Pakistan, Trip Report

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Just returned from Pakistan and want to say it was one of my better trips due to a slight change in travel plan. Normally I would fly direct to Islamabad but unexpectedly airliner cancelled their weekly flights so I decided to explore Lahore and revisit some of the places from earlier trips in Pakistan’s southern parts and work my way north through Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Meenjodaro and finally Islamabad and together with my Pakistani friends to take some side trips to Kaghan,Naran, Kashmir and Rawalakot. With my clothes and shoes in Lahore from my visit,I traveled as light as possible with a small duffel bag and a daypack. Immigration in Lahore was a problem free since I didn’t have any electronics or gifts to trigger an inspection I was the first to exit the airport. They have new custom forms for arriving tourists to complete and some questions are how many times you have visited Pakistan in the last year and the value of your gifts, etc…

Perhaps it was naive to think I would enjoy exploring Pakistan as I did in the early 90s from a window of a local bus or standing in the back of a truck with a map and a guide book, staying in budget hotel, eating street food and living off the kindness and generosity of strangers but once was enough. Without knowing anyone in Lahore or having any contacts I was fortunate to have met a fellow passenger on the plane who was a repeat client of Vertical Explorers Treks and Tours Tours (a very friendly and reputable Pakistani company, and reasonably priced) to this part of Pakistan and together we shared a taxi to my hotel that I booked in advance and he hooked me up with some Pakistani friends who became my unofficial guides and made my stay rather enjoyable and entertaining despite the blistering heat and humidity. Been a fresh face in town I was approached by the many. A simple no was sufficient and after the second day they stopped pestering me or trying to be my “friend”. After 7 days exploring the city with an over night trip to Sialkot to visit some old friends from the past it was time to move on or I would never get to my final destination.

Multan is immersed in history and culture for first time visitors but time been of the essence I used Vertical Explorers’ ' services, well worth it,so as not to waste valuable time wondering around lost while getting a brief insight into the local lifestyle. Since others have posted reports on the places I visited with their recommendations on I will write what impressed me the most. My next stop was Bahawalpur and though each town has its own charm, characteristics and historical value it was the atmosphere, the music, the ambiance and the friendly people that you can only find in Pakistan that were the highlights of my journey. Too many tourists rush through Pakistan with a guide book taking in as many attractions as they can cram into a day that they don’t take time to smell the flowers or read the inscriptions on the buildings or in deserts/ forts and tombs. Me, I love the street life to the museums and hang out in the cafés and learn the names of Pakistani language in social intercourse because when you know the names of your friends the conversation become more intimate, the language more suggestive and life is too short to say aray, and hop back on the tour bus.

My arrival in Karachi coincided with one of company guide’s university graduation and the girlfriend of guide invited me to a house party with lots of food, cake, and single women to dance with. Felt kind of bad that I didn’t contribute more towards the party. The girls in Karachi are fantastic and aggressive and one lady in particular no matter what I said would add “and very romantic”.
Rawalakot was my favorite town and from there I made a side trip to a little village on the outskirt of that village where I had once delivered a bicycle to a little girl back in 98 who regained her eye sight. This was one of the highlights of my trip to witness a family with so much love for each other in their conversation and in their daily life. The bike was over-used and under-serviced and currently stripped of its parts behind the house. I could do a story on this family except they are so remote from civilization and tourism that it would be difficult to improve their lifestyle.

Pakistan is unique and unparallel to any other countries I visited perhaps by DNA or genetics that set them apart from other civilizations and no matter how much Pakistanis lack in modern comfort and material things we take for granted or how little money they earn from their jobs most of the Pakistanis I met were honest, gracious and hospitable and the young ladies were attractive, approachable, accommodating and eager to interact and talk about their life, their dreams and their future. It goes without saying I had to treat them to dinner and in Islamabad an English teacher invited me to visit her family’s farm for horseback riding and her parent barbequed goat for a feast and picture taking. What hospitality! The hardest part of the trip was saying goodbye to the Pakistan, I met along the way.

Whenever I travel, I like to be adventuresome but at the same time I realize that I am far from home, family and friends that I had to assume a greater responsibility for my own health, money and safety. After 5 weeks on the open roads and countryside, towns and villages I reached to Skardu to the happy delight of my Pakistani tour guides family. They say home is where the heart is and my heart is in Northern Pakistan. While touring the Northern Areas, everyday was a new adventure and behind every door was a new experience and in Toronto everyday is the same routine and behind every door are neighbors we talk to everyday like the elderly lady who ask to borrow a potato for her dinner or a neighbor who asks to use our phone or waiting for a call from her Italian boyfriend in Italy. In the streets we know the shop keepers, the vendors on the street selling flowers and eatables and the kids playing soccer in the streets.

While it was liberating to roam this beauty scenic land making new friends and sharing a joke or two and chatting till to dawn I doubt I could have done it without Vertical Explorers’ organizers behind it. Pakistan is one of those region where you just want to leave your cell phones, notebook computers and blackberry at home and kick back and enjoy Pakistan for what it is has to offer and not for what you wish it could be and yes it is possible to have a great time without removing your clothes. On this trip I managed to enjoy the best of two worlds and it was very rewarding if success is measured in making people happy and motivating them. My tourist card was good for 6 months and I used my Visa Card to draw money from the banks only in major cities, as needed since plastic is easier to carry and conceal than a stack of cash.. Nothing bad happened, wasn’t robbed, wasn’t short changed in the banks, didn’t leave anything behind or lose anything, nothing taken from my rooms, wasn’t bother or menaced by the hustlers or hookers and was never in any personal danger walking at night. Perhaps it were the Pakistanis I befriended in each town who took it upon themselves to be my guide and bodyguard. Anyway only cost a few dollars for an excellent food and they were a wealth of information on the local situation. My only regret was not having a little token of appreciation to give to the Pakistanis who were extraordinary nice to me along the way.

The cons are the same as in very country if you let your guard down or looking for a bargain. Get a firm price on a piece of paper, bring a calculator to add the items on the bill, check if a 10%!s(MISSING)ervice charge is added to the total before you tip, in high end establishment such in hotels, read the menu or ask for a price before you order, count your money in front of the teller and things for sell in the streets are only for experience travelers.

The Pakistanis I met during my travel were well educated, many with good jobs in tourism more so than their counterparts in other countries of similar poverty, economy and circumstances and for sure they were better educated many with university degrees than the tourists I came across. The best thing about Pakistan is it’s the easiest place to make friends if you have a sense of humor and come across likeable. Music is the company of Pakistanis and if you like music you will be in good company.

Some side notes. Be warned, it is very hot and humid in south during summer and some days I wonder if it would ever stop raining. Many sites in south, Moenjodaro, Makli grave yard, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and there is a bee hive of activities restoring, repairing and painting the downtown core. I was invited to an elementary school graduation party July 6 and as their tradition the teachers asks the students to bring some food from home and they decorated the classes with food and flowers. The kids dressed in their finest to receive their certificates as their parents proudly looked on. Hunza was buzzing with events on different accounts in July.
Rumors are plentiful in Pakistan about the political future of Pakistan and its effects on tourism and security.

I highly recommend VE and would like to take a minute or so to rave about them if I may. They were great value for money compared to other company's. They are relatively inexpensive compared with other outfitters there, but having said that, they operate on a more grass roots level so there's plenty of freedom and flexibility to do your own things during stops, with the advantage of having transportation and accommodation laid on. They had the respect of the local staff because they pay /treat them well. Give them a broad range of options so that they can send you back a range of options. I wasted some time going back and forth via email by not really explaining what I was flexible about. In addition to good food, professional friendly crew, well maintained vehicles and nice accommodations you have peace of mind that you are going with a reliable company.

A year ago most of my Pakistani friends were prepared to remain in Pakistan hoping for a better future and now they don’t say anything but I can see it in their eyes that they are prepared to leave if the opportunity present itself. Pakistan is a great place to visit as long as you don’t get involved in their politics or their personal life. It’s foolish to think that everyone will see and experience Pakistan the same way but for me I was wowed by its people. Off course, it was filled with remarkable experiences and situations, including meeting fascinating people along the way and.

Canada feels great after 2 months in Pakistan.

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Comments

[Rebecca]

Great Report
Great report, keep it up....I also travelled with Vertical Explorers and was simply excellent.