More Pakistan
It’s an early morning here and I’m having trouble sleeping, so I’ll write.
I arrived on Sunday, early morning, after a long flight with little sleep. Oh well, such is life. My control officer and one of the Pakistani staff of the office here called me and we met for lunch (which gave me a little time for a catnap). Islamabad is at the base of the foothills of the foothills of the Himalayas; we drove up the mountains to a park with a restaurant overlooking the city. Quite a stunning view – the food was great! I took a few pictures that I’ll be able to share once I’m home.
From the overlook we were able to see the Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in Islamabad and possibly the country. It was built by the Saudi Royal family I was told, and is quite a piece of architecture. With Mahmood as our guide, we visited the mosque after lunch. I was able to get inside just before the call to prayer. The inside is a stunning clear-span space filled with carpets, mosaics and a _huge_ chandelier. I can only imagine that this place must be awesome when it is lit up at night.
Impressions after a couple days:
- Islamabad is not a war zone. Yes, there are risks, but they are manageable. No, I haven’t heard gunshots or bombs, haven’t seen a riot or anything like that. The biggest disturbance has been the dogs barking in the morning.
- The Pakistani people show the legacy of the Silk Road. I’ve commented before about Jordan and Lebanon being crossroads of cultures – so is Pakistan. I’ve seen people whose features are decidedly European, Indian, Arab and East Asian.
- The drivers are crazy!
I’m sure there are more, but now I’m getting drowsy again. It’s 3:30am, and I’m going to call it a morning.
[...] And so the word’s in. I’m going to Islamabad, Pakistan in late Feb for a few weeks. I was there in November 2007, and have some good memories of the place. Here’s a link to what I wrote at that time. [...]