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I am always told to be back home before 9 pm. That is what an Army brat has to do when they are 26 years of age and still living with their parents. My family believes this is not a safe country to travel or be outside after 9 pm. I think its the history of war and terrorism that affects our region and its people's mentality. This is why I decided to travel alone to the Pak-Afghan border (Torkham). As I heard the army had secured the area and it's even safe for foreigners to travel there. I woke up at 3 am in the morning packed my carry bag with a spare shalwar qameez (traditional Pakistani dress for men), a water bottle and Rupees 5000 Pakistani from my savings for my travel expenses which I had estimated and without telling anyone at home I left to see what uncertain adventure lies ahead of me. I had an Afghan friend who used to travel home via the same route so I called him up and asked what was the best possible way to travel to Pak-Afghan border. Even my friend got anxious and told me that it's not safe for me to travel their alone considering especially that I don't speak Pashto the native language of that area. I decided that I will take the local bus to Peshawar as the fare was cheap for a local bus approx Rs 500 one way and from there I will see what options are available for Pak-Afghan border. I got on the first bus departing from Rawalpindi for Peshawar and for 2.5 hrs travelled continuously until I arrived at the bus terminal. The bus terminals are usually very busy and this one was no different as soon as I got out of the bus I could smell the peculiar aromas of street foods and tobacco as tobacco is a primary source of income of this region. I thought it would be hard to find a mode of transport for Pak-Afghan border but to my surprise, there was a designated stop for vehicles leaving for Pak-Afghan border. As I was about to go towards the stop I incidentally saw a Peshawari Chapli Kabab Stall and trust me no one can resist a Peshawari Chapli Kabab. So for a moment I forgot about my trip and sat down at the stall to enjoy delicious Chapli Kababs with Naan and Sprite at an economical price of Rs 300. After my huger was replenished I went to the stop to ask for a ride towards Pak-Afghan border. Even when I didn't speak Pashto I am a native Urdu speaker so it wasn't a problem as most people spoke Urdu in Peshawar. I negotiated for the fare with my driver and for Rs 700 he agreed to take me to the Pak-Afghan border and back to Peshawar once my visit is complete in the same fair. The journey was safe as the road was very well built there were many Check posts and Army posts along the way but we were only stopped once to check our ID cards and reason of visit and there was very minimal traffic. When I reached the Pak-Afghan border it was a beautiful sight the air was fresh and cleaner than anywhere I have been before in this trip. There were traditional Afghan cuisine restaurants open and serving everyone. People were going in and out the border area under supervised security personals. There were lots of food stalls, dry fruit stalls, and cloth stalls on the roadsides. Everyone was welcoming and I didn't feel threatened even for a moment. The only thing on my mind was, how can we be so afraid to experience something this beautiful. As I was about to leave I bought some traditional clothes and gifts for my family and close friends as I knew once I get home I don't expect to find a positive response from my friends and family regarding this adventure of mine. What was expected to be a very dangerous and life-threatening journey by everyone around me turned out to be one of the safest and fulfilling experiences of my life.