100 Hours in The MOST Dangerous Country For Women - Afghanistan
I don't know what I can and can't record yep so here I am about to walk into a room with almost 50 Afghan men in the most dangerous country for women in the world. Since the rise of power of the Taliban, after the US withdrawal in 2021, the rights of women have been further stripped from them in this country. "every moment you feel like you're in a prison" "we can't talk we can't do anything" and just days ago a law preventing women from speaking in public was passed by Taliban officials women's rights are under threat in Afghanistan new so-called virtue law which prevents women from singing or raising their voices in public and in a time where traditional media and politicians are committed to making sure we all hate each other I decided to spend 100 hours in Afghanistan as a woman to try and understand what life is like here under Taliban rule is there more to the story of constant negativity that we've been fed our entire lives and will these men I've never met be hostile towards me as a woman understandably my loved ones are just as unsure as I am we're going to Afghanistan why would you want to do that you might get killed over there and at one of the scariest times in the Middle East in recent history airspace closures could mean my flight out of the country in 100 hours is cancelled Israeli Prime Minister is like Buri the war cuz Iran just closed all their airspace so this is bad I have a long journey ahead of me before I can find out for sure because I'm not just flying in and out of cabal I'm crossing the land border on foot from neighboring Tajikistan and I'm coming face to face with the Taliban in the process I changed into suitable clothing hopped on a bus in the official no man's land between the two countries and stepped foot on Taliban controlled Afghan soil and was immediately told not to film and there I was inside the most dangerous country in the world for women Afghanistan thank you first time out in Afghanistan okay this is this is crazy I don't have words just yet I'm still a bit like trying to figure out what I want to say and what how I want to act and stuff in public if you've seen me before I'm usually quite loud but I can't really can't really do that here I I don't feel like I'm cat just yet even with just a few steps into this country I feel the stairs from The Strangers thank you Salam Salam it's obvious that this is not normal here we stand out like sore thumb they're all staring oh my gosh our guide Marty brought us to a private area in this local restaurant to separate women so we're in like a room and what's this this is tea this is tea okay I I love coffee I'm a coffee drinker but people in Afghan sound like tea right I'm really sorry but especially in these places if you ask for coffee they will ask you what is that that's crazy tough week for you I'm going to have a tough week tough 100 hours while eating my first expectation of Afghanistan was challenged I was approached by a local woman my age who dropped her face coverings hugged me and welcomed me to Afghanistan remember women here are not allowed to show their face in public and just a few days ago the Taliban rulers set out new laws stating that women are now not allowed to speak women have borne the brunt of the taliban's repressive laws and have been stripped of all human rights which made this interaction all the more surprising wow I I just met a lady and I spoke to her for ages but she didn't have I can't take videos of ladies so I didn't take a video of her but I just went and took photos and she was so nice all right back in the car for another long hours drive couple hours and yes we're still drawing eyeballs so like Curious aren't they we headed to the city of misari shareif with our first stop being at a market to get a real taste of life in Afghanistan without the filters of international media the plan was to buy some local clothes to help keep a low profile from any one who may have a negative reaction to us being here including potentially members of Isis who the Taliban are trying to keep away from foreigners in this region this is actually crazy there's people everywhere I'm I'm speechless a little bit because I'm haven't figured out how I should or or will act here yet I'm kind of a mellow down version of myself with how loud I'm letting myself be and things like that but then also I'm just still not 100% hi Salam Alum Hi how are you good how are you that was friendly at this point even with a few friendly interactions I was still feeling unsure but the search for clothing continues if you would like to buy from here or from another shops here then you can choose the shops by yourself no we'll shop with your friend we'll sh with your friend thank I at this stage still felt on guard and uncomfortable being in this environment but I remind myself to give these people the benefit of the doubt to come without prejudice or judgment regardless of what we've heard about this country Michael's getting his his dress he's picked this green color just like straight away he was saying that we're their guest and we don't need to pay but we're paying so that's wow that's some Hospital isn't it thank you nice to me wow that was so nice what a lovely men that's so sweet we next tried to find clothing for me as a woman but there's just a small selection of off- the rack clothes without much size Choice other than the blue burer which has become synonymous with women in Afghanistan which is available everywhere in abundance so I couldn't find any uh dress for me but Michael has his bag of fabric someone's talking to Michael to Afghanistan today first time Michael's talking to them yeah you you have YouTube yes what's the name uh aan Mike uh in this now does anyone annoy you or disturbed you no no no we've had a great time so far I'm here to help you thank you that's call everything do you have do you need just tell me when I went trying to thank you thanks fan Mike nice to meet you I'm you too what a lovely fill wow we've honestly had really really friendly experiences so far um with some little friends yeah I've got some friends Michael had a very smooth time finding a Tor and fabric to make his local clothes and I'm feeling uneasy as I'm stuck with one AER to wear for the whole 100 hours in this country I decided I needed some time to decompress and rest from what turned out to be a hectic day honestly that was so hectic when we had first arrived um from the tajikstan border and crossed into Afghanistan I was so scared I couldn't film it the Taliban literally told me not to film um but we got there and when we were getting our visa on arrival at the border they we walked into this room when it was our turn and there was just the Taliban with like AKs like it was insane and I know that there's like a different element as a woman I was like am I meant to be in this room like do I have to what do I have to do and it was pretty nerve-wracking at the start throughout the day it's obviously been really crazy but I do feel a little bit better than I did when I first got here this morning we just got here and it feels like I've done so much but I've done like so little so if you don't know you can't film women here so it's making it a little bit hard and I guess a lot of the things I want to ask I'm not going to be able to not on camera at least but I'm not going to get anyone into trouble or or risk anyone's anything just by trying to post a photo on my YouTube channel so well that's it for tonight I am exhausted but I think we're going to do a lot more things tomorrow and then after that get ready for Kabal good night a day into this trip and I'm already grateful to have my gu with me Marty from let's be friends Afghanistan cuz it's not necessarily simple to travel freely here life in Taliban controlled Afghanistan as a tourist domestic and international means checking in with a Taliban every time you enter a new region to gain permission and a permit along with handing over all your personal details in order to move freely in the area we've spent a lot of time in the car over the last 24 hours of being in Afghanistan um which gives me time to just kind of view the world as we drive past it and and what it's like here and I just see lots of hardworking people there's kids working as can't be older than some of them 8 years old um they start really early um don't really have a choice and yeah it's crazy looking out the window and seeing all these people's lives with with me here we stopped at a street vendor for some water and a young boy approached begging for help and money much to the displeasure of the vendor this is the unfortunate reality of life in Afghanistan as poverty is impacting more than 90% of the country's population thank you oh it's so hot righty I'm sad like I can't help everyone you know we've been through this multiple times in uh you know needs help yeah exactly it it's good to help them but yeah it's hard to help everyone exactly and I the thing I noticed about that is the little boy selling us the water he was telling him to stop and to leave me alone so we're not religious if someone asked us cuz when we travel lots of people ask us what religion we are and we say like nothing is that bad to say here or would it be better to say we're Christian or um no it's okay is it strange if we said nothing it's a bit strange but it's getting up de yeah true it it gets a little B bit time until the people open their eyes completely yeah where are we we are in front of the nine pillar mask or and the legend it's here that I'm having my first understanding of the complex and often misunderstood history of the people that live in modern day Afghanistan I arrived at what's known as the nine pillar mosque a 5,000-year-old ancient site that predates Islam as a religion by over 3,000 years it these mosque destroyed with the KH this is one of the key sites of a pivotal moment in world history the invasion of genas Khan who massed the people of this region and wiped out 75% of the dominant kmian Empire that stretched from Tran in Modern Day Iran to summer count in modern day usbekistan leaving the site two men on a motorbike were following us I noticed a large gun strapped to them but I thought only the Taliban were allowed to carry weapons it turns out this is our protection as we move around in this region these Taliban men were here for us we explore the remains of the ancient region of bulk which was once the center of Buddhism philosophy and arts learning about history tells a violent story of conflict and collapse I mean this is where Alexander the Great once was after he invaded Persia in 329 BC from early Islamic conquests to British and Soviet interventions the country has seen frequent upheaval the Soviet Afghan war in the 1980s and the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s further destabilized the region despite attempts at rebuilding the taliban's return in 2021 highlights the ongoing challenges and violence in Afghanistan's history the Region's ongoing struggles are deeply rooted in its historical conflicts and shifting religious influences So might's Gone to look at our permits and submit them again it's like the second or third time today and it's midday actually pretty crazy how many times we need to get checked in per committed and and stamped and all this stuff I'm so glad that we are on a tour where with let's be friends um I'll link it in the description bar below I'll talk more about it later on one of the reasons or one of the like positives by going with a tour guide especially like here like we wouldn't know what to do I think if we were by ourselves so you can definitely you can come by yourself it's just like a I think it would be a very different experience I have not felt unsafe yet if that makes sense even though I'm uneasy I'm not I'm not comfortable I'm don't feel unsafe I hope that kind of makes sense good to go yeah uh because of the escorts we have to leave a copy of this paper for the escort since the Taliban regime Rose to power again they have been quite fond of cameras and attention which has sparked controversy now there's a strict rule of no media Direct directly with tourists it's been thought that this recent influx of Tourism is portraying a misleadingly positive image of the country thereby diverting attention from ongoing human rights violations and that influencers must refrain from creating a distorted narrative that suggest normaly and safety for all Afghans this was not lost on me and there are many things I don't agree with but I know that I'm here to learn and document the lives of the local people of Afghanistan we've just gone to have some late lunch in that restaurant but I didn't really film anything because there was women um and you can't film women and they were without their faces covered to eat and things like that oh oh These it's breaking my heart these kids have to do this from so such a young age you want to help everyone yeah you can't though can you no it's very different such a cultural difference um obviously to I'm used to I didn't want to film them didn't feel right but yeah is is this the Blue Mosque U this is the par musk yes this is a very biggest this is a very biggest mus and beautiful cool got a gathering I didn't realize I was listening to Marty talk about the mosque and then I look over there and there's just kids around us so cute they're so friendly smiley yeah this is really good that there are like kids are learning learning and they're talking in English English he was really well spoken that a very bright future I'm very happy with this we headed out to pick up Michael's local clothes and finally both dressed like locals we made our way to the shrine of haat Ari believed by Sunni Muslims to be the tomb of Ali the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad disputed by Shia Muslims who believe the resting place is in Iraq the shrine and tomb was built after a dream of a local religious leader in the 1100s who believed Ali revealed himself to the holy man and told him that this is where he was resting the giant structure you see now is the reason this city is so important to Northern Afghanistan while it's beautiful to be here I noticed I am the only woman thinking back to our time waiting to enter I had noticed a woman outside crying I realized now that this was because they are not allowed to enter and feeling uncomfortable to have the opportunity that other women didn't and having an encounter with a man whose wife was denied entry I requested that we make our way to the exit only to be stopped by a friendly local with a message for the world the foran peoples uh think which Afghanistan situation is bad but not Afghanistan now have a good situation all of the foran countries people can come in Afghanistan and they can see the uh good side scenes in Afghanistan like of Maz like of nuristan and at the last you're are so welcome Afghanistan people is so hospitable pups uh and your welcome Miss and Mister thank you so much thanks thanks for you I'm Doctor I'm jie so than nice to meet you nice toet we had nothing but really nice Hospitality here and I'm getting like kind of emotional about it because I feel like I was scared and I mean rightfully so in a way but no one showed me the opposite there's men walking around with guns and that's hard to be that's confronting and it's hard to see but everyone's being so nice everyone even me as a woman um say hello to me uh Salam I've I've not had anything negative yet and everyone's been so hospitable and welcoming very welcoming more than I would say 99 or any% or any other the countries that we've been to so far especially the young boys like this um like this they're very interested and a lot of them actually wait for me to say something before they do which is understandable but even just walking down the street here everyone is uh very receptive even if sometimes they can't be to me which is totally fine but very friendly the next stop was a shop that has been run by one family for Generations I'm told this is something I had to experience all right we're out to get ice cream he asked us actually do you want to go to a fancy place or a not fancy place and we're like not fancy we're like all these like fancy restaurants we've been going to not my thing I want to from here on make this more of a like you know local experience no women around no cool I first made sure that I saw no women so I could keep filming I was invited to be showing how they make their ice cream known here as Shak Shak sh they make this by pouring milk into these copper pots that is submerged in ice they shake it to allow that milk to freeze against the sides of the pot this ice cream is different from in the west and it's often flavored with rose water and cardamine oh my good oh wow it's really sweet I've never tasted anything on this before it's delicious and this is popular right very popular very popular I can tell do you like it yeah yeah yeah Marty was starting to open up to us and it was here that he invited us to something seriously special uh there are ladies that they don't like to record when whenever they go out then you can record okay okay you tell me you see we're in Afghanistan during a heavily religious time I traditionally 40 days of mourning for Shia Muslims the 40 days of celebrations for Sunni Muslims in modern mazah e Sharif where there is a mixture of faiths it has become a community event and time for togetherness with one family in the community choosing to host and feed the entire neighborhood on a night by Night basis tonight it's Mar's uncle's turn and we are lucky enough to be invited to be part of this I can't believe I'm invited into the house okay okay come inside as I was with Marty and Michael and women and men are segregated in Afghan Society I wasn't sure where I would be placed for this event it was here that my expectations of Afghanistan were shattered once again as I sat with Michael in the men's area and I was greeted with a smile one by one by every single man that entered they're just happy for me to be in here I I didn't expect that the bo just welcomed you they said welcome I'm didn't expect that I'm in a room with males right now and you know people have told you me that that's not possible what an honor I'm I'm sure this is definitely not normal I think the thing that gets me the most is like you have to be accepted right but I'm sure if one person didn't you wouldn't be Al so that means everyone is which is pretty awesome MH I'm in a room with about 50 ask men if there was ever a time to feel intimidated it's now but I'm not my God they're walking in not expecting a female which is totally white and then not expecting probably a white they see a forer and fale a female such AOL can I know where we from Australia Australia both of you yes yeah jichael what's your name m I never could have expected this this is a reminder that you never really know until you experience it yourself and my my new friend shares why the Afghan people have been so kind to us they're so kind friendly yeah it doesn't matter that they are Foreigner or they friends they think that it's a human and they should be kind with each other as it's thing that's so important with Afghan people when I go to different countries and I put you know videos on YouTube I always ask the people well yes if you could tell the world anything what would it be especially coming from Afghanistan is there anything you'd like to tell the world a message to the world my message is is this to be friendly and friendship and this the only thing that you shouldn't forget it is to be kindness kindness is thing that never lose itself between the people if you have the kindness and the honestly beside of uh kindness it would be nice of the people that they have good relationships all over the world and especially between the society that they live yeah that's a good great message thank you thank you you're welcome the most welcome got me a little emotional wow thank you for being so friendly you're welcome most have you ever tasted this food no never so what do you think how would this would be like egg like egg yeah no I think it's more than the eggs more than egg delicious oh it's delicious yeah okay this rice with the milk with milk with milk yeah and always sheer bran sheer bran yes and it's a famous food of Afghanistan and also it's so tasty tasty yeah and I like it is this your favorite food yes it is it's really warm it's it's literally like like a rice pudding but a bit more if you can see a bit more like gluttonous glutenous glutenous gluttonous that's me glut is um and it's really good with the sugar I like it with the sugar what really really good how do I say uh delicious Kush Kush K Kush feel like a local now and I have a new friend this is a reminder to never judge a country culture or people from what you hear in the media or news as it's never a true representation of all the local people lovely I'm just stewing on what he said upstairs I'm like I'm emotional about it it's like I don't know I I felt very apprehensive the whole time I've been here up until tonight and this is really broken down like I don't not mean to be corny but it's like definitely broken down a lot of barriers or like Sears that I had we were invited into another room to sit with other men from the neighborhood including one of the most respected men the leader of Faith or better known as a holy man and once again we were welcom is very welcome to our house this area we are very happy from the Australian government and the people of Australia and the everyone who are from Australia we we respect them and we are happy from them a thank you as this holy man spoke to us he shared his gratitude and respect to the people of Australia for taking on so many refugees that escaped Afghanistan after the Taliban Takeover in 2012 many of whom would have been targeted by the group we could feel his warmth and kindness in every word when he when he talks to me I feel what he's like thank you I did that really badly I think it's okay you know that's not be our Al it thank you he shared with us his message to the world which is simply to be a good human and to remember that all the people of this world are like brothers from the same family we all like brothers the same we are all hum and we must need respect to each other and kind to each other yes yeah Afghanistan is the most friendly so far yeah I'm very glad that we're here yeah yeah and we all continued with playful jokes and laughs with full hearts and full bellies it was time to return back to the hotel but not before we were welcomed Again by the woman of this house thank you so much thank you she is the Lady of this house yes and they're very welcoming you to this house tell her it's a beautiful home beautiful t t thank you bye goodbye goodbye they so lovely what a great night I've been on guard since we got here I've been watching how I act how I look how I speak what I do and what kindness um we've been shown we've only been invited into someone's home a handful of times traveling and this was one of them I didn't expect it I definitely Blown Away with the hospitality from the people here coming up to us in the street I feel like after today I feel a lot more like I can like relax and and and and maybe be a bit more comfortable for the first time almost ever I wasn't comfortable as soon as I got off the plane and if you've watched my videos before I'm comfortable as soon as I get off the plane um but here not so much um but now I feel like I'm halfway into this trip and I think the second half is going to be even better I mean I don't know that I'm not a fortune teller but hopefully maybe you'll get to the end of the video and you'll be like it was worse you tell me on that note I'll see you in the morning today would begin our epic 12-hour Journey from mazah to the capital city of Kabul said to be the most dangerous city in all of Afghanistan despite only being 400 km apart this drive will take most of the day due to the extremely poor conditions of the roads in this country but before we set off a local stopped and gave us a gift a a gift yes oh you don't need to do that oh for me are you sure thank you it's beautiful look once again astounded by the kindness of the people should we live now Bal we started our long trk towards cabal first headed to the ancient region of Summer gun but just as we made it to the regional border yet another checkpoint so Marty has just gone and registered us again I think arriving in this town there's a lot of like stopping and registering and our passport Sports and checking and this at pretty much every stage of the journey so it's been a lot after traversing winding mountainous roads lined with shops filled with fruit and items from locals we arrived at an ancient Buddhist stupa this Monastery including two temples was carved entirely from Bedrock inside is a maze of indoor caves including a bizaar from the 5th Century where it was one of the world's first instances of trading currency there is the last shop which look looks almost like oval they were selling there the expensive items like joies expensive stuff what's this flag this is the flag of our government now which is Root in the holy word of Islam Muhammad everyone who who read this uh sentences the holy word they become a Muslim right okay yes goodbye thank you goodbye we say goodbye to our escort and we were on the road again stops bye some melon I think moving into Kabul today tonight we're going to be doing more of getting some more street food things I think I love doing things like this buying local melons local food local drinks are you bargaining for the price yeah yeah because you know when they see some uh some person which is uh they know like their situation is a little bit better their economic is better they they put bigger price uhhuh because we are passing all to this road and they think like these people is coming only one time and they are going and gone yeah I start there was uh he was saying 170 for each for each yeah stop yeah then I paid the 520 for four of them for four okay as I sit here in the passenger seat looking out at the beautiful and misunderstood country of Afghanistan I noticed that I feel much different and more relaxed than I did just a few days ago we just uh got stopped for a check by uh the Taliban and lowkey one of them was like super super friendly he was smiling and he um like bent down to like say hello to me like multiple times and he was like saying our last names and then at the end he was like uh come with like take me to Australia he was so funny he was like joking with us I think like in those situations like some comic relief for me is like very important it's uh it's confronting but he was just super friendly conflicting experience it's really far from what you heard from the media yeah he was just happy to like talk to us and like he just kept literally looking down to smile at me like the whole time definitely not what I expected and yesterday when I asked your um I think it was the the wise men in your community what his message was um to the world from Afghanistan what would be your message my message is don't trust on the medas see Afghanistan by yourself and see what is reality in Afghanistan yeah yeah has a CO you're welcome at this point we're more than halfway to Kabul we stopped for a delicious lunch enjoying each other's company and getting some drinks from locals for the road all right let's start the 3 4our trip to Kabul look at all these mall look at all those chickens we should have said that at the SAG oh puppy sag sag animals go fun oh sorry this was seriously the most goat I've ever seen what a wild adventure this has been at this point Marty and I were really getting along sharing our goals and dreams what's your dream with uh YouTube uh To Be A Millionaire no no I mean I mean million of subscriber would creating content for YouTube make you happy of course also to support the village lives the cultures I will show everything in my channel actually it's my dream to be in USA USA yeah America I really like to to live in Australia mhm and uh I I want to go to us because it's really easy to improve there yeah you told me yesterday or the day before that you used to do sport right yeah but you can't anymore you don't um actually yes I don't because I have to work and I have to support myself my family it was my dream to be a champion yeah the boxing champion of the world but nowadays I have to work to serve for for my family if that be possible then if I if the situation get better my my life situation then uh I will do with sports and I would try to do everything to get the champion of the world you were telling me as well that it's really hard for you to be able to do the things you want like you want to go to America or Australia actually you know this that's because of our passports you know we because we are originally from Afghanistan and uh in anywhere we go mhm they don't accept us so you're you're kind of like not stuck but yeah you're here you're here yeah yeah I'm still trying to to get to my dreams m my wishes but uh let's see what the life supposed to be how does it make you feel well it's it's very sad for me like uh the thing that I was dreaming about and my life is going to opposite M it it's really sad but I was 100% sure that one day I will get the champion of the world but unfortunately everything went the opposite and uh I couldn't so for now the only option I have is to to work and support for my family this is life you know we have to we have to do good works to to have job to have income to support ourself if you want to continue our life if you don't if if you don't do good works then there will be nothing for good life we have to do good works these words become from my heart you know these are just like the parts which I lost my dreams on this way the I had I had had these feelings I had these words I had when when I become a champion I will share these words but I couldn't still I'm happy that I can share this words that's your the most important thing is like uh to be a good person a good human if we don't visit again at least there be should there should be good memories from today yes yeah while a beautiful drive it was also a rough one this is the reality of roads in Afghanistan a road trip like this is usually a rest day but this is exhausting just being a passenger we have to navigate some of the most dangerous driving conditions passing trucks with the drivers sleeping and resting under them waiting until 6: p.m. when they're allowed to drive again and make the roads even more congested and dangerous as night began to fall after 12 hours of driving we approached the outskirts of cabal knowing I would be exploring this Infamous City in the morning good morning Jamal the first day in cabul and it is here that life under the Taliban in the city becomes much more real but before we explore we must have a favorite from this city the local breakfast snack balani I love the food from here honestly I really like it it's basically just like breads with um some meat sometimes and vegetables and some places do them better than others my first F my favorite was still probably the thing we had on the first day if you like coffee like me you're going to have a hard time in Afghanistan I'm not going to lie it basically doesn't exist um but there's tea everywhere so I've been trying to do tea mixed with like red wool they have like some energy drinks it hasn't hit the spot for coffee so I can't wait to have that when I leave I think I'm happy withdrawals um but the tea is everywhere and it's nice tea it's green tea or black tea as we fuel up for the day ahead I feel nervous but also excited as I know I'm about to see the real Kabal up close our first stop was the barber Garden the resting place of the former mugle Emperor who once ruled but it was the gesture from this boy who keeps the tomb clean for tips that touched me the most literally the first person in Afghanistan who reached out and made a physical connection with me in his thanks oh he shook my hand cop a oh thank you hi hi hi hi back in the day uh women used to be able to come here but as of now with the new regime um women aren't allowed in here so uh I'm the only one and I'm sure I'm getting looks being like why are you allowed in here I'm sure Salam everyone is being so friendly as usual um but I'm really really really really want to get out more into the market we're going to a market later and I really want to do that so it was time to enter the famous bird Bazaar a rather interesting place for a tourist as it's known to be exceptionally hectic and busy in one of the most dangerous cities in the world I'm good how are you but oddly as we started exploring the market it was surprisingly empty but we could hear something over a loudspeaker it turns out it was time for Friday prayer they're praying down here wow they're praying down the end there so we're going to head back it's like cut off the entire Road it's crazy we feel a bit sad there in cages but things are different everywhere you go right oh wow there Birds everywhere this is this is crazy this is great I'm just Hi how are oh hi thank you good much to our surprise regardless of what we have heard we actually felt quite welcome oh T Australia Australia Sydney why Australia can eat tea tea is good yeah oh for me yeah give tea oh thank you jie we have to move on oh we have to okay for me when I travel I always just accept the invitation and I think here I am forgot hi Salam welcome Afghanistan oh T thank you thank you so much decided to get his hair and beard trimmed by an Afghan Street Barber and naturally a big crowd formed around him much the displeasure of one man who is enraged at the idea of us showing the bizaar stating that we should only be showing the rich parts of Afghanistan this was quite the contrast to the rest of the locals who were very kind and respectful some guy tried to like talk to our guide and he was saying why are you only showing the bad parts of kab why are you why are you not showing the good parts of kab and I have so much to say to that because that makes me so frustrated I'm not propaganda for your country this is what it's like for most people and that's the life that I like to show real life these are the real people of Kabal and like we're showing how lovely and nice and friendly they are don't be the one [ __ ] that's not you're the person that made it made it look bad exone of these people did exactly my point as I was about to say you are that person who then makes a place look bad not the nice people that are in that place does that make sense anyway kind just if would like to oh yeah maybe I'll try some that just one just one just one uh Yak that's a one yes B this is cooln oh it's good it it's like sweet yeah how do I say delicious K how old is he 18 years old 18 yeah wow that is really cool good job I've got a lot of friends having thank you so much T delicious bye bye s so we're going to leave all the information for let's be friends Afghanistan in the description below make sure you check them out and when you come to Afghanistan definitely go with them um especially for your tour well for your tour it's been um a great experience so far full of happy emotions after being so welcomed by everyone in Kabul we spent the day with Marty and Jamar enjoying their company and meeting some fruit vendors before retiring back to our hotel for the last night in Afghanistan that feels good we come back it's time for bed but I wanted to say thank you to let's be friends Afghanistan because I feel like they've really given me the opportunity to sort of break down maybe like preconceived thoughts I had about Afghanistan or like I had a lot of hesitations and and I think rightfully so if I'm being completely honest but if I'm also being completely honest having the opportunity um when let's be friends Afghanistan invited me here um having that opportunity has really changed a lot of the perceptions I had in my mind about Afghanistan and about the people here and about all of that so I am super grateful that I was able to come and see it for myself and see how welcoming the people are here even to most of them anyway to a woman oh that's a hard bed good night wow this bed is really hard the final day was a peaceful one we awoke before the crowds and sip tea at the Blue Mosque of Kabul taking in what really is is a breathtaking sight before making the ascent to one of the highest points in the city formerly a massive Afghanistan flag this is now replaced with a Taliban flag to reflect the current leadership and it is a pretty good place to end my time in Afghanistan my time in Kabul it's been a really interesting trip and a really really good one um once in a lifetime and what other place to end it in I was again approached by a polite human being looking to make a connection brave enough to just say hello just like I was which thing you like which thing I like the food the food food yeah the food yeah how about you the culture and that too yeah and everyone's um very friendly what's your name Jersey Jersey Val yes yours my name is Muhammad saki Muhammad saki thank you for speaking with me thank you so much thank you so much you are wel thank you so much nice to meet you Afghanistan is a land of contrasts it's confusing and this trip well in some ways it left me with more questions than answers not all are in agreement with their government but all are being punished as a result the amount of comments I've received on videos about other Muslim countries telling me that I wouldn't last a day in Afghanistan whilst I never believe the hype it did leave me wondering what kind of people these people were friendly people who want the same things out of life that you and I want in this country one of the most dangerous and unstable places on Earth I was met with nothing but love and Hospitality if people under this much stress this much pressure and with this many obstacles in their life can open their hearts to someone so different to them and make a connection so can all of us and with this experience fresh in your minds I hope you can walk away from this feeling inspired to learn about the people who are different from you it may be scary but it's worth it I promise
2024-09-20 10:09
