I spent basically all my time in Pakistan in the northern region called Gilgit-Baltistan, and the majority of it in upper Hunza. This area is populated by people who are ethnically Wakhi, the same people you will find spread across Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Xinjiang in China. They speak Wakhi, live in Pamir houses with a particular design featuring five pillars, a sunken living room, and a pentagon shape in the roof with a window in the centre. Their religion is Ismailis, a sect of Shia muslims that is incredibly liberal. They do not have mosques, the women mostly don’t cover their hair, and women have (almost) the same rights as men. Whilst I also met a lot of Pashtun people, also from Afghanistan, the Wakhi are who I spent most of my time with.
Some general observations about this northern region of Pakistan:
- People are incredibly friendly and hospitable! I never felt unsafe here.
- Towns are filled with the following: small shops selling snacks, fresh fruit and veg stands, shops selling light bulbs and electrical wiring, shops selling meat, places serving food and a few shops selling clothing and cloth. There is the occasional pharmacy.
- People are obsessed not with money, but obtaining a visa or a passport for any other country. With a Pakistani passport, it seems that you cannot travel anywhere easily.
- It is very common for people to be married to their (first) cousin, and everyone in the valley seems to be somehow related to one another. I asked if people were aware that having children with your first cousin could cause the children to be born with genetic issues, and people agreed that this was a very big problem but that people were only just starting to connect the two things together. One boy told me that all of his uncle’s children had died as babies, due to such genetic issues. Several of the shepherd children I met whilst hiking had notable disformaties too.
- People often referred to life in the valley pre-9/11 and post-9/11, and it was only after this that I considered the knock-on effect that something so globally publicised would do to country. Pre-9/11, the valley had a thriving tourism industry that was on the up. Filled with hiking enthusiasts and overlanders. Post-9/11 and the killing of Bin Laden in a compound in Pakistan, that tourism industry completely dried up. Ever so slowly, it is being rebuilt, but it was obvious that many people’s livelihoods had been destroyed in the aftermath.
I have really enjoyed my time in Pakistan. The hiking was beautiful and I had so many great experiences with the locals. However, it is a place being ravaged by climate change and corruption. And this leads to huge logistical nightmares. The glaciers are melting faster than usual, and this causes flash floods which destroy the roads. It was so strange going to sleep each night, hoping that the road in the direction I wished to travel would still be there in the morning. Corruption results in the roads not being fixed properly, and also constant power outages. Sometimes for days at a time. This also causes phone service to disappear, leaving you cut off from everything. It was challenging to plan travel, it required constant changes in any plan, and just become quite stressful and exhausting. But this is nothing compared to living with this situation constantly, and I felt such sympathy for the locals and the difficulties they face.
A note on the questions I’m asked every time I meet someone new:
- Where are you from?
- First time in Pakistan?
- Do you have a boyfriend?
- What is your name?
- What is your profession?
The food
Honestly, really not my favourite. Maybe because I got sick early on and my stomach was dodgy from that point onwards? But I didn’t love the heavy curries, endless amounts of dry roti, oily omelettes and unspiced chai. The best meals I had were whilst hiking - I loved the vegetable curries that often featured. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t recommend Pakistan for the food! At least it was apricot and mango season and those always hit the spot.