Who the hell goes to Afghanistan as a tourist?
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No a Brit company, and according to the link the tour organiser went with them, more fool him.
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I an aware what the Darwin awards are and the reference to the tour, I simply added details to who the fool was, melmothtw.
For those with a sense of adventure, this could be interesting:
Home - Wonsan Air Festival
UK-Finland-China-DPRK and return after 2 days of airshow and national beer festival. A bit pricey though....
Home - Wonsan Air Festival
UK-Finland-China-DPRK and return after 2 days of airshow and national beer festival. A bit pricey though....
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Thanks BEagle, that second picture the hop dampeners on the main bogies work in reverse to most I have seen, front wheels touching down first.
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Some people like to have less canned experiences. Good for them for having a bit of get up and go. So there is risk. So what?
It's a bit like when idiots get stuck up mountains. People complain that "they are "putting SAR forces at risk"
I can tell you from experience that the idiots are what make SAR interesting. Many's the time I've been glad of an idiot to break up the monotony of SAR watch daytime telly.
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BEagle ... this could be interesting!
"...the DPRK’s national airline, Air Koryo, will take to the skies and perform a full aerobatic display featuring low passes and touch and go manoeuvres. Aircraft types planned to take part will include the Ilyushin IL-18, IL-62, IL-76, Tupolev Tu-134, Tu-154, Antonov An-24 airliners plus Mil Mi-17 helicopters. ..."
"...the DPRK’s national airline, Air Koryo, will take to the skies and perform a full aerobatic display featuring low passes and touch and go manoeuvres. Aircraft types planned to take part will include the Ilyushin IL-18, IL-62, IL-76, Tupolev Tu-134, Tu-154, Antonov An-24 airliners plus Mil Mi-17 helicopters. ..."
The "poor b@stards" volunteered for the job. They don't have to go rescuing any more than the tourists have to go to stupid places. You could equally invoke Darwin for anybody who voluntarily joins the military.
Some people like to have less canned experiences. Good for them for having a bit of get up and go. So there is risk. So what?
It's a bit like when idiots get stuck up mountains. People complain that "they are "putting SAR forces at risk"
I can tell you from experience that the idiots are what make SAR interesting. Many's the time I've been glad of an idiot to break up the monotony of SAR watch daytime telly.
Some people like to have less canned experiences. Good for them for having a bit of get up and go. So there is risk. So what?
It's a bit like when idiots get stuck up mountains. People complain that "they are "putting SAR forces at risk"
I can tell you from experience that the idiots are what make SAR interesting. Many's the time I've been glad of an idiot to break up the monotony of SAR watch daytime telly.
Understood......but the fact remains, these people don't consider others who may have to come and save their arses.......they just expect it to happen.
No need for the 'strictly speaking' Lonewolf. Not sure what papers a tourist needs, but a journalist requires a specialist visa to travel to Afghanistan (and most other countries).
Very much so, yes. Journalism is work, and most places are cautious about people working on tourist visas.
Though Colombia, recently, was surprisingly lax. I have not been to Afghanistan and nor would I go, for all of the reasons discussed here. It also depends who you're working for. If it's the BBC, they have huge resources and you can be reasonably secure in security, medical care and repatriation, fine. If it's some little outfit and it's all on a wing and a prayer, not so much. The reason for this concern is specifically because one does not expect help from the military.
The wider issue is that many journalists would take the view that they're one of very few groups of people who actually have any business being in a warzone.
P
Though Colombia, recently, was surprisingly lax. I have not been to Afghanistan and nor would I go, for all of the reasons discussed here. It also depends who you're working for. If it's the BBC, they have huge resources and you can be reasonably secure in security, medical care and repatriation, fine. If it's some little outfit and it's all on a wing and a prayer, not so much. The reason for this concern is specifically because one does not expect help from the military.
The wider issue is that many journalists would take the view that they're one of very few groups of people who actually have any business being in a warzone.
P
Very much so, yes. Journalism is work, and most places are cautious about people working on tourist visas.
Though Colombia, recently, was surprisingly lax. I have not been to Afghanistan and nor would I go, for all of the reasons discussed here. It also depends who you're working for. If it's the BBC, they have huge resources and you can be reasonably secure in security, medical care and repatriation, fine. If it's some little outfit and it's all on a wing and a prayer, not so much. The reason for this concern is specifically because one does not expect help from the military.
The wider issue is that many journalists would take the view that they're one of very few groups of people who actually have any business being in a warzone.
P
Though Colombia, recently, was surprisingly lax. I have not been to Afghanistan and nor would I go, for all of the reasons discussed here. It also depends who you're working for. If it's the BBC, they have huge resources and you can be reasonably secure in security, medical care and repatriation, fine. If it's some little outfit and it's all on a wing and a prayer, not so much. The reason for this concern is specifically because one does not expect help from the military.
The wider issue is that many journalists would take the view that they're one of very few groups of people who actually have any business being in a warzone.
P
Question, though: does the current government in Afghanistan consider its whole nation a war zone?
Question, though: does the current government in Afghanistan consider its whole nation a war zone?
As an aside, for a really good (but depressing) read about the true nature of the tribal peoples of the afghan countryside, try "The Places In Between" by Rory Stewart (MP). He hiked on his tod across the central hills in 2001-2002. Shame these guys didn't do a bit more research prior to travelling.....
I don't think that the Afghan government would officially consider any part of the country to be a war zone - not good for its image. That said, the papers needed to perform journalistic duties are the same no matter where in the country you are. You even needed a visa if you were embedded with NATO forces before combat operations officially ended.
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Wonsan, I wish I had known about that. My. travel dates are quite random as I don't
work, and I have stopped over in Korea in the past. Still I think travel from Seoul
might not be approved off. I'll think about next year if they do it again.
work, and I have stopped over in Korea in the past. Still I think travel from Seoul
might not be approved off. I'll think about next year if they do it again.
