Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Report: Afghanistan 101

As some of you know I got a call from Uncle Sam some weeks ago to visit Afghanistan. Uncle paid for the trip, hotel and the excursions. Here is a brief report.

Flew on my favorite airline (AA) to Frankfurt where I reported to the local US base. We were briefed on the situation and the next day took the AirForce One (just kidding) flight to Kabul. I did not get any upgrades nor miles on this flight. DAMN!

I was picked up and driven to Mustafa Hotel in downtown Kabul. Had a great time. Actually got to watch the England-France game with military people from France and England and other nations as well, which turned into a great evening (late night actually). Freaking France got the win, still can't believe it, and at times I really thought that the French/UK military folks were going to get into it, but somehow they did not. Actually we hung out into the morning drinking some god-forsaken liquid that disagreed with my body for long time after I was finished drinking.

I can't tell you about the excursions, but I could tell you this. Our SF boys and the regular Afghan Army guys took good care of us. One afternoon I lost my personal bag with my laptop and camera and some change of clothes to some SOBs that did not like us. They decided to show their admiration for us with their AK-47s and couple of mortars. Later that day I lost a new friend. He was a teenager that was assigned to the regular Afghan Army unit that was assigned to assist our SF guys. For couple of days I got to know this young man and he was a blast. His #1 priority was his country. He joined because he wanted his country to have a chance and he was willing to do anything to help in that. His second dream was to marry his beautiful girlfriend. He was soooooo proud when showing her picture to anybody that would look and listen. And finally his last dream was to visit USA one day with his wife and kids. We didn't agree on music, but that's expected when you have a teenager and this old fart. He said that he did like my collection of 60-90's music but I could tell he would have been happier if I had some hip-hop stored on my laptop. He won't have a chance to get married and see his beloved country stabilize, but in some small way I believe that he did get a chance to visit USA through my personal pictures that I had stored on my laptop. He admired anything and everything American. Unfortunately he will never have a chance to follow his dreams as the same SOBs that did the number on us earlier that day took this young man's life later in the day. I'm happy to report that most of these SOBs were arrested, thanks to some great intelligence work by our boys.

Anyway, some have asked if it's a good idea to visit Afghanistan at this time. Here are some of my thoughts on this issue.

Kabul, suburbs and some of the bigger towns are relatively safe. I was able to fly in under special circumstance, but the average Joe has to get a visa. It's not easy, but doable. The Afghan people are very friendly. At least the city people are. You will be able to see some historic sites. Don't expect any luxuries. The best hotel in Kabul is the Intercontinental Kabul airport, but the best time is at the Mustafa Hotel downtown. The city still needs a LOT of work. Food is actually good to excellent.
Now let's talk about the countryside. It's off limits to the independent tourist. If anybody decides to try, bring a lot of cash. Bribery is the word of the day. Actually it's true for the city as well, but in the countryside it may actually keep you alive. Drug and war lords rule the roads outside the cities. There are also remanents of Taliban as well as some foreign Islamic fighters that will not hesitate for a second to put a bullet in the back of your head. Money may save you, but it's not a guarantee. If I were the average Joe, I would bypass Afghanistan at this time. It's a beautiful country with great people and hopefully one day we all could visit, but it's not that time yet.

It's good to be home!