Date:         Sat, 6 Oct 2007 19:46:21 -0400
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: trips you probably shouldn't take in your vanagon - worse
              than brain-eating bacteria!
In-Reply-To:  <3dd5c3680710061522n33474cc0ib54e4970e0ac1022@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I think Afghanistan in the early 70s was much safer than it is now! My
single female cousin traveled across Afghanistan (and the rest of Asia) in
the late '60s on her way home from peace corps in the Philippines.  You
could do things like that back then!



Joy


:::-----Original Message-----
:::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
:::Of W Peabody
:::Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 6:22 PM
:::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
:::Subject: Re: trips you probably shouldn't take in your vanagon - worse
:::than brain-eating bacteria!
:::
:::Interestingly, in a similar situation, my mom bought an Anglia panel
:::truck
:::from a couple of American fellows back in the early 70s. They had used it
:::to
:::drive across Afghanistan and other neighbouring countries. They were,
:::OTOH,
:::ex-Green Berets, and were also looking to smuggle hash oil... not exactly
:::your typical extreme tourist. Then again, who knows? Maybe that's what
:::most
:::tourists are about, in driving through such places. Looking for the
:::unofficial gross national product made by poppies. :s
:::
:::W.
:::
:::On 10/6/07, Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@gmail.com> wrote:
:::>
:::> Saw this recently on some listserv that someone put me on - more
:::details
:::> here:  http://www.travelindustryreview.com/news/6407
:::>
:::>
:::>
:::> "As the number of kidnappings increases, as Afghanistan is returning to
:::> the
:::> worst days of its recent history, France's super-spies are having to
:::> concern
:::> themselves with "extreme tourists."
:::>
:::> France's intelligence services are not back yet: in April a French
:::couple
:::> and their three children, all aged under 10, crossed Afghanistan in a
:::> Volkswagen combi. The happy family wanted to reach Uzbekistan, having
:::set
:::> off from the Pakistani city of Peshawar. In a country immersed in
:::> instability, as again shown by the attack in which a French soldier was
:::> killed 10 days ago, their journey was enough to cause serious anxiety
:::to
:::> any
:::> police force. And this tragicomic anecdote is sadly far from an
:::> exception."
:::>
:::>
:::>
:::>
:::> Joy
:::>