Originally Posted by
RumPatrol
That "Exempted People for Entry Coupon" sign picture had me laughing. They could have just saved a signmaker the trouble and just said who actually has to pay the entry fee which appears to just be males aged 12-59 who aren't professionals, government workers, sports players or entertainers.
Beautiful pictures as always [MENTION=673700]DanielW[/MENTION]. When I get to the end of your TR's I feel like I've been there and yet still feel like I need to go as soon as I possibly can.
Many thanks,
RumPatrol
. Yes, the very complicated entry instructions were an interesting read, good job the mall's in Dubai aren't so restrictive
!
Originally Posted by
offerendum
This animal market is so sad to see. Better I say no more words about this.......
Nevertheless the culture is stunning and well worth a visit.
The market wasn't too bad, I've seen far worse anyway
.
Originally Posted by
fahadhasan
Excellent TR as usual,
DanielW! I've always read each one of your TR's with great interest and I used to wonder when are you going to visit Pakistan. I am glad that you finally did and I hope that you've had a pleasant stay over here.
Regarding the Centaurus Mall entrance fee policy, they did that initially to curb the number of
single men who used to come to the mall just to loiter around which in return used to make the ladies feel uncomfortable. At one point,
the entrance fee was PKR500 but after receiving backlash from the public,
they reduced it to PKR300 and said that they did so to reduce 'over-crowding'.
Thank you,
fahadhasan. Yes, I have been wanting to visit for quite a while and was great to finally make it. I guess the mall has to be abit selective with who they let in, and not too many window shoppers.
Originally Posted by
fotographer
what a great report, thanks.. unfortunately as I am of Indian birth, me getting a visa to visit would be next to impossible.
Great pictures, glad you had a great time
Thanks,
fotographer. I had a British-Indian friend who tried to get a visa but gave up after all the paperwork needed. An American-Indian traveler trying to go to every country in the world recently visited though so although it's very difficult it is possible.
Originally Posted by
NeedstoFly
Impressed by your willingness to eat/ drink anything & anywhere on this trip. How was your tummy?
Originally Posted by
NeedstoFly
What was the alcohol (or lack thereof) situation in Pakistan?
My stomach was fine, no issues at all. I didn't see or drink any alcohol on my trip but guess it's possible in some of the more expensive hotels.
Originally Posted by
bebert
love your reports!
You are the Sebastiao Salgado of Flyertalk
“The picture is not made by the photographer, the picture is more good or less good in function of the relationship that you have with the people you photograph.” ― Sebastião Salgado
Would like to visit to pakistan, but very hard to find a good agency in WE
Was yours reliable ?
Many thanks,
bebert. Yes, the brief interactions while taking people's photos is a real highlight of travel. I was recommended the travel company by another traveller and can definitely recommend them too. They have been in business for 30+ years and certainly know their stuff:
https://www.travel-culture.com/
Originally Posted by
IlikeBowling
Great Report, loved the pictures
Thanks,
IlikeBowling.
Originally Posted by
samwise6222
Another excellent trip report.
Thank you so much for all your trip reports on places that I probably will never go.
Quick question though - have you seen any women with out head cover? (in other words, would a tourist stand out if she didn't have one)
Cheers,
samwise6222 I saw plenty of ladies without the headscarf, especially in the cities like Karachi.
Originally Posted by
swingaling
Great report!
How far in advance did you need to book the tour in order to get the visa issued in time?
Also, I notice you post the report installments pretty quickly one after the other. What program (text editor I assume) do you use to write it all up prior to posting?
Thanks,
swingaling. I booked the trip about 2.5 months out. The visa took 72 hours after I applied for it so was pretty quick though.
I just use a simple text editor for the TR writing (Microsoft Notepad).
Originally Posted by
HawaiiTrvlr
Another great trip report. I don't know how you keep all the names, monuments and bits of information you take pictures of. Do you take notes or are you a travel savant?
Thank you,
HawaiiTrvlr. I often just use a bookmark on my Maps app on my phone or take a photo of the name/info of a place with my phone camera. Makes it easy to go back afterwards when I want to get the details.
Originally Posted by
lamphs
I too had this same question. 55 countries and fairly careful of my food intake. But sometimes food choices are limited. Do you take a prophylactic regiment prior to the start of a trip?
That said, you have visited yet another part of the world that I would very much like to visit. But at the very least I would be disowned by my family. Maybe better to mention it after I return?!
Great pics and descriptions. Thanks for taking the time to post in such detail!
Thanks,
lamphs. Both times I've been to India I've gotten 'Delhi Belly' but I was fine in Pakistan. The food was great and I had no issues whatsover. Definitely recommend putting Pakistan on your travel busket list, a real highlight of alll my travel experiences.
Originally Posted by
ilcannone
Serious question - as interesting as trip reports can be, what's the deal with posting strings of photos of airports/aircraft/hotel rooms?
I'm a flyertalker so airport/aircraft/hotels are part of the fun of travelling
. They also serve as a good transition between the more interesting parts of the whole travel 'story'.
Originally Posted by
Burj
Wow! Very glad that you finally got a chance to visit Pakistan!
Would you share some details on how you arranged for the drivers and tours? Did you go through a local company in Dubai, or did you directly contact a company within Pakistan?
I'm glad you mentioned the fake "magic wand" detectors at the airports! When I first flew out of a Pakistani airport I was shocked to see them being used and the Pakistani's I was with didn't believe me when I said they were pointless....
Thanks for putting this trip report together....will definitely share with a lot of my friends!
Many thanks,
Burj. I booked everything through a local Pakistan Travel Company, partly to help with getting the visa (since you need local invite/ID etc.):
https://www.travel-culture.com/
Yes, the 'magic wands' were quite amusing. For a country that has mastered the scientific and technical expertise for nuclear technology, it was a bit of a headscratcher that they were using these 'divining rods' for airport security
!