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Islamabad Travel Blogs

Background: The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan have fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but recent discussions and confidence-building measures may be a start toward lessened tensions.

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By VictorT
October 1st 2006

Bureacracy, assnumbing transport and diarhea: Do not read unless you want to feel better about your life

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

I'll go really fast on this episode of my trip as I prefer not to think about it. Wednesday September 27th I was going to Islamabad this day to get my Indian visa application going. I said goodbye to everyone at the guesthouse and took the bus to the bus station. There I had to ask around for the minivan, then wait for an hour for enough passengers to pile up. We hit a massive protest in some town on the way which made us lose a lot of time. Even then, the driver was trying to escape it by going [View Full Entry]

By chica Jan
September 28th 2006

Islamabad - Gateway to the North

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

Faisal Mosque, Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan and is a 90 minute airplane ride north of Karachi. It is a new city and was conceived and designed as the capital in the 1960's. Before this the capital was Karachi. Karachi remains the business and commercial center. Interesting to note that "abad" means settlement or gathering place. Many towns and villages in Paksitan end with abad! I had the opportunity to explore Islamabad on the afternoon of the 28th. A guide and driver from the hotel were provided. Islamabad is a very green city with many parks. Quite the contrast to Karachi. [View Full Entry]

By nomadicanuk
September 7th 2006

Jalalibad-Islamabad-Hong Kong

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

Safe in Islamabad

September 7, 2006 The recent days in Jalalibad though expensive have been well worth it. Recuperating and doing nothing for several days besides playing risk and reading has really helped our spirits and the stories from the other "guests" are amazing. After a brief interview with the Consul on our intentions in Pakistan and some questions about Europe and North America we have our passports...I still don't understand why he was positive I was ethnic afghan..must be the beard.... Our new friends from the UN arrange us a 4x4 vehicle and a reliable driver that will get us to the border [View Full Entry]

By MikeJo
August 12th 2006

Is-scam-abad calling........

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

Mike Turner searching for the 10p he lost on last years ramble

OK, hands up all those who thought we were joking about coming to Is-scam-abad? Well, we're here and have survived our first day although if we have to cross too many more roads, our chances of a long life are looking pretty slim. However, before we give you the sordid details about our journey to, and arrival in, Pakistan, we are going to recap the last couple of weeks before we left the U.K. Apart from our film clubs annual ramble which we very much enjoyed (especially the pub lunch bit), much of the time was spent shopping for last minute [View Full Entry]

Hey Mike, we think we found that 10p you lost last year

By corbandkel
July 11th 2006

Peaches!

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

A Modern Mosque
And the CIA thought there were missiles hidden here...

The train to Islamabad was long and hot, but the landscape was intense. From dirty, crowded cities to green green rice paddies to the crazy moonlike salt plains, it was amazing. The salt plains were mostly reddish and jutted up out of the earth like giant honeycombs, pretty cool. Upon arrival we grabbed a room, (slightly ashamed to say it, but it's got cable and air con again, though it was the best value in the area). Filling ourselves on chicken biryani, roti and channa masala we set off to explore. We caught the bus up to the Shah Faisal Mosque, [View Full Entry]

By footeloose
June 15th 2006

First leg of the journey

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

Welcome

After 31 grueling hours of travel Seattle to JFK in New York to Dubai to Islamabad (delayed flights, only had one check-in bag and it didn’t get to Islamabad - wonder where it DID go???) I am literally half-way around the world, with a 12-hour time difference. It’s not Kansas! Random thoughts: the young taxi driver told me this am: he’s highly educated, but lost his good-paying job 1 ½ years ago. Now works driving a cab for 2500 Pakistani rupees a month (about US $ 41-42), says it takes about R 4000 a month to maintain a family of 3 [View Full Entry]

By Cin and Galib
March 20th 2006

Risky Business is Rawalpindi

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

Not for weak stomachs: Goat head & other parts
Can't they settle for goat cheese?

Galib & I adventured out into the city of Islamabad...spontaneously accepting the taxi driver's suggestion that we visit Rawalpindi. Though, Salim didn't describe it to us like that, he only said it would be a "nice" place to visit on the outskirts of Islamabad and it was a convenient 20 minute drive. The charge: $35, over-priced, but we couldn't be bothered with bartering for $10 and Salim's English skills were significantly better than most other drivers...bonus! We scooted around the Margalla Hills in our yellow taxi. Margalla Hills is where you can observe the entire city of Islamaba [View Full Entry]

By Cin and Galib
March 12th 2006

Paging Mr. & Mrs. Ghalib...from 39,000 feet

Asia » Pakistan » Islamabad

Best seat in the house
View from the cockpit

During our short Pakistan International Ailrine Flight to Islamabad, an announcement came over the speakers..."Paging Mr. & Mrs. Ghalib...paging Mr. & Mrs. Ghalib"...Galib & I looked at each other in our seats, did we hear that right??? I don't think so. I continued to read my book, "The Time Traveller's Wife", and Galib toyed with the TV screen in front of him. Then a few moments passed by and we heard, "Excuse me, Mr. Ghalib, the captain would like to see you and Madame". We both looked at each other and said ok. We knew our request had been granted from [View Full Entry]

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