Hi,
I'll be traveling into Pakistan from the KKH. I'm looking
into visiting Peshawar and the Khyber Pass. Unfortunately,
I hold an American passport (although I look Chinese). Does
anyone have any info on recent safety issues in the area?
Ed
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Dear Ed
Looking Chinese is no excuse for holding a US passport.
Burn it is your best bet. Or take it with you and make sure
you have a lot of room in your pants.
Happy bonfire
bc
People tend to overblow the problems an American passport
can bring you. I've traveled extensively in Northern
Pakistan on various occasions, never bothering to be
anything but upfront about it(U.S. passport), and never had
any problems. In fact, getting a Pakistan visa in Delhi was
a lot easier and less expensive than the Brit in line ahead
of me. It boils down to how you, personally, deal with the
officialdom you come into contact with (though I'm not above
avoiding contact with officialdom). Khyber Pass? Sure,
you can get a permit to go to the edge, even with a U.S.
passport, takes a few hours for the paperwork to clear -
they just require that you go with an armed guard. I got
one(permit), then promptly went on my own. Wrapped up in
shalwar qamiz, shawl and topi, with a few days scruff and
several months of tan, no one gave me a second glance as I
hopped a series of local buses. At the several checkpoints
the bus stopped at, the soldiers never glanced at me, nor
asked for identification. I turned back before Michni, but
well after the point my pass was good for. Learn a few
words of grunted Urdu, don't flash a camera or guide book,
and you've got a good chance of getting all the way to the
border. If you wanted to cross, you'd need a visa from the
Taliban, which is tricky. As far as being of Chinese
descent, I have no idea how that would affect your chances.
For reference, this info is @ 11 months old.