Afghanistan – 140th Country. To see where I have been so far, check out my map as I count down the final 93 countries on the road to all 193 UN countries. Afghanistan is my 140th country.
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Afghanistan is a landlocked nation of over 30 million people. Kabul is the capital of this mountainous country. Afghanistan is an ancient land with the Silk Road serving as a land bridge between the Middle East and Asia. These lands have been subject to violence wars from the Great Game between the UK and Russian Empire to the current turmoil involving ISIS, the Taliban, the Afghan government, and western forces. Virtually all Afghans are Muslim with most of the speaking either Dari or Pashto.
I spent two weeks exploring Afghanistan, flying into Kabul on a direct flight from Tashkent. During my trip I visited Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, Herat in the west, Bamiyan in the center, and the capital of Kabul. Our group was forced to fly to each of these locations using Kabul has the hub. Unfortunately, the roads are not secure. The visa was straight forward to get, armed with a LOI, I sent my passport to the Afghan Embassy in DC, which they processed in two weeks. Afghanistan offers much for the visitors, from hospitable people, beautiful shrines, and a feeling like stepping back in time. As a visitor, you will not be waiting in line to take a selfie since there are virtually no tourists. I noted one tourist my first night in my Kabul guest house, and two more on my last night in the same guest house. Thankfully, I had no security issues during my trip.
The Surprising People of Afghanistan
Visiting the Jihad Museum Afghanistan
Visiting the Tomb of Ahmad Shah Massoud
Watching Buzkashi in Afghanistan
Visiting the Children’s Circus in Kabul
Afghanistan is my 140th country.
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[…] I ended my travel year with a two-week visit to Afghanistan. I was a but nervous about my trip but had a safe and secure visit with many friendly locals. Not […]