Pakistan
Feb 9, 2007 | 9:28 pm
#31
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Oahu, HI
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold, Delta, Qantas, Hyatt, Hilton
Posts: 131
I visited Islamabad in November for business. I'm glad I did not go there in January as I stayed at the Islamabad Marriott in November. One interesting thing I found out is that the busses are decorated according to what tribe it belongs/hails to/from. The mosque in the capital was built with Saudi Arabian Petro Dollars (go figure). Hopefully all this terrorism/martyrdom crap will blow over and people can visit the country proper without checking their six.
Kampai,
Klaxon
Kampai,
Klaxon
Feb 11, 2007 | 2:32 am
#32
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 74
This is incredible...a post on Pakistan
. I was born Christian in Pakistan and lived there for 26 years before I moved to Toronto in 1996.
I've read with interest the feedback about Pakistan, and I would like to say that yes, when leaving the airport it would be best to go with hotel transfers or avoid any late night or early morning arrivals if you must travel by taxi. During the day it is quite safe. Regarding the food and water, it is best to bring your medication. I got seriously sick this time, and no matter what only drink distilled water and go easy on the spicy food if you are not used to it.
Pakistanis are very hospitable and nowadays very open towards foreigners. On my flight DXB-KHI which had a very light load, there were more foreigners on board than the locals. It is becoming a very modern city, open minded, taking on new challenges yet maintaining it's roots in religion and tradition.
I have put a link to some very traditional photos I had removed in Karachi on my last few trips. They were removed in the main shopping areas, local bazars and some random shots of other interests in the city. I will then put some additional links of the modern Karachi.
http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s...slideshow=true
. I was born Christian in Pakistan and lived there for 26 years before I moved to Toronto in 1996.I've read with interest the feedback about Pakistan, and I would like to say that yes, when leaving the airport it would be best to go with hotel transfers or avoid any late night or early morning arrivals if you must travel by taxi. During the day it is quite safe. Regarding the food and water, it is best to bring your medication. I got seriously sick this time, and no matter what only drink distilled water and go easy on the spicy food if you are not used to it.
Pakistanis are very hospitable and nowadays very open towards foreigners. On my flight DXB-KHI which had a very light load, there were more foreigners on board than the locals. It is becoming a very modern city, open minded, taking on new challenges yet maintaining it's roots in religion and tradition.
I have put a link to some very traditional photos I had removed in Karachi on my last few trips. They were removed in the main shopping areas, local bazars and some random shots of other interests in the city. I will then put some additional links of the modern Karachi.
http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s...slideshow=true
Apr 15, 2013 | 12:10 pm
#35
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KT7
Programs: BA & BD Gold Once Upon a Time
Posts: 545
Apr 16, 2013 | 1:49 am
#37
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Somewhere between LHR, KUL and YYZ
Programs: Turkish Elite, British Airways Silver
Posts: 53
What to do...Monal is nice, a restaurant up in the hills overlooking the city. Des Pardes is also good. Lok Virsa is good for shopping and for learning more about Pakistani heritage. If you want coffee head for Kohsar Market, Mocca Cafe and Gloria Jeans are both good. There's a new mall which just opened, Centaurus, which is pretty impressive.
Security-wise it's really not as bad as you read. Avoid the area known as Aabpara, especially on Friday afternoons, and don't go around taking photos of things in public. Otherwise just chat to people, enjoy their hospitality, learn more about their lives...you'll find Pakistanis to be almost universally charming.
Context: I've been living in Rawalpindi for two years so I have seen quite a lot of the twin cities. It's not a perfect country by any means but it's certainly not as bad as the media makes it out to be!
Apr 16, 2013 | 6:10 am
#38
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: USA
Programs: AA-LEP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,484
Thank you WriterMatt! I really appreciate the comments from someone on the ground currently. I'm looking forward to learning more about a part of the world I know very little about.
This is a business trip, bu I'll see if I can visit some of your recommendations.
All things being equal I would have picked the Serena as well, but as a LT Platinum with Marriott...
This is a business trip, bu I'll see if I can visit some of your recommendations.
All things being equal I would have picked the Serena as well, but as a LT Platinum with Marriott...
Islamabad is a great city (at least by Pakistani standards, which is not quite the same thing!). It's green, relatively calm and quiet, and pretty tidy. The Marriott is nice although I have to say I prefer the Serena.
What to do...Monal is nice, a restaurant up in the hills overlooking the city. Des Pardes is also good. Lok Virsa is good for shopping and for learning more about Pakistani heritage. If you want coffee head for Kohsar Market, Mocca Cafe and Gloria Jeans are both good. There's a new mall which just opened, Centaurus, which is pretty impressive.
Security-wise it's really not as bad as you read. Avoid the area known as Aabpara, especially on Friday afternoons, and don't go around taking photos of things in public. Otherwise just chat to people, enjoy their hospitality, learn more about their lives...you'll find Pakistanis to be almost universally charming.
Context: I've been living in Rawalpindi for two years so I have seen quite a lot of the twin cities. It's not a perfect country by any means but it's certainly not as bad as the media makes it out to be!
What to do...Monal is nice, a restaurant up in the hills overlooking the city. Des Pardes is also good. Lok Virsa is good for shopping and for learning more about Pakistani heritage. If you want coffee head for Kohsar Market, Mocca Cafe and Gloria Jeans are both good. There's a new mall which just opened, Centaurus, which is pretty impressive.
Security-wise it's really not as bad as you read. Avoid the area known as Aabpara, especially on Friday afternoons, and don't go around taking photos of things in public. Otherwise just chat to people, enjoy their hospitality, learn more about their lives...you'll find Pakistanis to be almost universally charming.
Context: I've been living in Rawalpindi for two years so I have seen quite a lot of the twin cities. It's not a perfect country by any means but it's certainly not as bad as the media makes it out to be!
May 23, 2013 | 4:26 pm
#39
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: HHonors Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 94
Thank you WriterMatt! I really appreciate the comments from someone on the ground currently. I'm looking forward to learning more about a part of the world I know very little about.
This is a business trip, bu I'll see if I can visit some of your recommendations.
All things being equal I would have picked the Serena as well, but as a LT Platinum with Marriott...
This is a business trip, bu I'll see if I can visit some of your recommendations.
All things being equal I would have picked the Serena as well, but as a LT Platinum with Marriott...
May 24, 2013 | 1:00 pm
#40
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: USA
Programs: AA-LEP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,484
Lot of travel since my Islamabad trip. I'll just list some of my impressions.
I checked in for my flight to ISB in AUH with EY. The agent checking me in, upon returning my passport and BP said " Good Luck"! I asked why he said that and his response was not many people go there.
The EY flight was quite nice a 777 with the new Biz seats - there were only three of us in Biz, coach was packed. Service was good for the sector, I had a lot of champagne while watching Zero Dark Thirty. Not the best movie as it shows my hotel being blown up!
My ride was at the airport despite the 3 am arrival, immigration and customs were quick and uneventful.
Check in at the Marriott was eas and I was upgraded to a club floor.
Upon reaching the room, there was a great clap of thunder and the lights went out. This happened to be a coincidence, as I would discover the power goes out basically every hour and the switch is made to generator back up. This was annoying as it would cycle the A/C on off not making for the restful sleep. Apparently the govt. is not able to provide enough electricity and this happens everywhere.
The hotel is full of restaurants and seem almost fully occupied. During my stay (3 days) I only observed about 6-8 westerners.
My interaction with the local people was kind of a mixed bag. Most came across us very hospitable and friendly. There were some where I sensed my presence was not appreciated despite no overt sign indicating so.
The alcohol situation was strange. My business colleague is Pakistani but happens to be Christian. One night at the hotel we wanted to get a drink and I had read about the existence of a bar in the hotel called Rumors. I did not know where it was and had not found it during my cursory walk around. He asked the front desk staff and they would not tell him. So I went to ask and they also avoided telling me, perhaps because they knew I was with him.
So we went up to my room where I had the option of ordering beer from room service. I ordered two of the large cans - they were delivered in a black plastic bag. I thought I would just have to sign the room service delivery slip. Not so simple, he had a log book that needed to be filled out asking for a lot of detail. The waiter indicated that I could skip most of it, other than my name and room which the hotel had anyway, I filled out the rest with nonsensical information.
The next night, after more research on the bar on FT I was able to find it. As others have reported it is nothing that great. In fact I walked in, looked around and walked out.
I did go for dinner at Monal as writermatt suggested. The food was good and the view was better. It was interesting to note that on the drive up the hill that marijuana was growing wild all along the roadside.
My departure from ISB was not nearly as easy as my arrival. For a variety of reasons I arrived at the airport 1.5 hours before departure around 9:30. It seemed like the entire population of ISB was trying to get into the intl. departures terminal. I could not even get close and was walking around the edges trying to find a way in - no dice. A Porter noticed my dilemma and offered help. I accepted and he parted a way to the first obstacle - someone who wanted to see my ticket, I had none it was an eticket. The guard was not going to budge - I'm trying to find the info on my phone in the meantime my porter grabbed my passport and before I could really object he was off to get a printed itinerary. All right, I admit slight panic set in - I have never let my passport out of my control anywhere. About the same time I was able to connect on my phone the porter came back with a print out of my itin. and passport. Next obstacle was the xray before entering the terminal - of course my bag was flagged. The porter got me to the head of secondary inspection, next up was a final passport check before getting to the ticket counter. Made it to the Emirates check in desk. After receiving my BP my porter had to leave as he is not allowed to go through outbound immigration. I had Dirhams and offered him about USD 30 worth. He noticed the dollars underneath and ask for that instead. Gave him forty as without him I would still be trying to get into the terminal. He wanted more but I politely declined.
At immigration there were a couple of dozen people ahead of me all with numerous children. I saw the clock running out on my ability to make the flight. I moved to an empty line and became the rude traveler by cutting in line with apologies and pointing to my passport. After Immigration there was yet another xray belt for my carryon. It went through and a tag placed on it. I thought I was good to go and started heading up the stairs to the gates. A guard yelled at me, apparently he needed to stamp/punch the tag on my carryon that was placed on it 6 feet ago. As I got upstairs to the gate, I was the last one through and on to the bus to my waiting EK flight to Dubai!
I'm glad to have had the opportunity to visit, but I don't think I will be going back soon. It is unnerving to me to be constantly reminded about security concerns and sometimes with good reason as evidenced by the bombings and assassinations that occurred while I was there. My business colleague insisted that next time I come to Lahore as it is more 'liberal' than ISB. We'll see.
Th
I checked in for my flight to ISB in AUH with EY. The agent checking me in, upon returning my passport and BP said " Good Luck"! I asked why he said that and his response was not many people go there.
The EY flight was quite nice a 777 with the new Biz seats - there were only three of us in Biz, coach was packed. Service was good for the sector, I had a lot of champagne while watching Zero Dark Thirty. Not the best movie as it shows my hotel being blown up!
My ride was at the airport despite the 3 am arrival, immigration and customs were quick and uneventful.
Check in at the Marriott was eas and I was upgraded to a club floor.
Upon reaching the room, there was a great clap of thunder and the lights went out. This happened to be a coincidence, as I would discover the power goes out basically every hour and the switch is made to generator back up. This was annoying as it would cycle the A/C on off not making for the restful sleep. Apparently the govt. is not able to provide enough electricity and this happens everywhere.
The hotel is full of restaurants and seem almost fully occupied. During my stay (3 days) I only observed about 6-8 westerners.
My interaction with the local people was kind of a mixed bag. Most came across us very hospitable and friendly. There were some where I sensed my presence was not appreciated despite no overt sign indicating so.
The alcohol situation was strange. My business colleague is Pakistani but happens to be Christian. One night at the hotel we wanted to get a drink and I had read about the existence of a bar in the hotel called Rumors. I did not know where it was and had not found it during my cursory walk around. He asked the front desk staff and they would not tell him. So I went to ask and they also avoided telling me, perhaps because they knew I was with him.
So we went up to my room where I had the option of ordering beer from room service. I ordered two of the large cans - they were delivered in a black plastic bag. I thought I would just have to sign the room service delivery slip. Not so simple, he had a log book that needed to be filled out asking for a lot of detail. The waiter indicated that I could skip most of it, other than my name and room which the hotel had anyway, I filled out the rest with nonsensical information.
The next night, after more research on the bar on FT I was able to find it. As others have reported it is nothing that great. In fact I walked in, looked around and walked out.
I did go for dinner at Monal as writermatt suggested. The food was good and the view was better. It was interesting to note that on the drive up the hill that marijuana was growing wild all along the roadside.
My departure from ISB was not nearly as easy as my arrival. For a variety of reasons I arrived at the airport 1.5 hours before departure around 9:30. It seemed like the entire population of ISB was trying to get into the intl. departures terminal. I could not even get close and was walking around the edges trying to find a way in - no dice. A Porter noticed my dilemma and offered help. I accepted and he parted a way to the first obstacle - someone who wanted to see my ticket, I had none it was an eticket. The guard was not going to budge - I'm trying to find the info on my phone in the meantime my porter grabbed my passport and before I could really object he was off to get a printed itinerary. All right, I admit slight panic set in - I have never let my passport out of my control anywhere. About the same time I was able to connect on my phone the porter came back with a print out of my itin. and passport. Next obstacle was the xray before entering the terminal - of course my bag was flagged. The porter got me to the head of secondary inspection, next up was a final passport check before getting to the ticket counter. Made it to the Emirates check in desk. After receiving my BP my porter had to leave as he is not allowed to go through outbound immigration. I had Dirhams and offered him about USD 30 worth. He noticed the dollars underneath and ask for that instead. Gave him forty as without him I would still be trying to get into the terminal. He wanted more but I politely declined.
At immigration there were a couple of dozen people ahead of me all with numerous children. I saw the clock running out on my ability to make the flight. I moved to an empty line and became the rude traveler by cutting in line with apologies and pointing to my passport. After Immigration there was yet another xray belt for my carryon. It went through and a tag placed on it. I thought I was good to go and started heading up the stairs to the gates. A guard yelled at me, apparently he needed to stamp/punch the tag on my carryon that was placed on it 6 feet ago. As I got upstairs to the gate, I was the last one through and on to the bus to my waiting EK flight to Dubai!
I'm glad to have had the opportunity to visit, but I don't think I will be going back soon. It is unnerving to me to be constantly reminded about security concerns and sometimes with good reason as evidenced by the bombings and assassinations that occurred while I was there. My business colleague insisted that next time I come to Lahore as it is more 'liberal' than ISB. We'll see.
Th
May 27, 2013 | 1:24 am
#41
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Somewhere between LHR, KUL and YYZ
Programs: Turkish Elite, British Airways Silver
Posts: 53
Glad you had a good(ish) time! It's hard to paint a picture of how Pakistan is as it's all relative. Compared to Milan or Geneva it's different, but at the same time I don't think it's as bad as the news makes out.
The airport in Islamabad is a nightmare, no doubt about it. Queues are epic, the terminal is miniscule, the "lounge" is laughable. For anyone planning on coming out here I'd recommend using the porters who can whisk you to the front of the queues - I usually pay $10 for this. The new Islamabad airport is being built, apparently, although the last time I checked it said it was "due for completion in 2008", so I'm not holding my breath...
I'm hoping to head into the mountains in the north this autumn so I'll post a trip report, all being well.
The airport in Islamabad is a nightmare, no doubt about it. Queues are epic, the terminal is miniscule, the "lounge" is laughable. For anyone planning on coming out here I'd recommend using the porters who can whisk you to the front of the queues - I usually pay $10 for this. The new Islamabad airport is being built, apparently, although the last time I checked it said it was "due for completion in 2008", so I'm not holding my breath...
I'm hoping to head into the mountains in the north this autumn so I'll post a trip report, all being well.