David Collier’s journey of a lifetime
By Aaron Cordy
ADVENTURE calls to everyone a little differently. Some like to explore Australia in a caravan, others like to relax at a beach or a tourist resort. Shepparton local David Collier wanted the challenge of visiting the widely misunderstood country of Afghanistan.
“The reason why I went was to get out of my comfort zone, just to go somewhere where no one would normally want to go. I knew from looking at all the video blogs I’ve seen and getting on WhatsApp and asking questions. I knew it was pretty safe,” said David.
David’s trip began with some flight delays and rerouting chaos that eventually landed him in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 24. After a few days exploring Islamabad and Peshawar and meeting up with his Australian travel companions, Vikki and Polly, the trio finally crossed the Torkham Border into Afghanistan on April 29.
David spent time in Kabul, Bamiyan, Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif, meeting locals, navigating local customs and the Taliban and Pakistan politics, spending nearly 30 days exploring the beautiful country of Afghanistan, then returning to Australia on May 23.
“Being foreigners, we were probably looked after a bit,” said David. “On the Pakistan side, we got stamped to go out. Then we got to the other side, to the Afghan side, which wasn’t too bad. [We] showed it all [passports, visa, etc.]… Then they grabbed it and stamped it, and we went through to get a shared taxi.
“Then we got tapped on the shoulder by the Taliban to go back. So, we had to go back into a room. The three of us went back and we were sitting on the floor, and he was asking, ‘Do we know anyone there? What is your itinerary?'”
Once David passed the Taliban check, it was on to Kabul for his first night in Afghanistan. He knew where he wanted to visit but left the plan open with no locked-in dates as he immersed himself in the life-changing trip.
“Every day was a challenge, but it wasn’t a bad challenge. It was just, you know, through the day you’re going to have to use your brain. Is it simply going to get a coffee, or one day in Herat I decided I want to get a haircut and get my beard trimmed. That was an exercise going in there, telling them what I wanted.”
Upon arriving in Kabul, they were presented with a document of rules that stated they were not to go into residential areas, nor visit people’s houses.
“All the provinces are different, like you go to Kandahar, that’s where the Taliban was first formed, it’s very conservative. If you got invited into a house, you wouldn’t go, because you knew the Taliban there would be quite strict. But Herat or Kabul, if you got invited there, it’s probably not as bad. But I didn’t know that. Now I’m sort of geez, I wish I went there, or I wish I’d gone here.”
Despite this, David was able to meet locals and get an understanding of the Afghani people.
“Most of the people we met, especially when you get out, have got nothing, but they will still invite you for tea, or they call it Chai. They’ll still invite you for dinner. Their generosity is ‘Welcome to our country. Thank you for coming. Do you want to come to Chai?’
“Afghanistan is a beautiful place. It’s very nice. We only see what we see. When you delve into it a little bit more, it’s quite green in areas. There’s a lot of water there, because there’s a lot of snow, a lot of streams. There’s a lot of green and a lot of agriculture as well,” said David.
For David, the trip was more than just a holiday. It was a discovery of a generous, warm and resilient people despite a history marred by tragedy. You can see more of David Collier’s amazing Afghanistan photos and learn about his trip on Facebook at The Afghanistan Journals – David Collier.
