I'm definitely no thrill-seeker and don't enjoy stressful travel in foreign lands. Over the years, however, I've done a great deal of research of ethnic rivalries and political upheavals in third-world countries and also have a very strong interest in the history of Asia (Indian kingdoms, Alexander the Great, the Silk Road, Buddhist cultural diffusion). Pakistan is a country very close to my heart and in Pakistan I've made friends with many Afghani refugees who told me of their homeland. While I met many other friendly Afghanis in Kabul, Kandahar, and elsewhere there are still many problems which Afghanistan has yet to overcome. As stated earlier, this webpage is for information purposes only and by no means would I encourage anyone to travel to Afghanistan. The US State Department (www.state.gov) is an excellent place for up-to-date information on the situation there and gives many good reasons why travel there should be avoided. The areas around Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar are particularly dangerous but no place in Afghanistan can be considered safe. Landmines There are very few countries on this planet with as many landmines as Afghanistan. Just north of Kabul are the Shomali Plains (towards Bagram and the Salang Pass) where there was a great deal of fighting between the Northern Alliance (who held Bagram) and the Taliban. All along the road are hundreds of small white rocks on top of mounds of dirt- landmine markers. While demining agencies are extremely active in removing mines, the war ended a very short time ago and it will be many years before the mines are cleared. Many of the country's historical sights such as Shahr-i-Zohak cannot be seen close up due to landmines. One-legged men are a common sight in Kabul. Lawlessness Many Afghanis welcomed the Taliban with open arms feeling that their strict form of Islam would be the answer to years of rampant crime among the mujahadeen. While the present situation isn't anything as bad as the anarchy of 1992-1996, a weak central government and the return of warlordism are major problems facing the country. Foreign peacekeepers, ISAF, are stationed only in Kabul. US troops are extremely low-key in areas where they are stationed and do not assist in general security. Health Many Afghanis are unfamiliar with basic concepts of good hygiene and medical care is, as you'd expect, very poor. Pharmacies are everywhere but the return of over a million refugees has overburdened health services that were inadequate to begin with. Taliban and Al Qaeda They're both still there. Advice For Women It would be difficult for me to imagine a woman going to Afghanistan on her own as it is a very male-oriented society. When a bus stops at a restaurant, the men all get out to eat while the women stay on the bus. I always assumed that the women were eating beneath their burqas. Afghanistan is one of the most sexually-repressed countries you could ever visit and any brash attempts at women's liberation will probably have unpleasant consequences. The conditions of women have improved under the new government but Hamid Karzai is not promoting a secular state and most women still wear a burqa. As in Pakistan, western women are often victimized. In June 2002, a French aid worker was gangraped by seven men in Mazar-i-Sharif.                                                                    Home