AFGHANISTAN
​​​I visited Afghanistan in the fall of 2017
​for only one day and one night.

                                             

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                                                 Day Trip to Afghanistan
Preparation for working in or travelling to Afghanistan is critical.  It is essential to take the time to learn about the country, culture and customs, which will help you ready yourself, not only with your packing, but mentality.  No visit to, or time spend in, Afghanistan occurs without risk.  The risks are varied and omnipresent: from kidnapping to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), from suicide bombings to land mines, from diseases to highway robbery. You are the only one responsible for your security, and this should never be delegated to anyone else.*​                                                     

The family is the bedrock of Afghan life, and family members only ever leave the home when they are married.*
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Doug Spencer crossing the bridge over the Pyanj River from Tajikistan to Afghanistan.

Folk music is divided into ethnic genres, but the one thing that unites them all is the atan, the so-called national dance performed by both sexes at any celebration.*

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​Manuchehr Kadamshoev and his extended
family on their farm near Shughnan.

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The relatively safe village of Shughnan in northeastern Afghanistan is best approached from the border crossing at Khorog in the Pamir region of Tajikistan.

​A carpenter at work outside the village of Shughnan.

Afghan family I stayed with near Shughnan in 2017

Doug Spencer filming Khorog from the Afghanistan-side of the Pyanj River.
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*These captions are from Afghanistan -- a Lonely Planet travel guide.
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