Some are happy for tourists, others hate them. The Czechs break down prejudices about Afghanistan

How did the idea of ​​looking at Afghanistan come about?

I’ve always wanted to go there, I can’t explain why. I know there are many countries where it would be cheaper, safer, but I was interested in Afghanistan. It was also because there is a lot of negative information in our media, and I wanted to make up my own mind. The traveler Lenka Hrabalová approached me to ask if I would like to go with her. Finally, we went in a mixed group of ten.

Before the interview, I looked at what was written about Afghanistan on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it was crazy stuff…

I usually don’t look at it because I only find negative information about the countries I go to. I know that Afghanistan is dangerous even without it, and I drew important information from the experiences of people who were there.

He says there are landmines on the roads…

Fortunately, we didn’t come across them.

What about “persistent lack of fuel”?

There was no problem. We even used domestic flights three times.

But the general opinion is that no one can get to that country, and if one happens to succeed, he will probably die immediately. A woman is more…

In some places you can see that they are damaged by war, but if you don’t focus on it, you won’t see it. I was surprised, for example, by the repaired Kabul, but also by the condition of the city of Ghazni. Some roads are very good. But as for the roads, I’m already used to Albania, when I started driving there twenty years ago, the roads there were not good at all. I like to go somewhere by car, so I don’t mind the worse condition of the roads.

Wasn’t there a problem with the food?

Food and bottled water can be purchased everywhere. But there are definitely areas where it’s much worse, and if you’re local and you don’t have money, it’s a completely different situation as well.

Safer for both parties

How did you get around there, alone or with a guide?

We were accompanied by two guides all the time, except for one day when we walked around Kabul alone. It is possible to go to Afghanistan “blind”, but as a woman I would not go there alone, it would be really dangerous. In addition, if you ask something from the local people, you threaten them, if they talk to you, they are breaking the rules of the Taliban. So it’s safer for both parties to hire a local Taliban-controlled travel agency, so it’s clear in advance what you can and can’t do.

So like tourists in DPRK, right?

Yes, it might seem like it. I like to talk to people and visit them, so it was uncomfortable for me, but I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble because of me. The Taliban continues to tighten the rules, especially against women. I wonder what will happen in the future, because the rules are already very restrictive for men. Women are not allowed to speak in public, men should accompany them everywhere. The Taliban have already started restricting the appearance of men as well. Traditional clothing is preferred, the police can pull them out for an inappropriate hairstyle and they have to grow a new beard. A ban on television is also said to be in play.

How did the locals treat you?

You will come across people who are happy to see that tourists are interested in their country. At the same time, you meet people there who hate you because you symbolize something they consider bad. They don’t judge you as a special person with their own story, but that’s exactly how it is with us. Just prejudice or bad experiences. During my previous travels, it rarely happened to me at this intensity and it was very strange.

How did it go when you had a day off in Kabul?

That day we were walking around the hotel in shops, someone went to a restaurant. In the center of Kabul, they are used to seeing tourists there. A city is a bit more relaxed than the countryside. We also went to the park with the guide, although women are not allowed there. For tourists, there are slightly different rules. Sometimes. Everywhere you go, there are checkpoints and they keep an eye on you. It really depends on who you are running with. The beautiful lakes in Band-e Amir National Park were brought to us as women, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.

So somewhere, for example, the female part of the group had to wait?

It didn’t happen to us, but there are groups where it happened and women weren’t allowed in some places at all.

Did you meet more tourists?

Yes, we mostly met at the hotel. At the Buddhas in Bamyan, we also met people who were there without a travel card, but you are always under the control of the Taliban anyway. The difference is when you travel without local guides, you have to handle all the permits yourself. It was very unpleasant just before we arrived in Bamján, after a long time, a group of tourists was attacked and some of them and their guides died.

And do you know why?

Various things were written, but the Taliban did not release any official statement from the investigation. We were in Bamjan for about three days after it happened, so they were watching us a lot more and there was usually an unpleasant tension. For me it was about overcoming that kind of vague fear where you don’t know where the danger might come from. However, I experienced a much more specific fear of danger just a few times in Prague. So my point is that you have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and it can happen anywhere in the world.

Stories of different civilizations

What did you like most about Afghanistan?

Monuments in Bamyan, because they were the first Buddhist monuments I visited. Afghanistan is the most western place where Buddhism entered and there were large centers and the remains can be found in different places. I like countries where the stories of different civilizations connect, and Afghanistan is definitely like that. There are still many places I would like to visit there and I definitely want to see a porcupine in the wild, so I will return in time.

Practically, was Afghanistan expensive?

Definitely, much more expensive than any other country I’ve been to. The ticket cost about 23 thousand crowns, the total amount of the 14 days came to about 100 thousand crowns.

You also travel a lot with your children, even to countries where other parents would not take their children. This year you took them to Kyrgyzstan or Armenia, for example. You had better not take them to Afghanistan…

No, because it would be too expensive. As for less visited destinations, I took my daughter to Iran, for example, and with both children we were in Saudi Arabia in February. Like me, my daughter loves learning about other cultures, and my son loves archeological digs. I am happy that I can show them the world, that they can get to know other cultures and religions. We often go to countries where Muslims live, so we have more practical experience with Islam than most people in the Czech Republic. Considering the number of people in the world who follow Islam, I don’t think it is right to condemn it categorically. In my opinion, it’s all very wrong, but it’s a shame when ordinary people are grouped together with extremists.

Saudi Arabia is home to the holiest centers in Islam, Mecca and Medina. How did the difference between the different types of Islam affect you there?

We were in Medina and it was very interesting because there Muslim men and women from different parts of the world meet. Saudis tend to favor a strict separation of women from men in mosques, with women often given a smaller enclosed space or literally a corner. There was a similar distribution in Kyrgyzstan. In Afghanistan, they currently prefer that women pray at home, but Shia mosques in Kabul, for example, have divided spaces equally for both sexes. In Iran, but perhaps also in Turkey, there are mosques where the space is not divided at all.

But back to Medina – when, for example, Muslim women from Indonesia come there, they are very upset about the reservations and don’t hesitate to show it. They are women who respect their religion but at the same time expect to have an honorable place to pray. It must be understood that, just as in Christianity, there are many different approaches in Islam.

Author photos: Ilony Bittnerové archive

Ilona Bittnerova

• In the past, she worked as a tour guide in Tanzania and Albania
• she visited, for example, New Zealand, Indonesia, Kamchatka, Zambia or Kyrgyzstan
• He often takes his two children with him on trips. This year she was with them in Saudi Arabia or Armenia

• She was the first person to bring menstrual cups to the Czech Republic in 2006, which she started selling through her e-shop. Today, a successful business with menstrual tools allows her to work from anywhere