Two Days in Sultan Eshkashim: A Taste of Afghanistan, Ishkashim, Afghanistan

For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard about Afghanistan in the news – and not for good reasons. It has always been a country that I’ve sworn not to travel to, at least until the Taliban had finally been defeated. But when Steve and I heard that it was possible to travel to the only safe area in Afghanistan from the GBAO in Tajikistan, we just knew that we had to go. We decided to not tell a single soul from back home because of fear of their reactions and unnecessary worry, but we were determined to do it.

After spending the weekend exploring Khorog, Steve and I spent all of Monday getting ready for our upcoming spontaneous trip to Afghanistan. We went to the Afghan consulate as soon as it opened and had our visas within an hour. It was as easy as anything, but it was also darn expensive. The tourist information center in Khorog had told us that it would cost about 60 USD, but it ended up costing 150 USD per person! I was close to just forgetting all about Afghanistan, but I decided to grab this once in a lifetime chance to experience one of the most unspoilt countries in the world despite the price. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).