Country Info
- Islamabad
- Capital
- Pakistan Rupee (PKR)
- Currency
- 144,616,639
- Population
- PK
- Country Code
Pakistan Slideshow
Pakistan
Travel Blogs from Pakistan
A Real Big Mac Yak Attack
This is a top pick! Many people have expressed concern for my safety while I am in Pakistan. This story highlights a more real danger than the concerns that people have shown, that of an attack by nature than by man. There is some irony that a few months ago I was eating a ...
Shopping for Trekking in Gilgit
This is a top pick! ... to me also. I tried but couldn't convince him to buy it. So many generous, friendly people here in Gilgit...and Pakistan--in the markets of Peshawar, in the streets of Lahore, in Chitral... Forget jihad and so on...when face to face ...
A cup of tea with the Immigration Officer
This is a top pick! ... this quiet town. These people I can tolerate in their own country, but now that I had arrived in jolly pleasant, English speaking Pakistan, I no longer have to live with their odd, usually noisy, habits. "Crazy people," Akber said of them, "They don't ...
Return to Shimshal (Hike Days 6-8)
This is a top pick! ... We were then told that one of the people who had burnt all our wood that morning was one of Zeiba's brothers at the dinner! He put on a Pakistan cricket hat and I said, "Ah! Now I recognize him with that hat." I was asked how I was able too see the hat. I ...
Asumbar Haghost: Charinj to Upper Borta Bort
This is a top pick! Day 2: dep Charinj (3180m) 0830 arr Upper Borta Bort (3990m) 1420; 3h walking, 1h rest; ascend 810m After working out that I would only have about three hours to walk, I took a slow breakfast. I was joined before leaving by the only "starer" of the ...
Quetta to Islamabad
This is a top pick! ... hear the distant sound of pee hitting a mound of excrement that had been piling up in the basement below amongst concrete rubble. Pakistan is filthy! After this experience I was happy to spend the rest of the day in the Serena Hotel swimming and scoffing ...
Ancient Capital of Empires and Hub of Culture
This is a top pick! ... the 5th century, along with earthquakes, and Taxila slowly became buried and almost forgotton until the British came to excavate the sites. My amblings around Taxila were a brief glimpse into the past: Pakistan was once many things at different ...
Shandu Pass And The Highest Polo Ground On Earth..
This is a top pick! ... year in May/June. The pass and polo ground sit at 3600 metres and the view at the time we were there was truly spectacular if not freezing cold. So that's the Shandu Pass in a nutshell. Next Pod, Karimabad - Pakistan. Love, Nath and ...
Asumbar Haghost: Mayur to Dal Sandhi
This is a top pick! ... In Sandhi, I was invited into another home for more tea and food by the son of the family, who was in the Pakistan army and a very strong English speaker. This family was significantly wealthier than the first. As I was invited in to two homes in ...
The Bus Trip From Hell..
This is a top pick! ... one here. Chitral doesn't really have much to offer really but is more of a jumping off point to the various valleys in Northern Pakistan. For us however it also marked the end of the worst bus trip we have ever experienced. And when we say 'ever', ...
Briefly
This is a top pick! ... Sheikh Rukn-I-Alam stands out like dogs balls. In fact, up to this point, it is one of the most impressive buildings I have seen in Pakistan. It was huge, with a huge dome for a roof. We were made to take our shoes off, and as the floor was made of ...
Sick
This is a top pick! We arrived at the station, ready to go. We were then told that our train was to be 1/2 an hour late. We waited and watched our train come in, and then told that it would need to be cleaned. After two hours of waiting, we moved positions and my first ...
The Beating Drum
This is a top pick! ... lost 10 Kilos since we have left London, but sadly, Lucy has only lost 1.5 K's !!! So we moved onto the largest Mosque in Pakistan. The Badshahi Mosque. Made out of red sandstone, with four minarets, it is very impressive. It is meant to be able hold up ...
Down to Pakora and Chatorkand
This is a top pick! ... teashop and as always the great people that run the Madina Guest House back in Gilgit, the town that has become my base over the last seven weeks in Pakistan, welcomed me back - literally - with open arms. Even forced and unplanned, it is good to be ...
Twins
This is a top pick! ... your chosen embassy. Since 9/11, there is no walking to the embassies. We did this, and was soon speeding to the Indian Embassy. Being Pakistan, we were told to line up in men/women lines. Whilst lining up, I was speaking to a homie, and I told him I had ...
Dust-n-Dirt
This is a top pick! We jumped on the bus and found our positions. All Westeners down the back. As our bags were being hoisted onto the roof, I asked to be moved, but they just ignored me and moved. The preferential treatment I had received outside was going nowhere on this ...
Why the beard?
This is a top pick! Almost every email I have had has commented on the beard, so I thought it was worth a general response. The quotes "Have a shave you lout." [Probably my favourite.] "Is [the beard] a consequence of drinking yak milk?" [No, nor inhaling the smoke ...
The Nichagh Rest House
This is a top pick! ... much quicker and much more comfortable. At Gazin, we prepared for the planned 5 day trek over Thui An by buying Pakistan's thinnest and most crumbly chipatis that had disintegrated before they had even made it into our backpacks. The Nichagh Rest ...
Crossing the Asumbar Haghost
This is a top pick! Day 3: dep Upper Borta Bort (3990m) 0755 arr Asumbar Haghost (4560m) 1020, dep Asumbar Haghost (4560m) 1050 arr Mayur (3630m) 1445; 5h20 walking, 1h30 rest; ascend 570m then descend 930m It's my birthday!!!!!! Somehow turning 30 to 31 is a bit more ...
Passing Time In Passu..
This is a top pick! ... Hunza in general) the women folk are also very visible and keen to talk (mainly to Kat). A nice change from other parts of Pakistan. In reality there's not much to do in Passu itself but watch the trucks come and go to the Chinese border, watching the ...
Border showdown
This is a top pick! ... border to watch the daily lowering of the flags ceremony. Crowds gather on each side of the border and yell "Zindabad Pakistan!" or "Zindabad Hindustan" in direct conforntation depending on which side they are on. Soldiers - or are these people ...
The Madina
This is a top pick! ... oasis in a rathy dusty provincial capital. It's the kind of place I would avoid if I were not in a country like Pakistan where there just aren't that many travellers kicking around. As one conversation between two travellers was recanted to me: ...
Lahore and Islamabad
This is a top pick! ... and then across a filthy river to the truck decorations bazaar. Here we saw all the tat that is on every single truck in Pakistan being made - basically metal with stickers and card attached to them. The boy had to spend some time making just a small bit ...
Welcome
This is a top pick! I had heard that you could buy beer in Pakistan, under the counter that is, and after the way the day had gone so far, I was looking forward to a nice cold one, but first there was the simple matter of crossing the border. We walked in and handed over ...
Wot no Iran visa???
This is a top pick! Those of you who have met me on the road will know that I was considering/planning to return to Europe by land via Iran. I had applied through an online agency (www.iranianvisa.com) they seemed optimistic at first, then it all slowed down then they ...
The Manchester of Pakistan
This is a top pick! ... had threatened that the place that I would be visiting, Faisalabad, to watch a cricket test was known as "The Manchester of Pakistan". Why any place would want to liken itself to Manchester is beyond me, that any place would be unfortunate enough to be ...
Cold
This is a top pick! ... lead down to the minibus station once again, as we wanted to go to the Kalash Valley. Home of the only non-muslim people in Pakistan. Jumped into one pretty quickly, and we were off. Eventually, the driver dumped us at the last stop, and we set off ...
Pakistani Snacks: Saddam Chips
This is a top pick! I just had to display these photos of real packets of Pakistani snacks: Shoukat Brothers Proudly Present Saddam ...
The Ministry of Silly Walks
This is a top pick! ... ll see in the pictures all the amazingosity that is the Indian uniform and crazy high kicking. Let me just mention Pakistan. We were a little far away from them, but I espied some things. Mostly they did the same thing, ...
The Pass
This is a top pick! ... Turkman's place for dinner. He had some more Afghani friends, one who was called Abdul Qadir !!! I asked if he had played for Pakistan, he just laughed and said that he was a better bowler !!! Over dinner, the talk was cricket. In fact, we talked nothing ...