Last Updated : 10 September 2006

Pakistan Part 2

Lahore was hot and humid and as busy as all the other big cities. There was something about it though that was more appealing than the places i've stayed in on the way. I found the hostel where most travelers stay and it was great to be able to have a meaningful conversation for a change. I stayed here for a couple of days and really liked the city. I had some good and clean food and i felt much better and regained my strength.

I set off to Islamabad and the people i met along the way were more open and less hostile than the west. Islamabad is a revelation, after seeing dirty old and crumbling buildings the last month i was amazed at this city, purposely built to be the capital. There are wide tree lined streets all numbered in a grid system with new high-rise buildings and houses. The shops had everything you needed and the noise that i'd become used to was a couple of decibels lower here. I went to the diplomatic conclave, which was a huge city all by itself, to apply for my Indian visa.

I left Islamabad and made my way up north, i knew it was going to be tough but was prepared, or so i thought, for it. The first day i covered 60km to the town of Murree a climbed from 500m above sea level to 2500m. It was tough but beautiful; passing forest, plantations, valleys and everything was green. I reached Murree and I was tired. The town is the holiday place for well off Pakistani's and the feel is a world away from the west. I was offered booze, drugs and a woman, about 30? for the night, I kindly refused all three. From Murree went north west to Abbottabad, this is the area where the big earthquake struck in October 2005.

The evidence was to be seen everywhere, whole villages were destroyed and replaced by row upon row of NGO sponsored tents. Rebuilding has started but it was going slow. The road wound it's way down valleys and the extend of the disaster was shocking. I was told that the government took 3 days to respond to the disaster before going there to find out what happened, unofficial figures say between 50,000 and 100,000 people died here. I reached Abbottabad and met 3 young lads that invited me for a pepsi at the local historical mosque. It got late and they invited me to stay at their home. It was a family compound built by their grandfather, who housed 200 members of their family, each inhabiting a little part of the house. We had a great dinner and a long conversation about the Pakistani's favorite topic, religion. I left the next morning and started following the Karakorum highway.

Cheers

Etienne