What worthy experiences could you possibly have in Pakistan?

Meet Mohammed and his brother. These dudes work at a hotel in Mansehra, and are the sweetest security guards north of Islamabad. Maybe it was the beard bondage, but by the way I was greeted, I could have been some age old friend walking into that hotel. Yeah it wasn’t all grand gestures, but doesn’t everyone rave on about the little things?

At the sawmill with Esan Ali
Meet Esan Ali of Nagar. After letting Matty and I roam his sawmill without a fuss, we were then invited back to his tailor shop for tea. We got to know him and he got to know us over some hot milky tea. Esan Ali told us about the the trees of Nagar, and the culture of the areas to the north and south. His sons were studying in London and Italy while he carried on with life back home.

Pakistan’s Flash Gordon aka the saviour
Meet the saviour. Out of patches for the tubes, we managed to stop in a small village outside Becham. This bloke appeared out of nowhere and without a word had Matty’s tube patched within minutes. With such rapid speed, I don’t think Flash Gordon could’ve kept up. Anyway, this saviour refused any kind of payment and disappeared as soon as he was done. He should have been on the Pakistani athletics team.

Those four people I mentioned – all strangers. I have so many more similar stories to tell, but you get the point. Pakistanis commonly ask me “What can I help you with?” and I find this remarkably friendly approach is evident almost everywhere in Pakistan. It’s almost as if they want me to tell you, dear readers, that Pakistan is a nice place to be, despite what the mainstream media says. I’ll take first hand experience over media coverage every day of the week.

Then there is the raw beauty of the Karakoram. Majestic. Jawdropping. Beautiul… well look, none of those words really do that area justice, so let’s settle on indescribable beauty. One realises the magnitude of what a tiny being you are in this great old world when you need to crane your neck back to see the tips of those natural gorgeous cathedrals.

The Pasu Cathedrals in the middle of winter.
Even the cities are an experience. Lahore, for example. Walking down the street is an experience for your lungs. You’d probably be better off sucking down a pack of smokes a day. The street bazaars are full of curious characters, interesting smells and outrageously gaudy goods. Colonial architecture peeks over high walls covered in razor wire, while cathedrals and mosques dominate the skyline. Lahore is unique, kind of like the Pakistani version of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.