| The founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah set the Islamic Republic Pakistan three goals for the future, still aimed at: Unity, Faith, Discipline, as written on the walls of the Pakistan–Monument in Islamabad. |
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Skardu Bazaar, time is endless.
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Travelling in a Muslim country I have not only the advantage of being a woman, but also of age. Men treated me with respect. With the protection of the women, the family, and the clan, the defence and preservation of the faith important tasks are demanded of men. The position of women is depending on her environment, on the clan, to which she belongs, and the religious group, in which she lives. Basically the strict separation of the spheres of men and women (Purdah) prevails, but this is differently realized. Women can carry out a profession, but it isn’t the norm. While the orthodoxy has pushed through the ban on women to pray in the mosque and while i.e. in the Northwest Territories women are at the clan’s disposal to hold together the landed property, to guarantee the upkeep of the clan, the position of women in the region of the Nizari Isma’ili is different. For them marriage is a legal contract between a consenting adult man and a woman; as a contract it allows both parties to add conditions. Marriage of blood relations is forbidden. They are a monogamous community. Their ideal of marriage envisions a long term union. I met the Manager Marketing of the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan, who is occupied with the restoration and re-use of the Khorpocho Fort above Skardu. This institution belongs to the international Aga Khan Development Network, which was founded by the Imamate and the Nizari community, the largest group of the Isma’ili (Shiites), as a group of private, non-denominational development agencies that try to help communities and individuals regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation to improve their living conditions, i.e. by expansion of medical centres and schools and boarding schools for girls, by which 100 % literacy is achieved, in the Hunza-Region. These social and economic projects work i.e. in the area of education, health, architecture. The network pursues social justice, pluralism and emphasizes reason in the tradition of Islam.
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| Favourite spots: |
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Skardu - Satpara Lake, mountain world
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Skardu (2000 m) in the wide valley of the Indus, the capital of Baltistan, is the administration and shopping centre of the area. Walking through the bazaar the curious glances of the men followed me, not only because I was a foreigner, but furthermore, I was the only woman far and wide. Yet the curiosity was mutual. But I was escorted by my guide, who translated my questions for the friendly shopkeepers, who told me of their trade. The people live off the fruits of their gardens and terraced fields with their ingenious irrigation system and off their livestock. In the mountains they find ruby and aquamarine. Schools and colleges are scarce. Through a narrow canyon we drove to Satpara Lake. The blue-green lake enclosed by high, dark mountains with a few spots of the gold of autumn, seemed inviolable, chaste. Its outlet will be closed by a dam; a power station should solve the electricity problems in the area. Still as elsewhere electricity is switched off now and then during the day.
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| What's really great: |
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Trail to Nainsukh, the bridge!
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The first organic village Nainsukh is only to reach by a small trail, cut high above the Indus in the midst of a steep rock face, - the bridge I crossed so trusting, hangs in the air ! – and over a sand beach which as the village itself is secured against the river by low walls and poplars. People live without the comfort of modern times, off what fields, animals, work in town, sale of their products, admission fee and subventions provide. They have an irrigation system, a small watermill, a cemetery, a mosque, but no shop. The children go to school in Skardu and a teacher comes out to teach reading and writing. It’s a healthy life. I still dream of Shigar, the old town with the mud houses, in the narrow, sunny river valley northeast of Skardu and the desert, where in narrow streets of the bazaar life goes on peacefully. The king sold his fort high above the town and got a new one – just beside it. Renovated perfectly and changed to a hotel it is a place of silence and contemplation.
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| Sights: |
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Nanga Parbat , seen from the Nanga Parbat viewpoint
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- I didn’t see Rawalpindi but in Islamabad the beautiful Museum of Culture, an introduction into the extraordinary history of the country; the modern, austere Faisal mosque, built by the Saudis, which on the foreigner has the effect of being huge, nearly cold.
- The hill station Murree, the former summer resort of the British from Rawalpindi, has kept from this past only the ruins of a brewery and a church from the 19th century; after the dreadful earthquake the old post office was renovated beyond recognition.
- During the flight to Sarduk I saw the Nanga Parbat - with a ruff of white clouds -, this exceptional mountain, rising from a mass of dark reefs, aiming at him. He doesn’t have a neighbour. But latest at the Nanga Parbat Viewpoint I lost my speech: The massif of this mountain is of absolute beauty.
- At the almost circular Kachura Lake I looked without envy at the pleasant Shangri La, a resort fort the rich ones.
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| Accommodations: |
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Skardu, view from my hotelroom
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Islamabad
Hunza Embassy Lodge
F-8/3
Tel.: 92/51/2852024
Skardu
Hotel Mashabrum
Main Bazaar
Tel.: 92/5821/57001
Karimabad
Hotel Hunza Embassy
Karimabad Hunza
Zero Point
Tel.: 92/5821/57001/2
The owner of the Passu Inn, the oldest hotel in Passu, as the one of the Madina Hotel in Gilgit too was pleased when I brought them pictures of a Globie. Why didn’t I announce myself? After all one could have cooked dinner for me. -
Passu
Passu Inn
Near the
KKH bus stand
Tel.:50003
Gilgit
Hotel Rupal Inn
Khomer Chowk
Tel: 92/5811/ 57678
Madina Hotel & Guesthouse
NLI Chowk
Tel.:53536
Besham
PTDC
KKH
Tel.: 92/996/400448
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| Nightlife: |
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Murree, a children's taxi
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In the country site no nightlife provided, except looking at the stars, which is recommended.
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| Hangouts: |
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Islamabad, Museum of Culture, the truck
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I stayed in the country site, no hangouts. I can't fill out 50 characters.
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| Restaurants: |
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Nainsukh is secured against the Indus by poplars and walls.
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Food was provided in the hotels, very good.
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| Other recommendations: |
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Indus Valley near Skardu on the way to Shangri La and Satpara Lake
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Departure separates from the social self, from the confirming and confining structure of the origin, and means to follow the urge for freedom, individuality and self-definition. Passage, to move across space, is a phase of transition, in which the manifold dangers of travel present the traveller with the consciousness of the irreducible and autonomous individuality of his own self. It also affects the sense of time, a distortion of time occurs, and it is a symbolic way to deny time by crossing space, to stop growing old. Therefore I am on the move, driven by a yearning for stability in a state of imbalance, for changelessness in the midst of fleetingness.
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Published on Tuesday January 6th, 2009
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Publish on Facebook
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Tue, Oct 12 2010 - 09:49 AM
 by josef
| nice places, you can visit them |
Sat, Mar 28 2009 - 10:00 PM
 by shubh
| Nice report. But the recent blast in Pakistan has marked question upon the three mentioned goals: Unity, Faith, Discipline. Such incidents will adversely affect the tourism industry of this country. |
Sat, Jan 31 2009 - 01:05 PM
 by frenchfrog
| Christl, This a great report, really amazing, I am glad you enjoyed your experience! Thanks for sharing your adventure! |
Sat, Jan 24 2009 - 07:33 AM
by gloriajames
| Great report! and u hv posted beautiful and scenic pics! |
Sun, Jan 11 2009 - 05:58 PM
by aufgehts
| Another wonderful report. The pictures are amazing...I can't imagine (but I'd like to!) standing there in person to take them! |
Thu, Jan 08 2009 - 01:48 PM
by nasir828
Wed, Jan 07 2009 - 05:36 PM
by orlen
Great Pictures, Great description of the role of women in Pakistan, Great Info.
Whats not to like? |
Wed, Jan 07 2009 - 04:01 AM
by bineba
| Both your reports are wonderful, full of insight and information and it is quite obvious that you loved the country and the people. And the photos are stunning. |
Tue, Jan 06 2009 - 10:57 PM
by mistybleu
Another great report - I just love the pictures - what a pretty country.
Amanda |
Tue, Jan 06 2009 - 06:30 PM
by krisek
| Christl, a beautiful and greatly educating report! Thank you so much. |
Tue, Jan 06 2009 - 02:35 PM
by eirekay
| Looking at the stars is enough! Beautiful report and stunning photos! |
Tue, Jan 06 2009 - 10:04 AM
by jorgesanchez
| You are the Alexander David-Neel of the XXI century! |
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