Blogs from Lahore, Pakistan, Asia - page 4

Pakistan Zindabad (Long live Pakistan) we all chanted as the Pakistani border guards marched back and forth swinging their feet up to touch their hats and then stamping them down with a loud slap on the pavement, all the while glaring at their Indian counterparts on the other side of the border gate. These guys are picked for their height and strength and look very intimidating marching around purposefully with AK's slung over their shoulders. After watching the "show" from both sides of the border I have to say that I felt prouder to cheer from the Pakistani side! The atmosphere surrounding the ceremony made me think of sporting events in Australia with rival fans cheering as they made their way to the stadium. Arriving at the border in our mini van we piled out to ... read more

Over the past six days or so, I've been trying hard to make friends with Lahore, the 'heart and soul of Pakistan'. So far, I have failed miserably. Maybe I'm just not in the right space to enjoy the madness and chaos that is Lahore: yes, the city is a cultural hub and undoubtedly very interesting, but it's also loud, polluted, congested and dirty. The constant drab weather and the rain that has been transforming the roads into muddy rivers haven't exactly helped to endear the place to me. In addition, I caught another tummy bug, and right now, I'm wondering why I am still here and why I haven't crossed the border to India yet, in particular because my visa has just run out. Well, actually, I know why I am still here: I am ... read more

The border crossing into pakistan went super smooth,although there was nobody else around which felt super weird it was a complete no mans land.we hung around at the border for the closing of the border ceremonywhich was pretty cool with pakistan rangers somehow managing to kick there hats off!! there was a massive crowd with pakistani songs being played over loud halers and the crowds were so vibrant and colourfull. once the ceremony had finished we headed to Lahore with a million and one other passengers on a tiny bus,it was boiling and we both had to sit in seperate gender areas.we managed to hook up with another couple who were heading to the same hostel so we were able to get there quite easily. the next day in lahore we went to see somee Qwaali ... read more

Pakistan turned out to be not an easy time for us for many reasons: some so called “outside” ones, and some coming from “inside” of us. Our biggest mistake was hoping that people will leave us alone sooner or later… they never did… Lack of peace of mind was the major negative impact on our perception of Pakistan…When we were setting off on this trip, we were looking forward to meeting new people, but in order to do so, there need to be agreement between two parties… Unfortunately we havent found this agreement here… at least not all the time, our mistake Fortunately we have met lots of nice people as well I know - it seems like I’m writing two opposing things. Maybe sometimes tiredness makes you blind and you are not able to notice ... read more