Backpacker's eye-opening journey as a 'guest' of the Taliban

[PocketOption]

Backpacker's eye-opening journey as a 'guest' of the Taliban

It's certainly a less-trodden path, but that's exactly why one intrepid backpacker wanted to do it. 

Rico Chee, a 25-year-old Malaysian writer and translator, crossed the border from Pakistan to Iran last year as part of his ongoing 6,200-mile journey from China to Istanbul. 

He talks to MailOnline Travel about finding himself as a 'guest' of the Taliban during his time in Pakistan - how he met a member who said he'd simply 'got used to' killing, and hosts who were incredibly courteous.

Rico Chee, a 25-year-old Malaysian traveller and writer (centre), crossed the border from Pakistan to Iran with armed escorts (pictured) who are assigned to all foreigners

Reaching Iran via the Pakistan border as a foreigner means you're entitled to a free armed escort, Rico explains - but only for certain parts of the journey.

'I soon realised that the Pakistani army would to a great degree protect my life,' he says.

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'Friends I had in certain regions were still very pessimistic about my trip.
One even tried to hide my passport because he really thought I was going to get myself killed.'

But Rico went anyway.

Many of his photos were deleted by Taliban forces.

This shows a rickshaw in Pakistan, also known as a 'ching ching'

Here Rico is pictured at another point of his ongoing journey - at the Wagah border crossing ceremony from Pakistan to India

Through another Pakistani friend, Rico became a guest of several members of the Taliban while traversing the country.

He explains that in Pakistan he had an armed escort in the Gilgit-Baltistan area and also from Quetta to Taftan, the Pakistani border with Iran.

He was introduced to the Taliban before he reached Quetta.

He says: 'It wouldn't have been possible after Quetta where my every move was monitored by the armed mardin escort and going out alone without them was also not possible.'

He continues: 'Most of the Taliban have never seen foreigners, let alone travellers before, so they were very excited to hear about my side of the story. 

'It was a very humbling experience to say the least.'

Rico added: 'There's a saying here - "If you're a guest, then you're a friend sent by God" - which couldn't be any truer from what I've experienced, even with supposedly brutal militants.

'I spent most of the time talking to them, trying to understand them.

Source: Backpacker's eye-opening journey as a 'guest' of the Taliban

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