by Calvin Sun | Jul 3, 2019 | Blitzkrieg!!!, Border Crossing, How Did You Do That?, July 2019: Rwanda & Uganda, Rwanda, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Uganda, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
Yesterday morning after arriving into Rwanda, Evan and I debated back and forth whether to rent a car for Rwanda. The signs were also pointing to no: the cheaper agency (Eagle) didn’t have one while the other (Europcar) was too expensive despite trying to...
by Calvin Sun | Jul 2, 2019 | Fit for Foodies, Flying Fancy, July 2019: Rwanda & Uganda, Layovers, Rwanda, Serendipitous!, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda
After a week in Afghanistan and a sobering day in Kabul, it’s definitely time to get out of harm’s way and return home. There’s no need to exacerbate the situation by lingering during what will be another tense period in Kabul. On our way...
by Calvin Sun | Jul 1, 2019 | Afghanistan, Crisis, Epiphanies on the Road, June 2019: Afghanistan, Post-travel Reflections, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
09:30AMAs I’m writing this a few explosions just occurred within our vicinity a few km away (it’s already on the news). Still hearing some gunfire in the distance where the plumes of smoke are. We just went up to the rooftop to take a look: What...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 29, 2019 | Afghanistan, Border Crossing, June 2019: Afghanistan, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
Given the Taliban bombing of the mosque at where we were supposed to have lunch at yesterday, we decided to not go to Balkh and instead visit the Uzbek/Afghan border at Hairatan for our last day in the region. We stopped at an intersection to say hi to a local...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 28, 2019 | Afghanistan, Crisis, June 2019: Afghanistan, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
Well this just happened; and the Taliban just missed us only by 30 minutes: Bomb blast in Afghan mosque wounds 11 worshippers. AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A bomb blast inside a mosque wounded at least 11 people Friday in northern Samangan...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 27, 2019 | Afghanistan, How Did You Do That?, How's the weather?, June 2019: Afghanistan, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Summer 2019: Unknown UAE, Afghanistan, Rwanda, & Uganda, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
Our itinerary for this trip needs a little bit of background context.On January 2018, the Taliban attacked the The Inter-continental Hotel in Kabul and killed at least 42 people. Among the dead included 5 pilots and 4 crew members of Kam Air, which was soon...
