Pakistani Surprise

Boarding our flight from Bangkok to Karachi we didn’t really know what to expect. We had decided to spend a week in Pakistan before crossing the land border at Wagah to Amritsar in India. The flight was the same price as if we had flown to Delhi so we did not have to backtrack. While logistically it all worked very well we did still have the “we are going to Pakistan, was this a good decision?” thoughts. But the moment we stepped out of the plane any hesitation we had started to melt away.

We landed in Karachi for a layover on our way to Islamabad. In our brief time in the airport we met so many kind people who gave us tips about what to eat, how to use Careem (the middle eastern Uber) to get around, what to see, invitations to tea and diner. We were not expecting such an unbelievably warm reception and hospitality! There was even Dunkin Donuts which would have been way down the list of American chains we would have expected to see in the otherwise sparse airport.

Soon we were off to Islamabad. After arriving at around 10 pm we grabbed a Careem and checked into our hotel full of a renewed sense of adventure and expectations on what we had ahead of us.

Islamabad was built in the 1960s as a totally planned city, with zones laid out to a precise plan and administrative, commercial and residential areas all laid out around parks and forest that give it quite a green feel. We had booked a day tour to try and see most of the city, so in the morning we were greeted by our guide and driver who proceeded to spend almost 12 hours showing us around more like old friends than customers.

We left the city to visit ancient Buddhist and Hindu settlement ruins at Taxila. Thousands of years old, they serve as a reminder to the area’s diverse past and are still considered a pilgrimage spot for Hindus and Buddhists even today in this Muslim dominated country. The beautiful stone stupas and monastery sit on top of a hill in dry and arid contrast to the irrigated green Islamabad.

Driving around the city, we soon noticed spectacular works of art speeding down the highway and stopped at construction sights. The trucks in Pakistan are simply amazing – every single one, even some tractors and trailers, are decorated inside and out. They are painted and adjourned with wood carvings, lights, garlands and tassels to show the driver’s pride in the truck. The interior is likewise covered in velvet, lace, wood and paintings. These rolling sculptures are everywhere, and they are simply wonderful. After our guides noticed our fascination with them, they took us for lunch in a truck stop where the drivers were more than happy and proud to show off their creations. If it isn’t already, “The Trucks of Pakistan” would make a great coffee table book.

The rest of the time in Islamabad we visited the enormous Faisal Mosque (4th largest worldwide and biggest in South Asia) and saw the walled embassy city where all embassies are contained with their own amenities. We walked through Saidpur village, which is all that’s left of the traditional village before the city was constructed, now still featuring winding narrow streets and traditional lifestyles. We also went up to the hill where Islamabad was conceived and saw the city laid out before us, and took a trip to a local market. The day was phenomenal and helped give us insight into the lifestyle of Islamabad.

The next day we got a bus to Lahore – a very comfortable ride through the country, one of the nicest busses either of us had ever been on. In seats that were more like armchairs we sat and watched the landscape go by, seeing rocky hills, large fields and irrigated greenery.

Lahore was very different to Islamabad, being an ancient city that has been the centre of power and influence for many empires. Today it is a wonderful mix of ancient and modern, traditional and progressive, historical and cosmopolitan. The Mughals built the grand Lahore fort and Badshahi Mosque out of red stone from Jaipur,  and are fine examples of Mughal design with the mosque onion domes and minarets jutting up to the sky. In contrast, the imposing fortitude of the fort stands beside the mosque, with thick walls, spikes to deter enemy elephants and jutting ramparts. All this protects the complete luxury of the emperor’s quarters, with fountains and gardens, inlaid marble, halls of mirrors, bathing pools and dancers platforms.

We also visited Shalimar guards, a large multi-tiered garden that in its day must have been quite a site, with the white marble bed of the emperor looking over a lake with dancing platform for the women in the middle and musician’s area on the opposite shore. Now its 410 fountains lay dormant, and the canals are mostly empty, but you could still see the gradeur beneath the faded surface.

Our favorite was a visit to the old city inside the old walls of Lahore. Walking through Delhi Gate, one of the main entrances to the old city, was like walking back in time. Stalls lined the streets, with spices, cloth and other wares available. We were soon approached by a scholarly looking young man, who introduced himself as a an employee at the government tourist office, which was located literally inside the walls of the Delhi Gate. He invited us in for tea and to meet his boss and fellow employees. This practice is very common in Pakistan – where in many countries a traveler is weary and cynical of such invitations, in Pakistan everyone from the post office clerk to the border guard (literally) will invite you for tea simply out of curiosity and/or the innate desire to be hospitable.

After a very interesting conversation and good cup of tea, we decided to hire a guide to take us through the old city. We visited the Shahi Hammam, built in 1635 CE for royalty to bath in. Today the old paintings and walls can still be seen alongside perfect restoration efforts which give the visitor an idea of what the original structure would have looked like while also seeing how the beautiful building has stood the test of time.

We walked through the narrow alleys of the old city streets, past donkeys carrying bricks for building, vendors churning milk and selling tea and locals shouting hello from above windows. Our guide took us to where he lives, a home nestled in the narrow streets with a lovely paved courtyard where his father was recently buried, a single tree and accompanying shrine.

Our final stop in the old city was the Wazir Khan Mosque. It was our favorite structure we had sent so far, beautifully painted with yellows, blues, pinks and reds and tile work. Nearly empty, we enjoyed walking around and went up the minaret (the mosque tower) to listen to the prayer call and watch the city below. On the way back down we met a bride who was having her wedding photos done, beautifully dressed in a red jeweled dress and light veil.

That evening we walked to a nearby park to watch the sunset and observe some local life, that in turn desperately wanted to observe us – we couldn’t walk 10 metres without a new crowd of people wanting to take “selfies” with us! It was amusing but made me feel grateful I am not famous and don’t draw that much attention at home.

The next day we headed to the Wagah Border to watch the flag ceremony that happens there every day, as it has since 1959 when the animosity between India and Pakistan was at its peak. To get there we caught a real tourist bus – compete with red paint, two levels and a tour guide that plays music hits such as “Yay Lahore” to pump up the eager tourists. Highly amused that we could find such an experience in Lahore of all places, we greatly enjoyed ourselves, singing along and waving the Pakistan flags that had been handed out in preparation for the ceremony. Once again we had attracted more attention than we bargained for, with the owner of the company coming to great us before we set off, giving us free hats and taking pictures while we held up a special sign. I expect we will be the stars of their next tourist brochure.

When we arrived at the border, we disembarked the bus and made our way to the border, which comprised of a gate in the middle and stadium-like seating on both sides. Ushered into prime seats (next to the only other tourist – and Canadian! – we saw in Pakistan) next to unbelievably loud speakers, we settled in to watch the show.

The flag ceremony itself is much like a highly competitive football match, complete with one-legged crowd fluffers, the loudest music possible (with each side trying to drown the other out) and leg kicks that would put a can-can dancer to shame. It is an amazing and bewildering sight, with each side putting on a show that demonstrates how aggressive they can be without physical violence while the respective side cheers on and lowers their flag.

The next day we arrived at the same place that we had watched the border ceremony the day before, only this time we walked through the gates out of Pakistan and into India! Our border crossing was one of the stranger ones we had experienced. It was almost completely empty, we didn’t have to fill the forms out properly and the border guard, seeing Cam’s backpack and noting he had yet to add a Pakistan flag, took off a flag from his uniform and presented it to Cam as a gift. After getting through customs, another border guard invited us for tea. There is a definite part of us that doesn’t want to leave this weird and wonderful place, and we plan on coming back to explore it more in future. But for the present, we were excited to move on, as we walked through the border gates and into India!