghanistan?

A: I was working in New Zealand doing environmental videos for a client in the USA. A newspaper article I read covered a Timaru, New Zealand firm called Sustainable Energy Services Afghanistan. The firm was building renewable energy systems in Afghanistan. I contacted them to see if they had any video of their projects that I could use for a story. They said, "Sure. And if you want to go to Afghanistan, we can arrange that too." One month later I landed at the Kabul airport.

Q: You said you had to visit various sites. How did you travel and with whom?

A: Mostly I traveled with my driver and interpreter, Shuja. Shuja was born the day the Russians invaded back in 1980 and has survived many a close shave with bombs and bullets. He is also one of the craziest drivers in Kabul. He thought nothing of going the wrong way around the roundabouts if it would save time. Pedestrians he treated with contempt and always seemed to try to run them over. But he was a skillful driver and spoke very good English. He didn't seem to be afraid of anything and we were soon good friends.

His car was an old Toyota with no armour. Not having armour seemed better because we attracted little attention outside yelled curses and threats from pedestrians and other drivers.

Q: What was the security like there and were you ever worried about your safety besides the run-in with a minefield?

A: In Afghanistan, any failure to respect local sensitivities can get you in serious trouble very quickly. But the image of the Afghan as a bloodthirsty warrior is entirely wrong. For the most part, Afghans are a calm and friendly people. They are tremendously proud to be Afghans, very open to visitors, and love a good joke.

One night I was awakened by thunder at about an hour before the call to prayer. It seemed strange because there had been no rain for weeks. What it really was slowly dawned on me. The Taliban were indiscriminately rocketing Kabul from some of the high hills around the city. The firing went on for a while then all was quiet again. A man and his small daughter died that night. The attack made no sense at all.

Other times we would be driving along a highway at about 5:00 AM in the dark. There was little traffic at this time. But the Taliban liked to operate at night in that region. There had been no Taliban activity there for a long time. But you just never knew. That was the scariest thing about Afghanistan. You always knew something could go disastrously wrong and there would be almost nothing you could do about it.

Yet nothing ever happened. There were parties and restaurants and a pretty good social life with lots of people of both sexes, all ages, and several nationalities. You could order a pizza to be delivered, go to a Mexican or Thai restaurant, or order from KFC (Kabul Fried Chicken).

The only difference was that when you went out you rode through dark, dusty streets with lots of men carrying AK-47's. The entrance to the restaurant was surrounded by sand bags and more men with AK-47's. You greeted them with a friendly, "Salaam Alaykum". They always responded with "Alaykum Salaam".

But some regarded you with suspicion because they knew you were going to have a drink. A small window was opened in a steel door and two eyes checked you out. You went into a small room where two men with AK-47's frisked you. If you had a weapon it had to be checked. The check boxes were always nearly full. Often a man was kneeling and praying facing the corner. Then another window opened in another door, you were checked again and then you stepped into a bar very similar to the Swizzle Inn.

Q: With a security situation that sounds unhinged why is water so important?

A: Kabul is spread out around several large, steep hills. Over thirty years of war, thousands of refugees have settled on the hills where nobody else wants to live. Unfortunately there are no municipal services on the hills. So while parents work, their children have to carry water uphill to their houses every day. This means the children miss school or don't go to school at all. Cars have hit many children as they cross busy highways carrying loads of water.

But there is a simple solution to this problem. Water tanks can be installed on the tops of the hills with pipe systems to distribute the water downhill. Solar power can be used to pump the water up to the tanks. Solar power is a good choice because the refugees cannot afford diesel. So the project is more expensive at first, but it sustains itself.

While in Afghanistan I was working for a New Zealand firm called Sustainable Energy Services Afghanistan. Tony Woods who owns SESA said that they could install the tanks, pipes, and solar pumps for about $30,000 per system. One system could help about 200 people.

My proposal is to do a pilot project of one water system and use it as an example to raise money for more systems.

Q: How can people help?

A: Anyone who is interested in donating should go to the website: www.kabulwaterproject.com

The website has dramatic photos and videos from Afghanistan and explains the project. And then contact me at: kwp@northock.bm

But what about the women in Afghanistan? Mr. Zuill expands on their role in Afghan life on www.robynswandering.com where there are also links for his water project. And next week: Being a woman traveler. Sorry men I know you travel, but there are certain risks/concerns single females traveling will have and here's some advice…. Next Monday.