Advertisement
Published: June 28th 2022
Edit Blog Post
I was warned. Can you come earlier? I was asked. It will be a busy time. I was reminded. It will be no problem. I was placated.
I was scheduled to arrive in Pakistana few days before the start of Ramadan, the holiest time of the year for Muslims, and then the majority of my travels would coincide with an religious observation for nearly the entire country.
I briefly weighed the options and knew that as traveling goes, this was my chance. Delaying my travels could result in life getting in the way and the trip never happening or in me simply dying because I was so starved for an international adventure. Either way, the show must go on as they might say. I had traveled in Muslim countries before during the holy month and it did not seem to be too much of an issue, aside from slipping off to consume a snack so that no one would mistaken my behavior as disrespectful or worrying that my fasting driver might fall asleep at the wheel during that difficult afternoon lull that seems to take down those with the best intentions for fasting.
I packed my bags that included my mom’s famous Rice Krispie Treats for insurance, headed to the airport and enjoyed the first few days of the trip before the holiday began. Then I used the rest of my time in Pakistan to observe, celebrate and learn as much as I could about Ramadan. I snagged a calendar with times of sunset and sunrise, so that I could plan accordingly. I asked a lot of questions and I tried to be as much a part of it as I could.
I learned how to communicate well wishes during Ramadan and promptly started telling everyone I met ‘Mubarak Ramadan” or “Ramadan Kareem” only to learn that I had read the calendar incorrectly and Ramadan did not start for another day. Oh well, I tried and my overzealousness provided some comic relief.
Before the day actually arrived, I also learned that in Pakistan, where Urdu is the primary language, it is common to say Ramzan rather than Ramadan.
I knew the dates of Ramadan changed every year and that the holy month could fall in any of the seasons, with summer being one
of the most difficult seasons to practice the act of fasting. When I fast at home simply for weight or health purposes, my ritual is to avoid foods for a certain amount of time such as 18-24 hours. I still allow myself to drink all the water or green tea that I want. This is not the case when one is fasting for Ramadan. Nothing is to cross your lips when you are fasting as part of the holiday and this includes water. This includes water even when it is over 100 degrees. YIKES!
One of the first things I noticed about this time of the year in Pakistan was that because nearly everyone is fasting, all establishments related to food or drink are closed from sun up to sun down. This includes airports, hotel restaurants and even kiosks selling water. I walked through a mall one day in search of a currency exchange and noticed everyone was bustling between shops and under the holiday decorations, but the entire food court was dark and lifeless. I almost shed a tear when I saw the Cinnabon all shuttered up and abandoned during prime cinnamon roll eating time. (Prime
cinnamon roll eating time, as you know, is any hour of any day.)
Because of the lack of available restaurants and my desire to demonstrate respect to those around me, I fell into a pattern of just not bothering to eat during the day unless I was in a social setting where it was really most respectful to accept chai or whatever was put in front of me. Even though the Pakistanis are all fasting, they are fully aware this ritual is not necessary for non Muslims and their incredible need to attend to any visitors means they will go to great lengths to make sure visitors are fed and showered with hospitality.
When I found that I just really needed a snack or meal, the only plausible option was order room service at the hotel where you could eat in the privacy of your room and utilize the only open kitchens.
The few times I broke the fasting routine was when I was out in the 100 plus degree heat and water was offered to me. There were some days I skipped the water during the day and my body
screamed a few expletives at me. I woke up in the middle of the night with intense leg cramps-something that had not happened since I was working hard core on the Shamrock Farms hay crew in Kansas July heat! I ate a banana the next morning and all was well, but I definitely got the message.
When I say I casually fell into the fasting routine, there was one big exception. I did not usually eat suhur, or the big meal right before day break (usually occurring around 3 or 4 am), and instead opted to eat breakfast at my hotel when I woke up. I knew sleep would be more beneficial to me than food and that eating alone in the hotel was not going to be disrespectful to anyone.
How the hotels handled breakfast varied by region and hotel. In the more conservative places, breakfast was offered in your room whenever you wanted it as long as you ordered before 10 am. Because of Ramadan, the sprawling breakfast buffets were traded for eggs and tea alone in your hotel room. In the less conservative cities, the breakfast buffet was still offered for
non-Muslim guests, you just walked past a room divider positioned in the doorway that had a sign indicating that Muslim guests were not allowed to enter.
What I quickly came to realize is that if your social status or class allowed it, you could survive the fasting rituals of Ramadan by simply sleeping away the daylight. Not everyone was afforded this luxury obviously, but it was not uncommon to find a few businesses closed in the afternoons. Schools usually released by 1 pm and when I would inquire about traveling about or sight seeing in the afternoon hours, I was commonly encouraged to just wait until after sunset when things would be open.
Would I do it differently or would I recommend opting out of a visit to Pakistan because it happens to fall during Ramada? No. I have already done some research for my next trip to Pakistan and the first things I checked were projected temperatures and Ramadan dates, but given the exact same opportunity again, I would pack my bags and my mom’s Rice Krispy Treats and race to the airport because when you are traveling everything, even major or minor
conveniences, make for a great story.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.382s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 22; qc: 122; dbt: 0.3002s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb