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.
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| 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!
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