{"id":668,"date":"2011-02-24T03:01:06","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T06:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=668"},"modified":"2011-03-02T21:46:06","modified_gmt":"2011-03-03T00:46:06","slug":"top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/top-5-reasons-to-go-bicycle-touring-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 reasons to go bicycle touring Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by Rob Lilwall.<\/a><\/h4>\n

Reason #1<\/span><\/h4>\n

Adventure, fear, adrenaline. I don\u2019t want to be flippant with this reason. It is of course incredibly risky going through Afghanistan. I cycled through in 2007, and it has got even riskier since then. And I also tried to minimise the risks as much as possible: by staying with NGOs or people I trusted at night (no camping); by only riding in daylight; by only riding north of Kabul.<\/p>\n

\"Who'd<\/a>
Who'd have expected such a friendly welcome?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In fact, I even caught a bus to get across the Khyber Pass, breaking my \u201ccycle every mile\u201d rule for the first time on my 3 year expedition. So, adventure, yes, if that is what you are really after \u2013 as long as you know you are not invincible and it is highly inadvisable and you may never come out the other side. So with all those disclaimers in place\u2026 yes, it is a wonderful adventure, which will make you feel totally alive. Now onto the next, more positive points.<\/p>\n

\"afghan<\/a><\/p>\n

Reason #2<\/span><\/h4>\n

Spectacular scenery. The Hindu Cush are some of the worlds beauties. Jagged, raw, angry mountains; snow capped, defiant to any who would tame them climbing out of Afghanistan\u2019s ancient soils and touching the sky.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Reason #3<\/span><\/h4>\n

Wonderful people. They have suffered so much, but nearly everyone I met was friendly and polite, and took care of me. All they want to do is get on with their lives in peace. Occasionally I did meet less friendly people, which was usually my cue to jump back on the bike and keep pedalling, hoping they did not decide to chase me in a car (which they didn\u2019t)<\/p>\n

\"Afghan<\/a><\/p>\n

Reason #4<\/span><\/h4>\n

History \u2013 Babur\u2019s tomb, the ancient city of Balkh (where Alexander got married), Mazar-e-Shariff. If you are interested in the history of Central Asia, Afghanistan is unbelievable.<\/p>\n

\"Afghan<\/a><\/p>\n

Reason #5<\/span><\/h4>\n

Good short cut \u2013 if you are coming through from Iran to India \u2013 going through Afghanistan is quicker than going over the top through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc. But that alone is clearly not a reason to take such a risk.<\/p>\n

\"scared<\/a><\/p>\n

Rob Lilwall<\/a> is a British born, Hong Kong based author, TV adventurer, and motivational speaker. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The North American original edition<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong>of the \u201cCycling Home From Siberia\u201d is coming out on April 5th 2011 (published by Howard books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster). Available for pre-order from<\/span> <\/span>Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday 16 November 2010<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Tuesday 16 November 2010<\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Rob has a\u00a0New Expedition <\/strong>in the pipeline\u00a0– currently under discussion with TV broadcasters. It definitely fits the bill as a sequel to Cycling Home From Siberia, but this time it\u2019s not on a bicycle. More info to follow shortly.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Next up in\u00a0 the A-Z of Bicycle touring:\u00a0 Top 5 Reasons to go Bicycle Touring in Australia.\u00a0 A guest post by Nicolai <\/em>Nicolai Bangsgaard\u00a0 \t\tof <\/a>Worldtravellers.dk<\/a><\/a><\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Are you a bicycle touring fanatic?\u00a0 Why not be part of the A-Z of Bicycle Touring project.\u00a0 Learn how to contribute here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post by Rob Lilwall. Reason #1 Adventure, fear, adrenaline. I don\u2019t want to be flippant with this reason. It is of course incredibly risky going through Afghanistan. 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