taliban afghanistan, a solo indian woman traveller, and help from unexpected quarters

An Australian tour company versus the Taliban. Who would you trust?

If I am not mistaken nearly everyone would choose the tour company. I did too.

After all, it is ‘white-owned’, from a ‘developed country,’ and the default conclusion is that ‘I would be safe with them’ in an otherwise unsafe country—in this case, Afghanistan under the Taliban.

Instead, as the only person of colour in a group of 10 led by two white Australian tour leaders, I was subjected to a barrage of India-bashing from the group. By the time one of the group, a Welshman living in Poland, crossed the lines on the seventh day of the tour, I’d had enough. I told them to stop. What happened next is what travel nightmares are made of.

Kabul’s Ka Faroshi bird market where time has stood still through the 40 years of war.

Graffiti in Kabul’s streets—lady with an ak47.

Immediately after the face-off, I was dropped off on the middle of a highway in Kandahar, told my remaining three days of the group tour and the subsequent seven-day private tour were deemed cancelled by them, there would be no refund towards the private tour despite having received full payment, and that I would have to make my own way immediately to Kabul and thereafter to India at my own expense. Their reasoning? I was a threat to the safety of the western tour group.

What would you have done in this situation?

I was shell-shocked.

And I turned to the one group in Afghanistan the western media paints in the most sordid colours: The Taliban.

– – –

After being left on the highway around noon, I got a taxi to the hotel with the help of the local tour operator and waited till late in the night for the group to get back. They eventually did, at 10.30.

What happened, thereafter, changed my whole perspective on Afghanistan, the Taliban, and humanity.

On hearing my plight, and at my request, the Afghan owner of the hotel called the Taliban to ensure I received justice. In less than 10 minutes, three Taliban officials came over to the hotel to listen to my grievance. Patiently. Carefully. Always ensuring I was treated respectfully.

Inner sanctum of the Hazrat Ali Mazar which Sunnis believe contains the tomb of Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

Don’t believe me? Read on.

In the ensuing ‘hearing,’ the tour company was told to give me my full refund in cash if they wanted to cancel the tour since it was their decision to cancel and not mine. The company refused stating Australian laws entitled them to cancel a tour if they deemed fit. The Taliban explained to them this was Afghanistan and not Australia. That the laws, hence, applicable would be sharia law which did not permit unlawful cheating.

The tour company then insisted they did not have cash on them, leading to their eventual agreement, in writing, to run the tour for me.

“Take her in shared taxis. Put her up in local guesthouses. We have not promised her anything!” The tour leaders announced to the local operator. The Taliban cut in that no such thing would be allowed, and they had to ensure I got the best available amenities.

But of-course, the tour company was pissed off. They demanded I apologize to the mainly male tour group for hurting their sentiments. To which the Taliban officials said that they would apologize on my behalf, since as per Afghanistan’s law, I, as a woman, was not going to apologize to a man I was not related to.

Built in the 3rd-4th Century AD, Takht-e Rostam is a rock-cut stupa and part of a large Buddhist monastery complex in Samangan.

Two 12th Century minarets built by the Sultans of Ghazni were once double their current height.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, the tour leaders demanded I did not give a negative review on the internet or write about them on my blog. In addition, I was not to say a single word, which could be interpreted as impolite, to the tour leaders or the group during my remaining stay. If I did, I was to be immediately dropped off on some highway again and the tour be cancelled. They had all this put down as part of the agreement.

You may notice, I have, therefore, not taken any names in this post.

This was followed by a string of racist abuses hurled at me by the tour leaders in front of the Taliban. These ranged from calling me and my complaint a ‘piece of shit’ to my being mentally unstable, vengeful, and downright dangerous. And to prove their point, they lined up the whole tour group as witnesses to my ‘baseness.’

The Taliban responded by stating they were not interested in listening to the ‘witnesses.’ Instead, they then gave me their cell numbers with the assurance that if I faced any problems by the tour company during my travels, they would ensure the Taliban intelligence in that city will take care of me and give the company and/ or the group a hard rap on their knuckles.

Just another street in Kandahar, Taliban’s spiritual capital and headquarters, with Taliban propaganda on the blast walls.

Painted ceiling in the early-18th Century Mirwais Khan Hotak Mausoleum, Kandahar.

No. The nightmare was not over yet. There was still one more jolt to go through.

Once back in Kabul, the tour company did a complete turnaround. They denied receiving payment from me and told the local operator they would not be paying for my private tour. Thank God I had a WhatsApp conversation to prove otherwise!

I was also ready to call the Taliban again.

Not because I am fearless. More because I knew the Taliban would protect me as an Indian tourist in their country. Perhaps because of this, the tour company finally backed off. Many things promised were not delivered and I had to pay for them from my own pocket. But that’s ok.

It was a small price to pay to ensure I stood in front of the UNESCO-listed towering empty niches in Bamyan and the 800-year-old Minaret of Jam, gazed at the mesmerizing turquoise waters of Band-e Amir, said a silent prayer at the Sufi saints’ mausoleums in Chisht, drove over soaring mountains, passes and deep narrow gorges, and in a grand finale, wandered through the Timurid wonders of Persian Herat.

The road to Bamyan via the Hindu Kush Mountains.

The larger one of the two UNESCO-listed Bamyan niches which up-till 2001 housed two giant 6th Century statues of Buddha.

This Taliban soldier seemed to find my jokes funny. 🙂

– – –

Let me clarify, this post is not about the tour company or the co-travellers in the ‘group tour’ part of my travels. Stories of bad experiences with service providers are rampant, though it is usually service providers in ‘developing countries’ who are maligned. It is also not about racism or country bashing. As a person of colour, rare is the case where one has not been subjected to it at least once.

This post is not about them. It is not about the bad stuff that happens in travel, but the good stuff that happens from least expected quarters.

Band-e Amir, Afghanistan’s first national park, comprises of six turquoise blue lakes high up in the Hindu Kush Mountains.

The reason for it all and my ultimate destination: the UNESCO-listed Minaret of Jam which is all that remains of the 12th Century Ghurid capital Firuzkoh that was destroyed by the Mongols.

Afghan women in Ghor province.

This post is about the Taliban. And my first-hand experience of them as a solo Indian woman traveller in their spiritual capital and headquarters Kandahar which was labelled the world’s kidnapping capital till 2021, in a country labelled as unsafe for women.

So, who would you trust?

As a tourist in Afghanistan, I now choose the Taliban. Openly.

After 18 days of travelling across the length and breadth of Afghanistan, of which 12 were on my own, I am well aware things are not perfect in this incredible country. But where are things perfect?

I would like to believe Afghanistan will find its own solutions. It is more than capable of doing so. As a traveller, it is not my task to pass judgement, or to interfere.

My only onus is to explore the country’s beauty with an open mind. And as a solo woman traveller of colour, the Taliban were on my side through a bizarre set of travel ordeals. For that, I will forever be grateful. Till my last day in the country, they checked on me to ask me if I was safe or needed any help.

In the coming months I will be writing about Afghanistan’s stunning sites, rich history, and incredibly warm people that I encountered over my 18-day travels. Watch this space. ❤

The small town of Chisht houses the Khanqahs and tombs of the forefathers of the Chishti Sufi saints in India.

Herat’s largest and most beautiful mosque, the Blue Mosque, was started by the Ghurids [12th Century] and enlarged and embellished by the Timurids [14th-15th Century].

My upcoming blog posts on Afghanistan:

1. Travel shorts: Hazrat-e Mazar, Afghanistan’s most sacred site
2. Top 15 memorable things to do in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital
3. The complete travel guide to Ancient Bactria and Silk Road’s fabled city: Balkh
4. Photo essay: In search of Kandahar, the Taliban’s former capital
5. A guide to solo travel in Afghanistan for the Indian traveller
6. Ghazni and its indomitable Sultans
7. Persian Herat and it hidden wonders
8. Travel diaries: From Bamyan to Herat via the Minaret of Jam

[Note: This blog post is part of a series from my solo travel to Afghanistan for 18 days in October 2023. To read more posts in my Afghanistan series, click here.]

P.S. I am writing on my blog after 10 months, and what a post to start blogging with again. 🙂 A lot has happened in my life this past year, including lots of travel. I have also changed my base—I now live in a village called Colva in South Goa which I visited for the first time in 2013. Who would have thought I would end up moving here!

Welcome back to my blog, and thank you for your patience, the constant reads, likes, comments, and follows. Means a lot. More than words can express.