National Hotel Lahore

... foot, knee, and back injuries. The problem was severe enough that they were going to resurface the whole area with a covering that would absort the impact of their footwork.<br><br>I managed to upload a couple of short grainy viedos to give you a sense of the scene. I hope<br>they will run for you. <br> <br>During the entire event, there was a guy on the ground front and center for us, who acted like a cheerleader, reving up the crowd. The crowd was cheering ...

... You speak Urdu?'<br><br>'Uh, no.' I said smiling. <br><br>'You like Pakistan?' the original speaker asked.<br><br>'Um, yes. I think... I haven't really seen it yet.'<br><br>They giggled and one said, 'You know the situation in Pakistan now?'<br><br>'Yes, yes. I know the army is fighting the Taliban in the northwest. I'm not going there.' <br><br>'Good.' they said in unison.<br><br>'Is it safe in Lahore?' I asked a little more nervously than intended. <br><br>They both ...

... I'm told that there are just a small number of people that are religious teachers brainwashing people from a young age to believe that if they blast they will go straight to Junnt (heaven). These few evil cheaters do a lot of damage to the Islamic image and affect so many lives with their actions. Those people in the army are usually there because they desperately need the pay for their families - when one person is killed it's ...

... Moghul (1500AD to 1800AD) have contributed the most to it. The Moghul buildings are probably the most attractive. On an average one can easily spend two full days of sightseeing here. There are numerous mosques monuments bazaars, evening Musical programs and a variety ...

... of traditional music. Even the masjid, the local mosque, is quite raffinée. The roads right outside the campus are well-maintained, with not-too-awful public sculptures. Even the occasional bathroom gecko (I named ours 'Frankie') is quiet and well-behaved. This illusion, this cocoon of quiet and privilege, ends when one drives a few miles from ...

... prefer the Mynahs. Very sweet birds, very smart and curious, lovely birdsong. They sit outside our bedroom window in the morning and sing to us. They sit on the windowsill in the kitchen and watch us wash the dishes and make breakfast. Yes, they're after our food, but I like them all the same. I went for a fitting the other day -- getting my Pakistani wardobe ...

... myself as the foreign expert on the trains! There were some other backpackers onboard and they were confused about where to get on, where to get off, who the strange men in dresses were and what they could eat - it was only my 3rd journey but I was able to help them with everything they needed to know and it felt good to be the more experienced one for a change - I no longer feel like a 'newbie' traveler. As for my journey, although I'd left Delhi in ...

... were narrow, and of course there were no sidewalks, but people walked along both sides of the street while two-way traffic passed between, honking horns to warn pedestrians as they sped along. Occasionally, a parked car would cause a bottleneck, and people would fight with bicycles and motorcycles to pass through the narrow space between the car and the oncoming traffic. Between the traffic and the stores, there was plenty to keep my mind ...

... at this point Mullah Omar's going to be busting up the place at any moment. An hour and a half into this debauchery-cum-worship-service we're informed that in the lower and much larger courtyard after Midnight is "when the real show begins". Maybe it's because I've seen way too many episodes of "Locked-Up Abroad" on the National Geographic channel, which by the way I've subtitled, "When Stupid White People Go on Vacation" --or perhaps it's because I'm a wee bit baked ...

... for lunch and that I'd be dining alone in my room on chicken jalfreeze and watching BBC in some icy air-conditioning. "We still have 20 minutes left of our 'tour' so why don't you pick me up later and we can go to the tailor -- I need to have a dress made --6:00 and please be on time." After he'd skulked away I bellied up to the reception desk explaining how disappointed in So-Called I was and how I wanted a real guide. The receptionist understood my frustration ...