Honestly, there isn’t a definite answer. Sure you know Afghanistan through news, documentaries or even novels like The Kite Runner. But is it really unsafe to go to Afghanistan?
The Couchsurfing host I contacted seemed to survive just fine there, being an independent American businessman there. He loved that country. So I thought Afghanistan would be just like Pakistan or Palestine… or maybe just a bit more intense.
Before I went to Afghanistan, a girl named Farkhuda was killed by a mob for an alleged crime of burning the Qur’an. Though the city looked quite chilled when I got to Afghanistan. There were many serious army people stationed on the roads and in front of buildings. And many bullet-proof cars.
Then I noticed most houses had high fences.
The first three days while I was in Kabul, the owner of the hotel told me story after story of her friends who got killed by Afghans. And there was a bomb-blast near Majid Mall the second night we were there.
One day when I was in the bazaar, a shabby looking team of secret police stopped me and asked for a show of my passport. That was however the only unpleasant experience. My couchsurfing host was with me, being an Afghan, he said it never happened before (he’s hosted 3 times before hosting me).
The city wasn’t a relaxed one. But people didn’t mind me. I guess there were many more foreigners there in Kabul before and even till now, so it isn’t entirely odd for them to see foreigners. And there are about 10% Hazaras who sort of resemble Chinese people. For some people you might look local to them if your clothing is right.
And after a week in Kabul, people who were so concerned about my presence there had stopped imposing tragedies happened in the past on me. Their lives went back to normal as before.
And I had more courage to explore the city and even to take local taxi (haha, I wrote down where I wanted to go on a piece of paper, bargained, and religiously looked at my Google Map). It turned out I wasn’t kidnapped as I was told. Though I didn’t feel entirely safe, it wasn’t too bad.
The night before I left, I met a person who travelled to Kabul from Pakistan. He’s actually done it a couple of times. And he felt Afghanistan is safer than before, and if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time (there was a bomb blast in Lebanese restaurant) you could be dead. And he said there’s no where on earth that’s guarantee to be safe.
So, basically I didn’t feel Afghan people were hostile against outsiders. They were not too enthusiastic either (with the only exception of me being a young girl that some men were really friendly in a nice chivalrous way).
But, I would say unless you intend to work there, there isn’t a point for going there. Or if you are going there en-route to Uzbekistan or Iran, then it makes sense. Otherwise it is not a place for tourist. And it’s expensive to backpack in Afghanistan. As roads aren’t safe and you basically need to pay for air tickets going to different cities.
Sure, Afghanistan has its charms and to me it was a nice country, but there are many places in the world you can visit. Unless you have something you have to accomplish by going there, there is no point for taking the risk if the reward is low. You need a good reason that convinces yourself and everybody else.
You may also read from opinions on backpacking from other travelers and perhaps it will give you a fuller perspective.
Miyu Suzuki, Japanese female, http://www.willtravellife.com/blog/2013/06/25/backpacking-in-afghanistan/
Mustafa Dogru,Turkish male, http://www.ibackpacktheworld.com/backpacking-in-afghanistan/
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