Jeeps and Snow

Pakistan cont...

As mentioned at the end of my last post, I was lucky enough to be in the presence of the co-founders of the Janbaz hiking and trekking group. These guys are awesome! They planned our trip and took time out of their busy lives to drive through the mountains with us for a few days at a time.There were six of us travelling together and our drives included an interesting mash of music, including American pop, traditional Pakistani songs and everything in between (Despacito became the theme song for the trip despite the fact that none of us spoke Spanish. By the time it came for us to part, they were planning on making renditions of it in their home languages and Urdu).  Many good times were had with this group of fun individuals, despite that fact that my stomach was killing me throughout most of our time together.
From Abbottabad, we drove up North to Shogran, which is located in the Kaghan valley. We started off in a car, but as we got into the more isolated (and less up-kept) areas of the mountains, we payed a jeep driver to take us up to the hotel where we were staying for the night. Probably due to the lack of food I'd been consuming the days leading up to the trip (and during), I ended up freezing and shivering uncontrollably all night. It wasn't very cold in the hotel, but it had been raining all day and the temperature decreased considerably as we drove higher into the mountains. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night. Nevertheless, we got up early the next morning and after a quick breakfast, got back into the jeep and drove another 20 minutes up the mountain to where the trekking path began. Our jeep driver kept us entertained with his singing and stories (he didn't speak much English but my companions were certainly enjoying his stories). At the drop off point, we were greeted by mules and horses that you could ride up the mountain path. They also rented boots for those who wished to go on foot (us). So off we went, in our rented boots, up the snow-covered hillside. It was only lightly raining at the beginning of the hike, but we could see ominous clouds a little ways off, so my friends insisted on bringing an umbrella with us... Smart, but impractical. It's quite difficult to climb a steep, slippery slope with an umbrella, but they managed it!
If you google search Shogran Siri Paie (Siri Paie means 'head and hoof', referencing the glade we were hiking to), you'll be overwhelmed by images of lush green mountain sides and majestic mountains... In April on a rainy day, we got dead grass and fog. Hahaha. Fog cleared a little near the end of our time there, uncovering the view, but I wish we'd had better weather (and had been able to see it during the summer. April was a little too early to be up there).  On our way back down the path, we were lucky enough to be pummelled by frozen rain, forcing us to take refuge under the trees for a bit until it subsided. And back into the jeep we went!

After a quick stop at the hotel to collect our things, we got dropped off back at our car and we headed into a small town for lunch. We went to a waterfall restaurants, where the tables and benches are in the water. You rest your feet on cartons that are placed in the stream. It was a very interesting experience. We were served fresh fried fish from the river. I'm not a big fish fan but these crispy morsels were to die for.  This was also the first meal since Islamabad, 3 days earlier, that I actually felt hungry and managed to eat a full meal without my stomach rebelling against it. Good sign!! Mountain air is a God-send!!  When we had eaten our fill, we got back into the car and drove the rest of the day up to Naran... or tried to. Right before reaching the town, the road was blocked by snow. It was getting dark at this point, so instead of climbing over the snow to get to the other side, we drove an hour back along the winding mountain road to a hotel that one of the guys frequently stayed at when he had business in the region. The hotel was under a restaurant, in a building that was overhanging a major river. We fell asleep listening to the thrum of the river below us, which was difficult! I have always felt that water carries a lot of energy with it and having such a strong flow of water just below our window made me feel too restless to sleep well.

In the morning, we drove back to the snow block and walked to the other side where there were jeeps waiting to take people into the village. We by-passed the village and drove directly to the mountain path that we planned to hike up. Apparently we were the first tourists of the season braving the snowy path! We once again borrowed boots and walking sticks and trekked off up the mountain side! This was a more treacherous path than the one from the day before and we soon found ourselves knee-deep in wet snow. The weather was once again working against us and we occasionally found ourselves shielding our faces from fresh falling snow. Just as we were getting close to our destination, the (snow covered) lake at the peak, the clouds darkened and we started to hear thunder in the distance. We were advised by our jeep driver (who had chosen to come with us instead of siting in the jeep) to turn around and get back before the storm hit. We begrudgingly agreed and thus never made it to the elusive lake.

We ate lunch in the village before climbing over the snow-block and back to the car. I slept most of the way back to Abbottabad, only occasionally being awoken up by a hearty rendition of Despacito.

Family and Secret Services

Pakistan cont...

After our time in Islamabad, we took a bus to Abbottabad, where my friend's family lives. The first day there, I was quite sick (stomach wasn't adjusting to the food very well), but that did not stop my friend's mother, brothers, aunts and cousins from piling into my room to say hello and take pictures with me (I was still in my pyjamas at this point). His mother was very caring and came up with many home remedies to try and settle my stomach; husk, honey, fruit juice. Regrettably, for most of my stay at the house, the only home cooking I could nibble at was plain boiled rice and lentils and hard boiled eggs. Our last night with the family, I was feeling well enough to eat a chicken masala dish which tasted amazing. It was very flavourful and not too spicy. Yum^^  Custard was a regular dessert while we were there. I was always excited to see what sort of design she'd put on top.

2 custards, a typical breakfast, and sag

All of the Pakistani homes that I was lucky enough to see had high ceilings and large, wooden doorways. My friend's family lives in a complex comprised of about 10 homes that are all connected by a private street. Instead of living rooms, like we have in Canada, these homes usually have an outdoor sitting area and a courtyard where guests are entertained and children play. This family also has a small pasture area where they keep a few cows and goats (fresh milk and butter for breakfast!). I experienced amazing hospitality while staying with the family. I couldn't sit down without food and tea appearing from the kitchen. Family members would come sit with me, commenting on my dress, piercings, and eating habits (Muslims traditionally eat with their right hand... I always forgot). They also gave me a beautiful Pakistani dress that they had one of the uncles tailor for me. I feel very honoured to have been invited into their home. I just wish I'd been able to communicate with them more! Only a few of them were confident enough to talk to me in English. Most of the time, I needed my friend to translate what they were saying (and I usually got quite a general translation..."They're talking about your dress"...).

Another thing I loved about the family was how they so freely went from one house to another and the close relationships they had with each other. And so many children!! There was always a baby or toddler being passed around. Children roamed so freely around the compound I could rarely pick out which baby belong to which mother... and it didn't seem to matter! The youngster didn't seem to care who was holding them; parent, cousin, aunt, uncle, sibling... didn't matter!

My second morning in Abbottabad, I ventured out on my own for a morning walk. This was the only time I was completely alone in the country. Unfortunately,  I was pulled over by a guy who worked for a secret services agency!

'Where is your husband'
'I don't have one'
'Why are you here?'
'I'm visiting a friend'
'Where?'
'Down the street'
'Show me your passport... ok. You should go back now.'

Now I'd like to make a few things very clear; it is perfectly OK for women to walk alone in Pakistan. That was NOT the issue. The issue was NOT the way I was dressed and I had NO ISSUES with the other pedestrians on the street (though most of them were openly staring at me). The issue was that I had not registered with the police. When you go into the Northern regions of Pakistan, foreigners are (apparently) supposed to let the police know that they're in the area. They offer you protection in case you feel you need it (I didn't) and it hopefully stops secret service employees from pulling you over during your morning stroll.  By chance, I ran into this same agent again in the presence of my friend and he told us to go to the police station (which we did right afterwards).
When travelling, it's always important to remember that not everyone is fluent in English and usual people who have learned it as a second or foreign language do not always understand how tone and word choice can  make simple inquiries come off as demanding and rude. I think this would be a good example of this. If you know me personally, I'm sure you can imagine how my expression changed after each questions. If you don't know me... well, let's just say my eyebrows were raised so high they were probably above my hair line. Husband???!! How dare he...

During our stay in Abbottabad, we spent a lot of time with my friend's University pals, who are now the proud CEOs of Codematics, which is among the fastest growing IT companies in Pakistan and is now a strategic partner with Google! They have produced apps that are now being used by millions of people around the globe, including Universal TV Remote Control, and my personal favorite, Flicky Chicky. They also own Diversity Virtual Reality Arcade in downtown Abbottabad. They have a variety of cool games! We spent a few hours taking turns on the equipment and other families were coming in as well.

On a more serious note, their mission and vision is to encompass a peaceful and safe world for future generation.  They're using their IT skills to start a holistic approach towards simplifying and solving issues that people face every day.  They have an app that encourages people to donate blood by finding them nearby blood banks.  Check out their other projects at http://www.codematics.co/ or like them on facebook!

These same friends are also the co-founders of Janbaz Hiking and Trekking Club! My next post will be all about our adventures into the Himalayas and other parts of Pakistan!

Don't give Islam-a-bad name

Hello! Sorry for the long pause in the posts. Life gets busy and boring (and I got lazy) when you have a full time job, even if you're in a foreign country!

 After 2.5 short years, my Korean adventures have come to an end. There were certainly some ups and down during that time but I'm happy to say that my last year was mostly happy and stress-free. I ended up at a very good academy where the CEO let the teachers do their jobs without being interrupted or micro-managed. My co-workers were friendly and I couldn't have asked for a better group of students.

I also managed to make some international friends while in Korea. One of these friendships resulted in the trip that this post is gonna be mostly about!  Before coming back to Canada, I squeezed in a quick trip to Pakistan to visit a close friend before leaving Asia for good. He had been constantly going on about how beautiful his country was, so I decided I'd hop over and see it for myself! It didn't disappoint ;)  It was so awesome, I'll probably end up writing a few posts about it, breaking it up into digestible chunks . This post will go over our first four days in (I'm sure you guessed from the title) Islamabad!

I landed at the Islamabad airport late Monday evening. The airport is quite small and immigration and baggage claim took no time at all. Judging by how quiet these parts of the airport were, I was not prepared for the mob of people that were waiting on the other side of the Arrivals door. Apparently, someone of importance arrived around the same time as I did and their supporters had come to give him an enthusiastic homecoming.  There were flags, chants and a great deal of confusion as they made their way through the small foyer. At the time, I had no idea what was going on and assumed that the airport was always like this (my friend filled me in later).
Once we were free of the crowd, I immediately became aware of how many people were staring at me as they walked past. Even in the capital, white foreigners are not commonly seen, making me a point of interest for most. I was used to being singled out and getting the foreigner treatment in Korea, but the open, silent stares I was getting here was still a little unnerving. I don't mean to say that it was threatening or hostile.. you just get a weird feeling when you realise people are looking at you.  Usually, that's a clear sign that you have food between your teeth or there's something wrong with your clothes.

During our time in Islamabad, we used an app called 'couchsurfers' to find accommodations.  Couch surfers is a world-wide travelling community that connects travellers with hosts who are willing to provide sleeping arrangements. Back in Korea, I hosted another Pakistani national and a Turkish lad who was hitchhiking his way through Asia.  It's also a great way to meet locals when you're travelling, even if you don't want to stay in their homes. You can arrange meet ups, events, or simply message other users in the area for travel advice. 

Our amazing hosts <3

Shortly after arriving at the airport, we met up with our gracious host. He picked us up in his car and drove us into the city for dinner... or tried to. As we were about to enter the city, we noticed cars driving on the wrong side of the road and trying to cross the median. We soon realised that the road ahead was blocked by cars and people, though the reason for it wasn't clear. Our host guessed that there had been a political arrest and the group was beginning a protest. We turned the car around and tried to find an alternative rout. Things soon became even more chaotic as we found ourselves in the middle of an outdoor market and an insane number of cars trying to make their way through the blocked area. There was also a wedding in process, so plenty of guests idly milling around. My friend got out of the car and started directing cars to open up enough space for us to get through. Instead of heading into the city, we went to the apartment that my host was providing us for our stay (his work provided him with an apartment, but he and his wife live with his mother and siblings in Rawalpindi, the sister-city of Islamabad).

After we dropped our luggage off, we got back into the car and took a different route into the city for a late dinner. We ordered a few different traditional dished including Haleem, a puree of lentils, chicken, and spices. They confused our order and brought out a plate of curried brains... which I decided I was not ready to try (it kinda looked like ground beef. If they hadn't told me...).
After dinner, our host dropped us back off at the apartment, which was in a rural gated community just outside the city. We made friends with a stray dog who felt it was quite alright for her to come into the apartment with us (it took a lot of gentle coaxing to convince her otherwise).

That night, there was an intense thunderstorm and we woke up the next morning with no electricity and a washroom covered in broken glass from a light bulb that had exploded due to a power surge. Once we had cleaned that up, we set out to explore the area around us. Within the gated community, there were peacocks, parrots and a variety of other exotic birds. We also ran into a bunch of German Shepherds and poodles in the yard. In April, there wasn't much in bloom, but there were enough flowers and foliage to make it quite a picturesque walk. There was also a river that ran in front of the apartment where we could see cows, ox and buffalo grazing.

Our host picked us up and took us to Quaid-e-azam University for lunch. After lunch, our host went back to work and we took a Careem (similar to an Uber) into Islamabad and found a money exchange and went shopping at the Centaurus shopping mall. I bought a Pakistani dress and tried a snack called gul-gappay, which was a shell pastry filled with spiced chick-peas, which you dip in a bitter sauce before popping it quickly into your mouth.

A little later, we met up again with our host and his lovely wife and we went to Monal restaurant for dinner. Monal is at the top of a mountain and has a lovely view of the city. We sat outside and enjoyed an amazing BBQ platter and had lots of fun chatting and taking pictures.

The next day, we went to the Faisal mosque and the Pakistan monument.  Faisal Mosque is the largest mosque in Pakistan and was built in the late 1900s. It does not have the dome roof design typical of other mosques. Instead, it is shaped like a Bedouin tent (designed by a Turkish architect), surrounded by four tall minarets, which are visible from a good distance away, peaking out over the tree line. It also has a large courtyard area in front of the building where people socialise and hang out. There was also a lower level with places to wash yourself before prayers.Unfortunately, the mosque itself was closed when we went, so I didn't see the inside. Nevertheless, we spent over an hour exploring and taking pictures of the building and surrounding areas.

The Pakistan monument is another interesting structure to see. It is shaped like a blooming flower, with a star-like statue in the centre. The four petals depict different places with national significance to the country. From the monument, you have a clear view of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. There is also a national museum that shows the political and social development of the country.

We also went to Lake View Park (the lake was more like a large mud puddle in April, unfortunately) and drove (I drove!!!) to the ancient Buddhist caves just outside of the city. The caves were small and not very interesting to explore, but it was a nice drive out into the hills and we had fun just hanging out in the sun on a beautiful day and drinking sugar cane juice, the national drink of Pakistan.

On our last day with our hosts, we piled into their car with a fellow traveller from Germany and we drove 2 hours out of the city to the Hindu Katas Raj Temples. The area is made up of 4 temples connected by walkways. The buildings surround a pond that used to have brilliant jade water. In a Hindu poem, it is claimed that the pond was created by the tears of Shiva, as he mourned the death of his wife. Hindus from around the world still make the pilgrimage to visit temples.

Next stop: Abbottabad! Stay tuned for the next blog post!