Blogs from Pakistan, Asia - page 31

More random thoughts: 1) The Musharraf government instituted an anti-corruption program in 2002. Apparently this led to an intense training program of the traffic police in Islamabad. Everyone I talk to seems to be very pleased with how courteous and helpful they are now. 2) Just saw a road sign saying “Civilized people avoid unnecessary horn blowing. “ But it’s clear that the purpose of the horn blowing is to let the drivers, motorcyclists and unawares pedestrians that one is creating a third lane or traveling within inches of the other person’s right or left rear, where one can’t be seen. ... read more

Hi! I’m Nancy, from Seattle, Washington, the state on the west side of the United States (not Washington, DC, the US capital on the east coast). I just arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan today to start a 12-week adventure and wanted to share something about it with you. I am a Family Physician who quit practice after 21 years at a migrant and community health center in eastern Washington State to go back to school. I am getting a Master’s in Public Administration at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle. The summer’s adventure was arranged through a program at the school, the Population Leadership Program (PLP) funded by the Gates and Packard Foundations. Nayat Karim, who works for the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, was a fellow in ... read more

Galib & I adventured out into the city of Islamabad...spontaneously accepting the taxi driver's suggestion that we visit Rawalpindi. Though, Salim didn't describe it to us like that, he only said it would be a "nice" place to visit on the outskirts of Islamabad and it was a convenient 20 minute drive. The charge: $35, over-priced, but we couldn't be bothered with bartering for $10 and Salim's English skills were significantly better than most other drivers...bonus! We scooted around the Margalla Hills in our yellow taxi. Margalla Hills is where you can observe the entire city of Islamabad from the hilltop and see the scenic view of the Faisal Mosque, the most famous building in the capital city of Pakistan. Excerpt from Wikipedia: "The mosque has an area of 5,000 square meters and can hold over ... read more

Hello our Canadian Friends & Family!!! We are happy to report that we are safe, sound and fully showered! This past week Galib and I volunteered our time to assist at Camp Chitta Batta, an earthquake affectee relief camp due to the earthquake that occurred for 20 minutes and killed over 240,000 people on October 8, 2005. 7.5 million people were displaced. These past 5 days have been an unbelievable adventure for the both of us to say the very least. Galib & I have seen the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the unmentionable...we have many stories to tell you. I will attempt to convey some of them on this Blog through my comments and the pictures. United Pakistan began with the vision of one person and the collaboration of many. We have been blessed to meet so ... read more

Galib & I decided to adventure outside of Karachi...about 2 hours away to another city called Hyderabad. Ramzan Uncle offered to drive us there on the Super Highway and return on the National Highway. Well, thank god Suzuki makes good cars. Ramzan Uncle ensured he tuned her up before our big adventure on the major road way. We were to take the Super Highway there and the National Highway upon return. The Super Highway was quite a bumpy ride, pot holes every few feet, Ramzan Uncle swerving to avoid oncoming traffic as there are no lines on the highway or dodging wandering donkeys that don't seem to care if you are coming at them at 100 km per hour. We visited the city of Hyderabad, a lot dirtier than Karachi and a bit more run down, ... read more