Pakistan is a land of vibrant local cultures and breathtaking sceneries. While there may be a lack of tourism in the past couple of years, some soulful adventurers find Pakistan to be fascinating and have written blogs about their exciting trips.
Many tourists fell in love with the Pakistani culture and natural beauty, and yes some of them have visited Pakistan more than once!
British adventurer, photographer, and blogger Will Hatton is in awe of the beauty of Pakistan. He has visited Pakistan and shared his amazing experience here on his blog ‘The Broke Backpacker’.
Will Hatton be an audacious and fun loving traveler chose to lead a different life, unlike most tourists, he is a backpacker. He travels across countries with nothing more than a backpack filled with necessary clothing, his electronics, and a few bucks.
Recently, Will traveled to Pakistan and after skimming through Lahore and Islamabad, he headed towards north to explore his ultimate love – mountains.
Describing his intentions to visit Pakistan, Will writes that sadly the European media has always portrayed Pakistan as a dump, home of terrorists and hell on earth. However, his Pakistani friends back at home exhibited just the opposite conduct. That’s why he decided to find out the truth about Pakistan and show to the world what a gem Pakistan really is.
In an interview to Jovago, the adventurer was asked to describe Pakistan in three words to which he responded:
Illuminating, unforgettable, totally god-damn unique.
Talking about Pakistani people, he writes in his blog that Pakistanis are the most fun-loving and hospitable people he has ever come across. Pakistanis can’t help but take care of their guests and get them addicted to tea.
Wherever I went, I was greeted by friendly faces and incredibly helpful people… The Pakistani people are very generous and you will be plied with ridiculous amounts of free food and chai.
Little does Will know Pakistanis, as Muslims, feel honored taking care of their guests and believe that guests bring ‘barkat’ to a home. (Dictionaries translate ‘barkat’ to blessing, but really there is no word that truly captures the essence of this concept).
Even after being fed with limitless tea, Will tells his favorite Pakistani cuisine to be lassi. “I’m a sucker for lassis.” Maybe Will has some Punjabi blood in him. After all his favorite city of Pakistan is Lahore, even though he spent most of his time in the north. He talks about Lahore in his blog;
The Paris of Pakistan: Lahore is one of my favorite cities in the world. The colors, the sounds, the smells, the vibrant-in-your-face-ness of it all is best experienced on the back of a motorbike; make friends with some locals and get them to show you around!
Will Hatton, the traveler and photographer, loves Pakistan for its opportunities of nearly every type of adventure. From rocky mountains to snowy peaks to stormy desserts, Pakistan offers everything to her lovers. He said
This is a land of towering peaks and colorful traditions, of ancient fortresses and friendly people. I’m a bit of a history buff and Pakistan is simply heaving with fascinating historical sites as well as some of the best trekking in the world.
Traveling in Pakistan is very cheap and fun according to Will and that’s make traveling on the budget really easy. Financing in Pakistan is super easy for foreigners as:
Pakistanis are so damn hospitable that it’s hard to pay for anything
The mountains and northern beauty of Pakistan cast a spell on Will. He started with Gilgit and made his way to the Fairy Meadows. He narrated his experience that some of the police officers there are friendly enough to guide your tour.
He then explored the ‘jewel of Hunza’, Karimabad where he was stunned by the Baltit fort. Moving further he discovered the fascinating glaciers at Gulkin and the bluest lake in the world – the Abbottabad lake.
He visited the highest border – Khunjerab pass, Skardu, up to the base camp of K2. He also made it to Chitral and enjoyed among the people of Kalash and their colorful festivals.
Throughout his trip, Will was amazed by the beauty of the country and the hospitality of people. He holds that Pakistan is nothing like as depicted in the media. Women are also deeply respected and many people come forward to help in case of a problem.
Pakistan is one of the safest countries I have ever visited and is packed with friendly and inquisitive individuals who are always happy to meet a backpacker. The extremely helpful army and the sometimes helpful police will always keep an eye out for foreigners and they are absolutely everywhere.
Will describes himself as an on-road writer and photographer. His experiences have also made him a “part-time farmer, full-time charmer.” Who is always down for a good mountain or a cheesecake.
This guy has been traveling since 9 years on an extreme budget and in these years he has tried to learn the meaning of life and enjoy it to the fullest. Although he is from the UK, but is hardly ever in Europe. Instead, he has traveled more than seventy countries, all on a budget.
He manages to finance his trips by his famous travel blog ‘The Broke Backpacker’ but mostly he does odd jobs like farming during traveling. Will usually travels via hitch-hiking in a country making friends along the way.
Will Hatton travels to engage with new people. In his opinion, travel gives him an opportunity to meet new people from different cultures and reinvent himself. Every time he meets a new person, he tries to become a happier, friendlier and more exciting version of himself.
Travelers like Will Hatton are trying to bring the bright side of Pakistan, highlighting it to the world what an incredible country Pakistan really is. Pakistan may her issues but Pakistanis make sure their guests have the best possible experience.
Source yumtoyikes.com