Where exactly lies Pakistan Pakistan, or the official name the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a sovereign country in South Asia. Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by the nations of India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast respectively. Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. Pakistan may be in the news for all the wrong reasons, but it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Beside the years of war-zone and struggle in Pakistan, I think that this country is a perfect combo between culture and beautiful nature ! What did we do during our stay in Pakistan? Monday: 06 AM: RAF Base Kohat 10.30 AM: Arrival at the Parhena Cottages 01 PM: A run in the landscape of Naran 07 PM: Lake Saif-ul-Malook Tuesday: 07 AM: The Parhena Cottages 10 AM: A private guided tour ->Lulusar Lake & Ansoo Lake 04 PM: The Parhena Cottages 07 PM: Dinner at the Babusar Top Wednesday: 10 AM: The Parhena Cottages 11 AM: Train station of Naran 03 PM : Arrival train station of Islamabad 03.30 PM: Arrival at the Serena Hotel 04.30 PM: Explore Islamabad -> Faisal Mosque 09 PM: Dinner on top of the Magala Hill at The Monal Thursday: 09 AM: The Serena Hotel ->Pool 12 AM: Local market Islamabad 04 PM: Visit the Pakistan Monument 07 PM: The Serena Hotel 08.30 PM: Dinner at the Polo Lounge 11.30 PM: Nightckub The Basement Friday: 12 AM: The Serena Hotel -> Room service 02 PM: The Multan International Airport 08 PM: Arrival Jinnah International Airport 08.30 PM: Arrival at the Beach Luxury Hotel Saturday 09 AM: The Beach Luxury Hotel 10.30 AM: At the French Beach of Karachi Day 1 We arrived at the RAF Base Kohat (airport) at 6 AM where we took a taxi bus to Naran ,that was located 200 km from the airport. You would think that a taxi ride of 200km and over 3 hours would cost a lot of money ? But the answer, is NO. We stepped into the taxi and asked if it was possible to get a ride to Naran with only 6000 PKR (Pakistani Rupee). The friendly taxi driver, explained us on the road till Naran that 6000 PKR (a little bit more than 50 Euro) was a lot of money, because like Iraq, Pakistan is also a very cheap country for tourist. On the road we saw a lot of beautiful nature. Already in the taxi I felt that this country was going to be great! At 10.30 AM after a long taxi ride in the mountains, we arrived at our destination; The Parhena Cottages, a beautiful B&B in the valley of Naran. After lunch we decided to take a run in this beautiful area. We ran about 15 Km on a pretty slow tempo, so we could take some pictures and enjoy the view of this picturesque landscape. At 7 PM we took a taxi 20 km downhill to a little local restaurant with a view on the Lake Saif-ul-Malook. Here we watched the sunset and ate some Pakistani specialties. Day 2 Day two in Pakistan and we woke up at 7 AM and ate some breakfast in the B&B. At 10 AM a guide was waiting for us outside. He was going to give us a private tour in the beautiful area of Naran, The First stop was the Lulusar Lake an incredible lake with clear green water and lots of big rocks. Here we took a little swim and ate some sandwiches, we had made this morning. After lunch we hit the road again with the destination Ansoo Lake, here we rent 3 kayaks and explored the area from another point of view ! At around 4 PM we returned to the hotel were we took a long shower and an amazing nap. At around 7 PM we took a taxi to another local restaurant at the top of the Babusar. The Babusar is a very large hill with a breath-taking view over the amazing landscape of Naran. We watched the sunset here with a lot of Pakistani red wine ! The wine was awful a bit like “Chateau Migraine”. So a headache was guaranteed the next day,… -_- Day 3 As expected we woke up at 10 AM with a pretty bad hangover and already 2 hours in delay because of the wine last night. But no problem! In a rush we packed our bags and checked out at around 11 AM. From there we took a taxi to the train station of Naran and took the train to Islamabad the capital city of Pakistan. This time we were all knocked out in the train! So we all slept the 4 hours train ride. At around 3 PM we arrived at the main station of Islamabad were a bus from our hotel waited for us. We checked in at the Serena Hotel where stayed two nights. The hotel was so pretty it made me feel like I was In a sort of “White house “. For like 10 sec It felt like I was misses Oboma, and then reality hit me, I’m in Pakistan! After we packed out we left to explore the city. The first thing we saw was the Faisal Mosque. A gigantic mosque in central Islamabad. The guide told us that it was the 2nd largest mosque in Pakistan. Beside this we saw a lot of special architectures in the city and ofcourse lots of other mosques. The guide was around 25 years old and we proposed him to join us for dinner. He’s name was Rana and he grew up here in town, so the perfect man to show us around. He took us to a great Pakistani restaurant Called The Monal, which was located on top of The Margala Hills. It was around 9PM so we witnessed the stars and all of the lights of Islamabad. At around midnight we returned to our hotel to catch up some beauty sleep. Day 4 We woke up around 9 AM and chilled out at the pool till noon. At noon we went to a local market where we ate some specialties from Pakistan. I ate Tikka Kabab Made from minced meat and dough and Raita, made of yogurt and vegetables. We also bought some souvenirs for back home, I bought a small carpet for 1000 PKR, that’s around 9 euro. After a great noon at the local market we went to the Pakistan Monument at around 4 PM. This monument is, “THE” national monument in Pakistan, and it represents the nation's four provinces and three territories. Afterwards we returned to the hotel where we dressed up nicely , because we were going out for diner and drinks with Rana and his friends. They took us to a very romantic restaurant in central Islamabad called The Polo Lounge. Here we all ate the traditional dish from Islamabad; Chicken Karahi. Afterwards we went to a nightclub called “The Basement”. Usually tourist aren’t allowed to enter this nightclub, but Rana arranged that we could go for this one time. We Partied till 4 AM, actually till I was too drunk to stand own my two feet. But no worries Rana made sure we came home safely ! Day 5 Day five in Pakistan or should I call it “The day after”? We woke up around noon and ordered some fast-food because we all had a very bad hangover. But no time to lose we only had 2 more days left in beautiful Pakistan! So we checked-out at 2 PM and left for the Multan International Airport. Here we took a flight to southern Pakistan to Jinnah International Airport. We arrived around 8 PM in Karachi were a taxi from the Beach Luxury Hotel waited for us. Day 6 The last day in Pakistan we relaxed at the famous French Beach of Karachi. We did some snorkeling, some surfing, some sunbathing and we drank some virgin cocktails! No alcohol anymore for me this vacation . Tomorrow a new day, a new country! Can’t wait to explore Afghanistan ! Some things we learned during our stay Currency in Pakistan The Pakistani Rupee is the currency in Pakistan, one euro is 113.896 PKR. American Express is the most widely accepted card. MasterCard and Visa are also good, but Diners Club and other cards have more limited use Food Although being part of South Asia, Pakistani cuisine has some similarities with different regions of the Indian subcontinent, originating from the royal kitchens of sixteenth-century Mughal emperors. Pakistan has a greater variety of meat dishes compared to the rest of the sub-continent and most of those dishes have their roots in British, Central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Pakistani cooking uses large quantities of spices, herbs and seasoning. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, red chili and garam masala are used in most dishes, and home cooking regularly includes curry. Chapati, a thin flat bread made from wheat, is a staple food, served with curry, meat, vegetables and lentils. Rice is also common; it is served plain or fried with spices and is also used in sweet dishes Top 10 traditional Pakistani diches : 1: Seeji, Seiji & Dum Pukht 2 : Haleem And Hareesa 3: HalwaPuri …. For more traditional diches: http://www.wefindyougo.com/top-10-traditional-pakistani-dishes/ A few tips ... Health Vaccinations against Japanese B encephalitis, tuberculosis and hepatitis A (a food and water borne virus) and B are sometimes recommended. Long-term travellers might want to consider having an immunization against rabies. In the mountains altitude sickness is a real peril and anything above 3,000m is considered a risk. The key to avoiding this, is to ascend slowly and sleep lower than the height reached that day. Avoid alcohol and keep hydrated. Paracetamol can help with headaches associated with altitude sickness. Earth tremors are frequent and mountainous areas frequently experience floods and landslides. It is a good idea to pack a personal medical kit. Key items to include are DEET-based insect repellent, oral rehydration salts, decongestant, anti-inflammatory tablets, sunscreen and iodine to sterilize water (not good for pregnant women or those with thyroid issues). For more tips : http://www.worldtravelguide.net/pakistan/health Written by Maïté Lilholt Sources: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/pakistan/health http://www.wefindyougo.com/top-10-traditional-pakistani-dishes/ http://www.xe.com/currency/pkr-pakistani-rupee http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293959-Pakistan-Vacations.html http://www.wonderslist.com/10-best-natural-places-to-visit-in-pakistan/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/25170/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-pakistan/ http://raafay-awan.blogspot.be/2013/09/ten-things-about-pakistan-you-probably.html |