Kunduz is a small town of about 300,000 inhabitants in northern Afghanistan, known as Drapsaka in the ancient Greek kingdom of Bactria. It is the first stop in the country for travelers crossing the border from Tajikistan, in order to complete the visa process issued at the border, with the entry stamp.
The town has no special tourist attractions to offer, besides the bustling bazaars and the excellent food, just like the rest of the country.
I arrived late at night from the Shir Khan border, after the hassle of the 2-day delay of issuing my visa. Since the first thing I was dreaming of was the famous Afghani kebabs, we (me and my guide Abdul) made a short stop at a central restaurant on our way to my hotel. I was the one and only tourist there, and although I had the option of sitting in the main hall with the rest of the customers, I preferred the empty room next door, to enjoy my dinner without the obligatory, annoying headscarf (hijab).
I stayed at the central “5 Star” hotel suggested by Abdul, as I had neither time nor courage to look for another. The room was not cheap for one person, I paid 1,300 afg / night without breakfast (about 15€), but at least it was spacious and relatively clean with a private bathroom.
First stop in the next morning was an exchange office in the central market, where I exchanged easily and at a good rate € into Afghani currency. Afterwards, we had to go back to the border for one last time, to pay for my visa and take back the €100 I had left as a deposit.
From/to Kunduz – Shir border Khan we used a shared taxi. The price/person was 500 afghani for 1-hour ride, but as I had to pay for my guide’s expenses too, the cost for me was always double.
On our way back from the border, we headed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for stamping my visa, where the process was easy and quick. The next stop was the Ministry of Culture (Information & Culture Directorate) in order to issue 2 permits, as my original plan was to leave the next morning from Kunduz to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
According to the official regulations of the government, the traveler must issue a permit for each region he wants to visit at the Ministry of Culture. This procedure normally takes place in Kabul, but since I was staying in Kunduz, I could be able to issue the Mazar-i Sharif permit there as well. I was aware that the permits were free of charge, but since I had hired an “official guide” I was told that I would have to pay. I decided to apply for the Kunduz permit only, paying 1000 afg, and changed my plans to go directly to Kabul the next day, not only to issue the rest of the permits for free, but also to ask the Minister to release me from my “tour guide” and allow me to travel the country alone. In both offices the officers who served me were Talibans, and I was able to communicate with them either in English, or with the help of my translator. I did not encounter any issue, or negative behavior that would put me in a difficult position, on the contrary, they were all very kind.
Strolling around the bazaars in Kunduz
Dinner at a traditional restaurant with my local guide
Palaw (rice) and manti are some of the famous Afghan dishes
Delicious kebab
A local restaurant in Kunduz
In the wedding party
After finally getting it over with the paperwork, it was time for me to explore the bazaars of Kunduz! I spent the rest of the day taking photos of the vendors and the random people, who surprisingly, they were incredibly friendly and receptive to my camera.
After been hosted by a Taliban family at the border, another one surprise was waiting for me coming back at my hotel. A wedding party was taking place in the underground halls and after asking for the permission to attend the event, I was invited as a guest! And honestly, the experience down there was really very unique!
The married couple had booked two halls, separated for women and men. I was escorted to the first one, which was full with women of all ages, as well as young boys. At the entrance, I met a lady named after something like “Shakra” – I called her Shakira – who placed me right next to her and put my headscarf on the right way, hiding my hair. In less than half an hour I took my hijab off, just like the other women in the party, since none of them was dressed in the conservative way! They were all incredibly well-groomed without headscarves, wearing heavy make-up and fake nails, and dresses similar to our own wedding party outfits, decorated with huge glamorous accessories. The hall was extremely noisy, the food had already been served, and the guests were wandering around the tables waiting for the bride and groom.
I could never imagine what was about to happen when I entered the hall!
All women, both young and old ones, started to scream, pulling me close to them, touching my hair, taking selfies and talking to me, like I could understand the language! I managed to communicate a bit with only two – three young girls who could speak some basic English, and I quite enjoyed my time. Finally, the couple arrived: two handsome young people who sat directly on two chairs already placed on one side of the room, without doing anything else. The music is generally banned by the Taliban regime, so their only entertainment that night was chatting with the female guests.
The newlyweds left early for the next wedding hall, and I was led at a less central table, to enjoy my dinner in peace. Even there, though, the girls kept coming to take pictures with me, until I got tired of that hustle and bustle and went back to my room.
The experience was really very special, and it gave me mixed feelings:
on one hand, I was happy for all those oppressed women with the fancy dresses, who were talking and laughing like everything was normal. On the other hand, I was feeling heartbroken the whole night, while thinking about that the happiness I was looking at their faces was just an illusion. How many restrictions are they forced to tolerate, what’s their position in the society of the country, what opportunities and choices do they have, compared to the rest of the women on the planet?
And beyond that, their behavior towards me made me even sadder: I was treated like something unreal, like an alien or what and they were happy while touching me, just like a baby with its toy! Then I realized I was their one and only contact with the outside world and for some of them, maybe the first foreign woman they have got in touch in their lives!
I felt sorry even for the couple; although they were fortunately both young, they entered a very noisy hall without music or dance, and who knows whether they really wanted to marry each other, or it was another one arranged marriage by their families…
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photo from this party, because I wasn’t allowed to take. Capturing women is strictly forbidden in the country, unless you ask for their permission and someone agrees. I asked the permission of the girls who had already been photographed with me and the few shots I took, I kept them as a souvenir, after being requested not to publish them. I am only sharing here the one with the two girls wearing burqa and niqab to hide their faces.
We left Kunduz very early in the next morning by a hired taxi, as we had a long and difficult drive ahead to the capital Kabul.
The main highway from Kunduz to Kabul was closed due to constructions, so we would have to cross the endless mountains of the Baghlan region through unpaved roads. The ride in general was rough anyway, but the taxi driver made it even worse. During a big part of the journey I was feeling very sick, having nausea and vomits, so I missed the breathtaking scenery of the mountainous Afghanistan that day. We stopped 3 times in total, one at Doshi, Abdul ‘s village, to pick up his family coming to Kabul with us, and two more at random villages on the way.
After almost 15 hours of hard driving, we finally arrived in the capital very late in the evening.
