Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Pakistan

guess its a bit poor to writhe only one article about a whole month travelling in Pakistan but there wasnt much Internet there to do it on spot.
Well, it started in Lahore just over the Border from Amritsar. Lahore is know for its Fort and for the Sufi dance. Sufis are an islamic sect and they gather once a week at a special shrine to get semselfs in trace. I wathed the same thing a couple years ago in Sudan and as it happened i arrived just on the day in Pak where it was going on. First half was really dogy, thick crowds of people and all crazy and tons of haschisch smoke - i felt shit. But once i went out it was really interesting, i was standing on a stairway above the place and could see everything from above, the people watching (different then in Sudan where there where no people just looking) the Sufi's in their turning, danceing for trance in the search to get in touch with God.

I countuinued then from Lahore, to Pindi and Islamabad and on to the north, on to the Karakoum Highway. I did one Stop in Gilgit and then i went on to the hunza valley where i stayed for two weeks. The Hunza Valley is in the Karakorum Highway north of gilgit and around the Valley are some of the highest Mountians in the World. From the Window of my Room i could see Rakaphosi (7788m) on the opposite Side of the Valley and from behind the house Ultar Peak (7388m) and a good dozen of other Peaks and Mountians - all not under 6000m. And more or less they are doing straight into the Valley.
But it was not only beautyfull there, but also cheap, some people around, good food, spring season .... it just opt or a break. Was a bit cold through, but it was just nice to hang out for a couple days, read, do some walks up the mountians and just enjoy the view. See in my album on the rigth to see more Pictures from Hunza !

After some time i went then up again, more north towards the chinese Border into Passu. There it was then really cold. Glaciers went down as far as the village and at night a could not sleep even with a sleeping bag and and a thick blanket.

So i just did some walks, as well one over the most famous Brigde in Pakistan and went then down south again, to Gilgit and from there in another two days to Peshawar close to the afghan Border. More or less my Pakistan trip ended there, in a Dorm where everybody was smoking big amounts of charras and heroin - i just made my exit, took a train to Lahore to get away.

Actually i catched then in Lahore an Giardiasis - that is actually a really nasty parasit. Spent two tree days without food and a lot of tabletts more or less on the toilett. Nice finish.

Will go now to India, transit it towards the south and then on to Sir Lanka.

Dehli, Dharamsala, Dehli und Amritsar, Indien

Dehli :
wie immer. Drueckend heiss, schlechte Luft, Smog ohne ende ... und seit dem ich das letzte mal da war noch hinzugekommen: hohe Hotelpreise fuer dreckloecher. Well, genug Grund sowenig Zeit wie moeglich zu verbringen. Also zur Pakistanischen Botschaft und hahaha - oh leider Feiertag. Naja, also morgen. Naechster Tag, nach 2 Stunden schlange stehn, 10.000 formularen, ok aber leider ist heute Freitag dh wir haben Freitagsgebet, bitte Montag wiederkommen. Soviel dazu. Genervt hab ich mich am selben Abend in nen Zug richtung Dhramsala geworfen.

Dharamsala:
ah ja, schon besser. Wers nich kennt, das ist ja hier der Wohnsitz des Dalai Lama. Heisst zum ersten das echt viele Tibeter und echt viel total bekloppte Europaeer rumrennen. Ach und und das es echt schoen in den Bergen ist. Hab dann auch nen nettes Guesthouse in einem Seitental gefunden und mich schoen ein Wochenende entspannt. Und noch bisschen laenger weil ich echt keine Lust auf Dehli hatte und die Pakistanies bestimmt am Montag auch noch nicht fertig sind. Dummerweise hab ich dann am Montag abend auch noch meinen Zug verpasst .. bin dann irgendwie in einem Militaertransporter untergekommen ... neben 50 Soldaten und 50 knarren. Komisch wars.

Amritsar:
Morgens in Dehli angekommen, Visa geholt, zurueck in die Stadt, zum Bahnhof und ab in den Nachtzug nach Amritsar. Timing ! Ahh und dann am naechsten Tag Amritsar ! Ist die Heimat oder die wichtigste Stadt der skhin-religion. Das sind die Menschen mit dem Turban auf dem Kopf. In der Mitte der Stadt ist deren Schrein, der goldene Tempel. Mit nem grossen Pool drumherum wo Pilger baden, Unterkuenfte und Kantienen fuer selbige nebenan. War sehr interesant ! Jaaa und die Pilgerkantiene seehr gut ! und kostenlos ! :-)