“Pakistan 🇵🇰 ~Here we are in Abbottabad; Where Osama Bin Laden Lived and was supposedly Killed”

• November 9, 2020
• By Pen
• 2 Comments

Imagine, if you will, making plans to arrive at a family or friends place, to hang out, enjoy time together and explore…only the dates gets mixed up and you arrive a week earlier than previously arranged. You know that look you would get? Like; “hi, what are you doing here?” “What a surprise, but do come in, welcome, we can figure things out if we juggle.”

This is what it’s kind of like to be self-touring in Pakistan. Nobody sees us coming. 

We were “this” close to getting a rental car, in Islamabad. We did get one delivered to us at our guesthouse, but it all went away, because we refused to leave our passports with them, for collateral, while we explore for 17 days. Umm, no, not happening. Our passports stay with us at all times. So, we said forget it, then, we will figure something else out….and we did.

Firstly, I am naturally observant. I don’t miss much. Being in a conservative Muslim country, Daryl has to do some footwork that I normally just jump in and do, to get’er done. But, because a woman is mostly invisible here, and/or not comfortable for the male human stranger to converse with, I asked Daryl to walk across the street from our guesthouse, where the taxis hang out. (Personal cars, no actual taxis; same, same here) I tell Daryl, just go talk it up about needing a driver. If the first guy does not have a big enough car, I guarantee you, they always “know a guy” who does. Sure enough, the first guy’s car was too small, and not up to long drives. He helped us (spoke a little English) was nice as can be and he got busy making a few calls. He told us his friend was coming. The friend drove up in the same make vehicle as the first guy’s puddle jumper, BUT it was newer, with good tread, and a rack on top. It’s two-hours north, and we only requested a one-way trip, so we took a bit of a hit. We agreed to $50 (8000 rupee) Again, this driver was super friendly, a very careful driver (in a Pakistani way) and we were perfectly comfortable. (Our own rental is only way to go, but so far that’s a fail in Pakistan).

We got the luggage tied on, and bags loaded, and soon we were rolling down the highway, heading for the 40th largest city in Pakistan; Abbottabad. I found a guesthouse online, in the city, to give an address to the driver (I did not book, and was just hoping it will be okay) according to the internet, this city has rental cars too. Being a Sunday, nothing would be open until, tomorrow. If we can’t rent a car, without promising our first born, we will have to hire a driver to take us around, since we have made it this far, north. We want to reach the ancient Silk Road, and tour Kashmir, after exploring around Abbottabad. We will try to get up to the Northern Territory, but it’s like pulling teeth around here to make any headway with solid arrangements. I can only handle so much drama, before the life is sucked out of me.

It was a long drive, with nothing out of the ordinary to see along the way. I took a nap, Daryl napped, and after being stopped by the police two times, where the driver had to pay-off the cops, (it would appear) we were allowed to continue. The poor driver stood out with our suitcases tied to his roof. Perhaps he was not licensed to be out of his district? We tried to ask the driver, and he tried to tell us, but no English, so some things we will never know for sure. The good news is, we did not get stopped for long, end up in jail, and we were allowed to continue. For those of you wondering, we are familiar with the security checks, and especially in underdeveloped parts of countries, but when we drive and get stopped, as soon as we start talking in English, they wave their hand and so go! The cops don’t want to deal with foreigners. This has been our experience.

Abbottabad is a significant location in Pakistan, as a huge educational and Military hub. I think I expected it to be less run-down, as it is deemed to be well connected with a good infrastructure. I have t noticed this, but we shall see. We are reminded a bit of Kathmandu, Nepal from what we have seen, so far, in Abbottabad, for which we un-fondly call it Dust-mandu; though we loved, loved all of Nepal and its people. One has to be careful with this kind of a dusty situation, long-term. We have learned! We double-masked-up, and it had nothing to do with the virus. With the fascination of old-world ways, some things are done that are not so great, due to lack of know-how or maybe lack of information. One of my biggest disappointments is seeing and having to endure the burning of plastics. What is harder than us driving or walking through the smoke of such a burn, is watching young children playing in and around the fumes. Between the polluted smoke and the dust, I tend to get an irritated throat. The same thing happened in Kathmandu. Daryl had trouble in Kathmandu, with a sore throat, too. but not here. So far, its just me. Im just very sensitive to toxins, like pollution, cigarette smoke, heavy dust and such. But, this is just another example of how we have little control over things, when traveling. Finally, we arrived in the part of the city, where we left the main drag and drove for 20 minutes here and there, trying to find the guesthouse. This is normal, too; for locals even, and for sure if we are driving. Signage is limited.

While the guesthouse I chose, indicated it is 500 feet from the city, this was a vague description. Abbottabad is a long and narrow town, with limited lanes and pavement, plus bumper to bumper traffic. Coming in I never saw one single rental car company, and with the serious dust issue, we are not inclined to go through that long route again, till we have to. Right at this moment, Daryl is downstairs talking with a driver, whom a staff member rounded up for us. We are trying to get a full-day tour, tomorrow, of the local area (including a peek at the Compound where Osama Bin Laden was), Kashmire and get on to the Silk Road. Once we are out of Abbottabad, we can scope out the area of Kashmire, to see what that town has to offer. We do not want to be so remote in the mountains and canyons we have no electricity, internet or hot (warm) water. So we will see what happens on our adventure tomorrow. It really is day-to-day planning in this country. Though some country travels are nit as easy as others, we can’t imagine doing anything else!

We want adventure, and sometimes we really get what we seek!

In the meantime, behind a beautiful gated guesthouse, we are in a little oasis for now, to call our temporary home, and we are comfortable. The food is excellent, and we have room service, since there is no dining room that we notice. There is a kitchen, because we smell the food. (Daryl says it’s probably best I don’t see any more kitchens, anyway). The grounds are beautiful and I assume it was once a private home of wealth, back in its day. There is also an aperary on the property, and we hear birds chirping, happily. The call to prayer in Pakistan is not a blaring sound system, as we have heard in so much of the Asian world, but instead its more quiet, subtle and sounds more like chatting, kind of groaning, to light singing. It is much easier to take. Our room is huge. When we lose electricity, they get the generator going right away. When we ask about hot water for showers, we have been told every time. jee jee (yes). However, my hot and Pakistani hot are two very different temperatures, so we are overjoyed when it is at least warm. Here, the bathroom has a tub with a hand held wand, and no shower curtain. You can imagine, right? The weather, as we have climbed up in elevation is cooler. We can pay extra money for the controls to the A/C, but we do not need A/C for the first time in a year. the high is 70 degrees, during the day. That’s perfect! We are paying $22 a night, no breakfast included. We do not have to go out and search for food, either. The menu here is limited, affordable, and is good.

Oh, and I keep forgetting to tell you, but only because Daryl and I are married, are we allowed to share a bed and a room, together in Pakistan. India was this way, and we even carry a copy of our marriage certificate with us.