AFGHANISTAN

A week before my entry into Afghanistan there were news reports of a Taliban insurgency. Two Germans were kidnapped and later released by the Taliban, fights had broken out in Herat and people were kidnapped as far as the Iranian border.
The Taliban had called for a new uprising against the foreign troops and declared the following months the bloodiest to come thus far in the war against the West.
Not really knowing what to expect, I set out with only one goal in mind: to arrive in Pakistan in 1 piece. I had hoped to stay for 2 weeks and visit the main cities plus to make a short trip into the mountains.
It turned out quite unlike I had hoped. Afghanistan was the most expensive country on my trip and I was forced to leave sooner than expected. Accommodation was very pricy and due to safety regulations I was forced to fly between Herat and Kabul. I didn't manage to see a great deal of the country, but it turned out that my timing was perfect. I seemed to keep one step ahead of danger as I made my way across the country. The day after I flew out of Herat there was a bomb attack at Herat airport. Just days after my departure a few British helicopters were shot down, the Taliban had taken control of their second town and Afghanistan had yet another war on their hands.
Beside the element of danger, Afghanistan was very intruiging, endlessly romantic and tragically desperate. There was the beauty of Herat, the sweetness of the people and the heartbreaking poverty and misery. There was the presence of so many alien forces that looked so out of place in this country where time seemed to have stopped ages ago. An alien presence that's there because they see profit in a country where people still die of contaminated water. A country that has fought so many wars and is faced with yet another conflict, driving millions ever deeper into poverty and despair.