In the footsteps of bin Laden (Part 2)

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We checked in to Greens and they asked us if we wanted a standard or deluxe room. Glancing at the rates on the wall, we worked out the deluxe was less than GBP 1 extra so decided to splash out. We were not that surprised to find that the Pakistani meaning of deluxe differed somewhat from the English meaning. Although adequate, the room is very shabby with plenty of stains on the carpets, furniture, curtains and walls. It is also the size of a shoe-box and we keep tripping over each other as we move around the room. The breakfast is complimentary but that’s not saying much as there is only toast and porridge to choose from. Still, it’s the second best hotel in town after the Pearl Continental according to ‘Lonely Planet’ and as they are asking for 400 USD a night at the Pearl, we are becoming fonder of Greens by the day.

Whilst we have still to visit Lahore, Jo’s favourite city in Pakistan is Is-scam-abad. Personally, I much prefer Peshawar having been here now for 7 days. It is a much bigger city than either of us were expecting but, as far as I am concerned, has a nice feel to it. We were told before we came that it had a frontier town feel to it but whilst the military presence is much more in evidence here than anywhere else we have been, it is still a very friendly place. Because there are so many Afghani merchants here, the pressure to come and look at every conceivable kind of shop is much more prominent here than anywhere else we have been.

A couple of days after we arrived here, we thought it might be fun to go up the Khyber Pass to the Afghan border. We knew we wouldn’t be able to cross the border as we didn’t have the necessary visa and they don’t hand them out like sweeties but we wanted to make the trip anyway. Unfortunately, it isn’t just a matter of jumping on a bus and heading in the general direction of Kabul, not unless you are an Afghani refugee or a Pakistani national.

We arranged a car and driver insisting this time that he spoke English. We then went to the Political Agents office to hire a gunman. If you want to come back alive from such a trip, this is a necessary evil, however they do come cheap in this part of the world. We hired a six-footer complete with Kalashnikov for around 95p. We also had to get permits to enter the tribal territories as they are called and this was fairly easy to arrange.

A couple of days later and we were off towards Afghanistan. We were amazed at how close the refugee camps were to the City of Peshawar itself. They were within easy walking distance on the outskirts and consisted of thousands of semi-permanent mud huts. Really, they were small towns within themselves but certainly very grim. We showed our permit at the police post at the entrance to the tribal territories and from then on we were in Taliban and Al Quaeda country. This is the area that the yanks claim Osama bin Laden is hiding out in and you could see why he would choose such a place. The difference in just a few short yards was startling. Everyone was armed with Kalashnikovs. Even small boys as young as 8 or 9 were brandishing guns and waving them in the air. Traffic was surprisingly heavy with Afghans going in both directions in huge trucks carrying all their belongings. We were surprised at how many were returning to Afghanistan despite the continuing troubles there.

These tribal lands were occupied by the British in the mid 1800s and their legacies are very much in evidence. As we travelled up the Kyber Pass, there were many forts and lookout posts on the hilltops, many of which are now being used by the Taliban. We passed by, but not through, many villages and our driver warned us not to take any photographs of these villages. He said that the people there wouldn’t think twice at taking pot shots at vehicles if they thought you were photographing them. He also told us that although hostage taking was fairly prevalent, the Taliban returned the last hostage after only 5 days of captivity. Of course, we were totally reassured by these words.

Our driver also pointed our huge compounds, literally the size of several football pitches and he said that only 3 families lived in each. Whilst heavily gated with high walls we did manage to peek inside one or two of these compounds and it’s hard to describe how opulent these places were. They were just bare mud walls from the outside but inside were lavish green lawns and gilded balconies on beautiful houses. These were the houses of Afghanis who had made their wealth through smuggling and we were told they were the most dangerous people of all. We could only believe him when we saw the manned look-out towers complete with gun slots on every building.

We were also shown the Kyber railway which the British built, a truly magnificent piece of engineering considering the landscape they were working in. We arrived at Michni checkpoint which is the last point for foreigners without an Afghan visa. From here we could see the Durand Line, a series of hills marking the border as well as the border crossing point town of Torkham. To be honest, this part of Afghanistan looked no different to Pakistan but that didn’t matter. Soaking up the atmosphere was reward enough and this was enhanced by young Afghani boys sidling up wanting to sell Afghani bank notes. Although totally worthless, we succumbed and brought a few as a souvenir.

After a very pleasant kebab lunch, we headed back to Peshawar. On the return, our driver kindly slowed down so we could take a very quick photo through the closed car window of one of the villages. The gunman became even more alert at this point although his eyes were darting here, there and everywhere throughout the entire trip.

For about 20 quid, it had been one of the most interesting experiences we have had.

We have now seen the few sights there are to see in Peshawar including both the old and new cities as well as the cantonment area. We have booked our seats on the Daewoo bus leaving for Lahore tomorrow morning. The journey will be a very short 6-1/2 hours. Hopefully our backside will thank us for the relative comfort.

We will spend about 3 nights in Lahore checking out the sights in that city as well as going to the border closing ceremony which is one of the highlights of a trip to Pakistan. After Lahore, we will cross the border into India for the next stage of our trip.

We hope you enjoy the photographs we have taken. If not, we have got hundreds more we can show you instead. We thought it might be amusing to include photographs of some of the more unusual signs we have seen on our travels. Hope you agree.

Our next blog will be from somewhere in India, probably Amritsar. Let’s hope the internet cafes there are more reliable than they have been here.

Finally, our thoughts on Pakistan.

Apart from the cities, the main downside is that every town and village looks the same no matter where you are. Usually, they are extremely filthy with rubbish everywhere and open sewers. The constant gloom and the non-variety of food are two other problems we have encountered. There is virtually no tourist infra-structure and if you visit here, you have to be prepared to wait for everything.

On the plus side, the people are absolutely charming and it will be extremely difficult to find a more hospitable lot. So many have gone out of their way to help us, for no reward and they are genuinely honest by nature. As we have already said, they just come up to you in the street to shake your hand or just to say hello and they are absolutely thrilled that you have chosen to visit their country.

Whilst we have seen what we came to see, it is the people that will leave a lasting impression on us.

Until India, its goodbye from her and its goodbye from me.

Love to all
Mike and Jo
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