THE PAKGHAN SERIES, DAY 20 – 23
KABUL – BAMIYAN – KABUL
Making friends with the Taliban. First things first on our way to Bamiyan and that’s a shave.
PROBABLY SHOULDN’T BE SAYING THIS BUT I CAN’T WAIT FOR HOME
I do enjoy getting a street shave every so often just for the experience. Probably risking it all but sure!
WHERE IS BAMIYAN?
Bamiyan
If someone were to ask me what is the worst thing about Afghanistan, without question it has to be the traffic, driving and the roads. You don’t actually need a driving licence to drive here and it really shows. Everyone drives like a woman! Joking ladies, its actually quite ironic as women aren’t allowed to drive!
DAILY INFO….
- HOTEL – Gohgola, Bamiyan 7.5/10
- LANDMARK – Kabul 7/10
- ATTRACTIONS –
Scream City
Buddhas
Women’s Market
Bande Amir
Chicken Street
Kabul Flag
CITY OF SCREAMS
Once we arrived at Bamiyan we stopped off at the city of screams. A place were Chinggis Khan done his usual shenanigans, killed all the men, r*aped the women, that sort of stuff. It was said the screams of the locals was heard throughout the region and has been called the city of screams ever since.
Making friends with the Taliban
BUDDHAS OF BAMIYAN
One of Afghanistan’s most important landmarks and tragic stories is the Buddha’s of Bamiyan. Carved out of the sandstone cliff almost 1400 years ago, these were part of the Buddhist movement that began all the way in India.
Eventually in 2001 the founder and leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar demanded they been destroyed and within a few days 1400 years of history was gone. 6 months later the US Military would invade Afghanistan and the war on terror would begin.
Making friends with the Taliban
WOMAN’S MARKET
No matter who you ask you always get a different answer on the topic of women’s rights. But there is no disputed that there it is far from ideal. However Bamiyan is known as the liberal capital of Afghanistan. There isn’t much completion in that realm but it does have a women only bazaar, where all shops and stalls are owned and operated by women.
Indirectly this market is responsible for employing 100s of women, whether in the shop or making the products. It’s refreshing to hear this but still Afghanistan has a long way to go.
Making friends with the Taliban
RELATED READ: GETTING INSIDE THE ANCIENT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
DAY 21, BANDE AMIR
This morning we headed to one of the best landscapes in the world, Bande Amir National Park. I have no doubt that if this was in America or Europe it would be teeming with tourists and likely be surrounded by KFCs and McDonalds. Thankfully it’s not and during both times I have visited I have been the only tourist here.
Everything from the rock formation, snow capped mountains and colour of the water make this place entirely unique.
Making friends with the Taliban
FACTS ABOUT KABUL:
- Kabul has seen several power shifts over the years, most notably the rapid takeover by the Taliban in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S. forces, marking the end of a 20-year conflict led by NATO and the U.S.
- The war has had devastating consequences for civilians. Thousands have lost their lives, with families facing displacement, restricted access to basic necessities, and a significant impact on women’s rights.
- Afghanistan, especially areas around Kabul, has historically been one of the world’s largest opium producers. Conflict has fueled this economy as both the Taliban and other groups have relied on drug trafficking to fund their activities.
KABUL
It was another 6 hour journey back to Kabul for a quick bite in my favourite restaurant in Afghanistan.
DAY 22, KABUL
Our last day of the trip and if I am completely honest I’ve been running on fumes for the past week. Trips of this length and intensity take their toll and I usually spend the next while on auto pilot. Going forward unless I am somewhere where I can chill for a few days, trips will have to be 2 weeks max.
PERMITS
Permits are a big part of travelling through Afghanistan and we experienced the bureaucracy first hand today. We were heading to a park about an hour from the centre of Kabul. It ended up a waste of time anyway but within no time we had the Taliban approach us and ask for papers and to wait for his commander. Turns out the commander wasn’t happy that the permit we had as he was convinced it didn’t cover this area even though its Kabul and our permit covers Kabul.
He then asked to see my phone and I had to endure another stint of someone going through my photos. If you want to feel paranoid then let the Taliban go through you phone! I don’t know what was being said between my guide and the Taliban but eventually I said lets go and turned and walked off.
HOLDING HANDS WITH THE TALIBAN
Back in Kabul I took a dander through the market to see what we could find and within no time I had a Taliban soldier come up to me with a raving smile. He demanded I have some tea and we sat down for an hour drinking and talking about a lot of things I have wanted to ask the Taliban. It’s incredible how friendly someone holding an M4 can be as he bought me an unlimited amount of sweets!
KABUL FLAG
No trip to Kabul is complete without a trip to the huge flag. This is where lots of locals come to meet friends and socialise after a long day at work. It is by far the best place to meet people in Afghanistan. I was asked to recite the Shahada again and even though I tried to decline as I first wanted to learn it properly before commiting to saying it in public they responded with, “We will help you.”
How could you say no to that. But I nailed it and then they wanted me to go again! Got to love these people.
9/11 CARPETS
To end the day we headed back to Chicken Street as I wanted a special memento. This street is famous for gems and believe it or not carpets, but not any old carpets. Hidden away in some 1st floor room is an interesting choice of 9/11 carpets designed in memory of Afghanistan’s recent past. The carpets are nothing you would expect, everything from AK47s, Hummers and of course the two planes hitting the twin towers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Finally that’s another series done and if I’m honest I’m beat. I’ve been beat for the last 10 days so can’t wait to get home and get back into a routine again.
NEXT UP
Possibly back to Asia!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
172/229
This post is part of the Pakghan Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To see more photos or videos of my trip head to my social channels; YouTube, Instagram & TikTok.
