Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

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Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby Sean McHugh » Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:05 pm

Hello people, I'm a fairly well travelled genius presently in China but with Mongolian and Russian visas at hand and looking to see some of central Asia, ideally after a few days in Moscow if I can keep costs down. I've a few travelogues on the link below (two unwritten) as you like but I'm seriously considering an Afghan sojourn entering from Tajikistan in a few weeks, hoping to get down to Kabul and perhaps more before a flight to Africa and a DR Congo circuit: I've made it to what I see as all the other major world regions.

If you've any thoughts on how dire Afghanistan undoubtedly isn't they'd be welcome- they'd likely beat the farcical political xenophobia on the British Foreign office anyway, not that I'm dumb enough ever to bother getting near to clicking on it.

And indeed I too lament the decline of LP into offensive utter filth and smell over the last 15 years (I'm banned on Thorntree, with its Afghanistan stupidity).

Sean

http://www.box.net/shared/ll5hscezq1
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby coldharvest » Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:01 pm

You'll fit in nicely here
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby vagabond » Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:08 pm

Sean McHugh wrote: (I'm banned on Thorntree, with its Afghanistan stupidity).


Nice, congrats on that.

Might try and cross-link this onto the main forum as I don't think as many folks read it (despite it being the travel forum on a travel site). There should be some folks with recent Afghanistan experience lurking around there.

What other parts of C Asia are you going to? And where are you planning on flying to Africa from?
"If you were born near someplace called "The Erg of ____" you lost the lottery." - Kurt the Wise

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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby flipflop » Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:52 am

If you're entering from Tajikistan you're in safe conutry, the whole way down to Kabul. Enjoy the Salang Pass - although it's best to see it with a bit of snow on the ground (Spring). Don't miss the Panjshir and if you get a chance get into the Hazarajat and see Bamiyan. All these places are easily accessible on the way to Kabul, relatively safe, and you'll be mad to miss them, simply stunning. In Kabul be prepared to pay silly prices for accommodation and beer.

Take pictures and show them here

Cheers and welcome to the forum
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby Sean McHugh » Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:21 am

Firstly I guess I was ranting a bit much for an intial post there, I must have been in a right mood and need to do more proofreading; also I've had a bit of internet trouble and haven't been able to get back for a couple of days here.

Many many thanks to flipflop, that's certainly encouraging, cheers and I've made the appropriate notes on those destinations. Would you get an Afghan visa in Dushanbe? And do you know of a budget hotel in Kabul?

I've been teaching in China for a year and would rather like to do both central Asia and central Africa so I'm thinking of flying to Kigali where I can enter visa free or get one on arrival and then go to the a DRC embassy there; the only other bordering country I could do this would be Zambia I think. One concern I have is that my expensive malarone malaria tablets are two years out of date and I understand they become less effective, but I'm planning to use them... (I had treatment for malaria in Ghana and Togo and wouldn't think much of my chances if I get it stuck on a river boat)

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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby Sean McHugh » Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:23 am

vagabond, do you expect I can get a flight to Addis in Ethiopia from Kabul??????????
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby flipflop » Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:17 am

I don't know the score about visas for entry to Afghan, I was working there for HMG. The thing about hotels there is: there's two 'luxury' hotels which are the unsafest there - the Intercontinental and the Serena, both have been targeted by insurgents. The Gandamack Lodge charges $75-£180 a room, which is better, and the owner is Peter Jouvenal who's a nice guy surrounded by media bores and "windswept and interesting" journos and other assorted windbags. It's got good security and is snuck away off the main road behind a row of nondescript shops. The bar can get busy even if the prices are steep and that's where the bores usually hang out.

There's loads of cheaper but decent hotels dotted around Shar-e-Now (new town), your best bet is to get there, do a little bit of legwork around chicken/park/toilet streets (any English-speaking local will know what these words mean). Even the cheaper hotels will have rudimentary security, but it is invariably shit, so try and find a cheap hotel off the main street.

Cheers
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby Sean McHugh » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:35 am

Many thanks; some places do lack budget range hotels but it sounds like I'll be able to find something. I'm very interested in the country as a curious point of tension, as though Western civilization suddenly falls away after this point when you reach India...
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby vagabond » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:36 am

Sean McHugh wrote:Many thanks; some places do lack budget range hotels but it sounds like I'll be able to find something. I'm very interested in the country as a curious point of tension, as though Western civilization suddenly falls away after this point when you reach India...


Yeah, pretty much anything you'd like to do falls away from 'Western civ' once you get to South Asia.

My comment was out of curiosity really but I've seen your site and your intentions. From Kabul or even Pak I assume your best bet to Africa is to hook up with Emirates, head through Dubai, and connect to wherever you need to arrive in C. Africa.
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby Dr. V » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:02 pm

flipflop wrote:I don't know the score about visas for entry to Afghan,


I got mine from the Afghan Embassy in London. Fill in form, send passport and cheque and wait (there was a surprising quick turnaround) - I seem to remember there was a requirement for an invitation letter although that might have changed. I've never heard of tourist visa on arrival.

http://www.mfa.gov.af/Visa.asp
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby flipflop » Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:15 pm

Sean McHugh wrote: I'm very interested in the country as a curious point of tension, as though Western civilization suddenly falls away after this point when you reach India...


It falls away pretty much along with the topography when you go east from Kabul down the Lataband Pass (stunning phot ops) toward Jalal & Pakistan. Surobi can be extremely dangerous(ask the French about skinned corpses). Dunno much about the Khyber, but Jalalabad is worth checking out.

Cheers
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby rickshaw92 » Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:42 pm

but Jalalabad is worth checking out


Really? I thought it looked a shitpit.
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby vagabond » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:28 pm

I've always wanted to try Badakhshan. Scenery there looks spectacular.
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby Sean McHugh » Sun Jul 03, 2011 3:00 am

Thanks to you fine folks.
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Re: Hi there, travelogue links & any thoughts on Afghanistan

Postby rickshaw92 » Sun Jul 03, 2011 3:25 am

Sean McHugh wrote:Thanks to you fine folks.


Who you callin 'fine'?
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
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