Life on a forward operating base (FOB) can best be described as quiet and somewhat boring.

I say quiet compared to the activity at Kandahar Air Field where F-18's and helicopters dominate the sky and blast your eardrums.

On an FOB, you have time to think about home and of course, the war.

The ANA (Afghan National Army) soldiers and the Canadians live together on FOB's and the contrast between them is obvious.

The ANA and Canadian troops don't necessarily intermingle but rather keep to themselves. That is, until it's time to get down to business.

The Canadians will tell you that they take their cue from the ANA while out on patrol.

"They have extra-spider senses that we don't have," says one soldier.

"If there's an IED (improvised explosive device) in the area, they will find it first."

The Canadian soldiers will also tell you that the ANA are masters at pointing out the bad guys in this war.

"You go through a village and the ANA will point out who doesn't belong."

The ANA have also earned a reputation as being somewhat reckless in their methods of dealing with IED's.

Whereas the Canadians will stop at every inkling that an IDE might be in the area, the ANA take a different approach.

Instead of stopping to inspect and diffuse, some of the ANA will drive right over them at top speed in their armourless Jimmy's hoping they don't hit anything.

"One ANA told me that he has run over three so far," says a soldiers whose specialty is dealing with IDE's.

"He just goes so fast that they detonate behind him. Talk about lucky."