Blogs from Islamabad, Pakistan, Asia - page 3

Things are settling down in Pakistan, and life has been inching towards normality in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi over the last few days. The 'miscreants', 'mischief-mongers' and 'anti-social elements', as the newspapers call them, have mainly been refraining from creating civil unrest. The shops and markets are open again, public transport has been re-instated, petrol is available, and the people have come out of their houses. The PPP flags are still flying high, the debates about the now postponed election and the cause of BB's death rage on, but life inevitably goes on. I spend my days drifting, talking to random strangers, walking in parks, shopping, doing little excursions to nearby villages and shrines, and visiting families. Islamabad is an incredibly sociable city: I meet new people every day, and could easily spend ... read more

Islamabad is a very sad city today. After yesterday's assassination of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto, three days of national mourning have been declared, and everything is closed: the markets, the shops, the bazaars. There are no taxis, no form of public transport. An eerie silence has befallen the deserted streets. Occasionally, small groups of people cluster together by the roadside. They look dejected, defeated, angry. In the process of moving hotels earlier, I pass some road blocks; young people stand around street fires and debris. There have been violent riots on the streets of many Pakistani cities last night, as people were expressing their anger and grief. Zafar, my new host, looks like he has been crying when I arrive at the guesthouse. Looking at me through sad eyes, he says, 'Today is a very sad ... read more

It's Christmas Day in Islamabad. Actually, it isn't - it's the birthday of Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, so there's a public holiday here, too. But I've been wished 'Merry Christmas' many times over today by well-meaning Pakistanis, who are very surprised when I tell them 'thank you very much, but I am not a Christian'. Earlier, when I had a picnic in the sunny Rose Garden, a young man approached me, handed me a beautiful pink rose and said 'Merry Christmas', before disappearing amongst the trees. Bless. I arrived back in Islamabad three days ago, and I have to say that this time my perception of the city is completely different - in particular after spending much time in Peshawar, Chitral and the North-West Frontier Province. Islamabad seems very calm in comparison, and is actually ... read more

It's Dark Moon and I am in Islamabad. It feels quite strange to be in a place I have previously only seen on the news, mostly in regard to political unrest and bombs. The way Islamabad is portrayed in the media, you almost expect to arrive in a warzone - but things feel relatively normal here. There are big wide streets, cars, people, just like everywhere else - but there is a difference, and that difference is in the atmosphere. I arrived in Lahore last night, after spending the day on planes and at Delhi airport - I remembered once again why I hate this type of travel: just lots of waiting around at sterile airports. The only thing I like about flying is that you don't have to worry about your luggage once you're checked ... read more

Seeing that this is the first entry in my personal blog where thousands of people have been waiting for, I think it’s appropriate to start with an intro: where do I come from. I won’t go back into the misty past but refer to the number of times that I declared to my wife and friends that I wasn’t going to retire in a townhouse: security at the gate, high walls, big TV screen, small garden and little dog. With time progressing so did our plan, culminating in the first trip to Mozambique in a Toyota bakkie. It would have been a good car for our further developed plans if it has a diesel engine. We sold in favour of a Land Rover bakkie, on which we had a canopy built. With that in front ... read more