Archive for the ‘My life & thoughts’ Category
Holiday in Pakistan (12): conclusion
April 21st, 2024 by Roger Darlington
The conclusion of my holiday in Pakistan was almost as disruptive as the beginning, with a threatened flight change. At Islamabad airport, I was not given a boarding pass for the onward journey from Doha. Then, at Doha airport, I had to visit three desks of Qatar Airways, be told that my intended flight was […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (11): Islamabad and Taxila
April 20th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
We finished our holiday in good spirits since we had the best hotel of the trip (the Serena), the weather was excellent, and we had some interesting visits. We drove along the wide Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, on which many government buildings are located, and then north-west to the ancient city of Texila which is […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (10): the worst journey of my life
April 19th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
The antepenultimate day of our holiday (Friday) should have been nothing special. The plan was to take a one hour flight from Gilgit back to Islamabad and visit some tourist sights in the Pakistani capital. What could possibly go wrong? In short: everything. The morning flight from Gilgit was cancelled for some reason that was […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (9): more of the Hunza Valley
April 18th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
Our last day (Wednesday) in the Hunza Valley was a very long one. We left the hotel at 8.45 am and I was finally back in my room at 10.30 pm after almost 14 hours. The mountain-side road went through five tunnels – one very long indeed – built by the Chinese before we reached […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (8): the Hunza Valley
April 16th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
Monday was very much another travelling day. Once the landslides of yesterday were reported to be clear, we were able to leave Kachura at 9.30 am. It was raining and rained all day, so the clouds were low and the sky was grey. On the early part of the journey, it was evident that the […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (7): the climb of my life
April 15th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
On Sunday morning, the weather had changed to low cloud and drizzle. The programme offered an optional hike to Shigar Rock, located next to the Shigar Fort. Accompanied by tour guide Raza and local guide Ali, nine of the 12 of us went on the hike. Only one of us then opted to climb an […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (6): travelling further north
April 13th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
It was a whole day (Friday) in the Khapu Valley. Most of us – three opted out – started the day with a one-hour hike from Garbuchong village, not far from our hotel, all the way up a rocky pathway to the Thoqsikhar Viewpoint overlooking the Khaplu Valley. It was a tough climb – not […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (5): travelling north
April 11th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
The last two days of our trip have been very much travelling days. On Wednesday, we left our hotel in Lahore and took the M-2 motorway all the way to Islamabad – a journey of 430 kms (about 270 miles). We were supposed to break the journey with two tourist sites. The first was the […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (4): more of Lahore
April 10th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
On Tuesday and still in Lahore, again we left our hotel at 9 am. We should have started with a visit to the Lahore Museum which is the oldest in the country and the greatest repository of the history and culture of Pakistan. It was first established in 1864 and moved to its present premises […]
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Holiday in Pakistan (3): Lahore
April 9th, 2024 by Roger Darlington
Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan – the first is Karachi – with a population of over 13 million (one and a half times that of London). As the capital of Punjab province, Lahore is considered the most liberal, progressive, and cosmopolitan city in the country. Under the control of numerous empires throughout […]
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