Who the hell goes to Afghanistan as a tourist?

[NutLoose]

Words fail me

Convoy of foreign tourists attacked in Afghanistan - News from Al Jazeera (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/foreign-tourists-convoy-attacked-afghanistan-160804081708739.html)

[MPN11]

Insane!

I have a long list of countries I won't go to, and 'Stan is way up the top of that.

[Tourist]

Me!...................

[Dan Gerous]

Jeez, talk about sh1t for brains. Where were they heading next, Aleppo!

[rock34]

I can't think of any country with 'stan' at the end of its name that I want to go back to!

[Planemike]

Jeez, talk about sh1t for brains. Where were they heading next, Aleppo!


Pyongyang or Mogadishu.......anyone?? !!!

[Two's in]

The epitome of Darwin Award winners.

[minigundiplomat]

You mean apart from OF4's in HQ posts?

[NutLoose]

British Tourists Attacked In Afghanistan (http://news.sky.com/story/british-tourists-attacked-in-afghanistan-10522398)

The injured were taken to hospital for treatment, It is thought they will be transferred to Iraq

My.... it just keeps on getting better and better for them, hellholes of the world in 7 days.

I wonder how they will top this next year, perhaps the Boko Harem jungle safari tour?

[Lonewolf_50]

Who the hell goes to Afghanistan as a tourist?
1. Huggy Fluffies
2. Drug Dealers (under cover)
3. The least intelligent secret agents ever
4. National Geographic photographers and writers.

[air pig]

Nutloose:

The injured were taken to hospital for treatment, It is thought they will be transferred to Iraq

Unfortunately some civi aeromedical company is going to have to get them out of there.

[Fonsini]

The same people who swim with sharks - thrill seekers who want something to brag about. There is a whole page on Tripadvisor about Afghanistan holidays.

Well these guys will be doing their bragging from a wheelchair :}

[sitigeltfel]

Nutloose:

Unfortunately some civi aeromedical company is going to have to get them out of there.

Can you get travel insurance for that country, sufficient to cover such costs?

A couple of friends have just returned from a trip to Iran and had an armed escort when they were away from the big cities.

[mopardave]

Who the hell goes to Afghanistan as a tourist? Words fail me

Convoy of foreign tourists attacked in Afghanistan - News from Al Jazeera (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/foreign-tourists-convoy-attacked-afghanistan-160804081708739.html)


The kind of people who don't think about the poor b*stards who have to go in and save their naive arses when it all goes horribly wrong! :ugh:

[Amos Keeto]

Sadists! It probably cost them a bomb...or maybe they had a whip round?;)

Anyone going to the North Korean Air Show next month (no joke!)?

[Heathrow Harry]

I knew a Canadian who took two weeks holiday in Algiers during the mid 90's when the locals were slitting people's throats on the streets in broad daylight and Govt. murder squads were out every night. He said he never had a problem, stayed in a small hotel, people were really pleasant and he'd had a great time...................

We reckoned they all thought they were suffering from a mass delusion when they saw him ..."na- impossible!"

[skydiver69]

Can you get travel insurance for that country, sufficient to cover such costs?

A couple of friends have just returned from a trip to Iran and had an armed escort when they were away from the big cities.
I have never heard of anyone needing an armed escort in Iran unless they went to the Iraq and Afghan border areas, so just where did your friends go?

[NutLoose]

In one of the books that came out about people winning medals in Afghanistan a while back, there was a tale of a British Army unit pulling out of some hotspot and as they were driving out they spotted a backpacker walking down the road, pulling him in he told them he was a New Zealander I think, and he did not believe all the stories, so had come to have a look at the country for himself and had been there a while with no bother and friendly locals..
Shortly afterwards they were hit and fought themselves out of the ambush, I seem to remember one of the Soldiers asking him if he now believed the stories.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3725376/Yorkshire-adventure-travel-operator-78-seven-tourists-injured-convoy-carrying-British-Americans-hit-Taliban-rocket-attack-Afghanistan.html

[Heathrow Harry]

welll - the locals probably saw him as no threat whereas a convoy of the British Military.......

that is the real problem - they're not inherently against us as people - they just don't wnat us trying to run their country..................

[Pontius Navigator]

You may remember the battle field tours organized in Iraq in 2003. The organizers agreed afterwards that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea.

[Melchett01]

Who did they book with - Darwin Tours?

[NutLoose]

No a Brit company, and according to the link the tour organiser went with them, more fool him.

[melmothtw]

Who did they book with - Darwin Tours?

No a Brit company,

.........:ugh:

[NutLoose]

I an aware what the Darwin awards are and the reference to the tour, I simply added details to who the fool was, melmothtw.

[BEagle]

For those with a sense of adventure, this could be interesting:

Home - Wonsan Air Festival (http://www.wonsanairfestival.com/)

UK-Finland-China-DPRK and return after 2 days of airshow and national beer festival. A bit pricey though....

[NutLoose]

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.

[Tourist]

The kind of people who don't think about the poor b*stards who have to go in and save their naive arses when it all goes horribly wrong! :ugh:

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.

[MPN11]

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. ..."

[Phil_R]

National Geographic photographers and writers.

That's not tourism.

[mopardave]

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.


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.

[Lonewolf_50]

That's not tourism.
Strictly speaking, I suppose that you're right. Is it a different stamp on the travel visa?

[melmothtw]

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).

[Phil_R]

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

[Lonewolf_50]

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
Thank you Phil, good points all.

Question, though: does the current government in Afghanistan consider its whole nation a war zone?

[melmothtw]

Question, though: does the current government in Afghanistan consider its whole nation a war zone?

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.

[Sandy Parts]

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.....

[Lonewolf_50]

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. Thanks mel, makes sense. Not sure how many war correspondents the NG has ever employed, but I appreciate you and Phil offering me a bit of education on that.

[esa-aardvark]

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.