The Faces of Northern Pakistan

The faces of Northern Pakistan are striking. They come in all varieties and colours and shapes. A potpourri. This part of the world is a mixing pot of ethnicities and genetic heritages that date back thousands of years. In fact – the whole worlds faces can be found here n this one place!

The mountains, steep valleys, sheer cliff faces and the inaccessibility of this part of the world has created a human tableau that is relatively free from outside influence. The cultures here are strong and independent. The people fiercely tribal but at the same time; in the Hunza valley at least, not weighed down by some of the religious conservatism of the southern part of the country.

The children here are beautiful and the people look splendid. It’s hard to put a finger on their race and ethnicity – because they don’t follow the usual crude classes we see in the West (Indian, Chinese, African, White etc) – the people here have; I suspect, unique genetic mixtures that tell a story of their ancestors epic journeys to this part of the world.

Their is also a touch of wildness to these children. Their behaviors are free from the sheen of civilization. Their is a child-like savageness to them. And it is this same savageness that has helped them to survive in a world with few safety nets. The children of the West do not have to fend for food, nor do they have to spend all their days in the fields, in workshops, or on the side of the roads begging. The children of the West have the State to protect them if their family cannot. At the same time they can be free to be children and play.

The children of Northern Pakistan are free-er than their Western counterparts. There is no 9 pm curfew. No fear of playing outside. No hours spent in front of the TV or Playstations. No angst created by social media.

But this freedom has a price.

That price is no real hope

And no real future in the modern world.

The Pakistani Road Warriors…

Pakistani drivers can be a creative lot. This is best exemplified by the ingenious methods they use of their transport vehicles.

Nothing is impossible. If you have the imagination and audacity and a general lack of self consciousness!

This is road art. Not useless paintings or statues – but art that is mechanical and actually works.

Naran, Gilgit, Babusar, Deosai and Skardu

The Wild Children of Northern Pakistan

They haunt me still. I think about them a lot…

For a child to develop normally it needs a good diet, to be cared for by an attentive parent and it needs an environment where it can interact and play with other children. The wild kids of Pakistan, they are not ‘missing’ something. They are not abnormal. But they are so far removed from normal society – so cut off from an education and etiquette and the world of manners – that they make me wonder.

Wonder – is this what we were all like before civilization and the world of table manners?

They way they look at you. The way they were looking at me and my camera and trying to comprehend what I was doing. None of it made sense to them. How could it?! So as far as the higher faculties are concerned they were perplexed. But there is the primitive brain portions that deal with our emotional and fight or flight reflexes. I know. I know. I am approaching this from a human behaviour perspective! When I approached them they were able to establish that I wasn’t a threat. They could tell from my smile and from my body language that I was not a threat. This is a universal human thing. No matter where you are, who you are, you are hard-wired to detect danger.

So my point (I suppose is), that although we live in different worlds – we are still humans – and we can still communicate basic human emotions and feelings with each other. I am tormented by the fact that I didn’t help them more. Give them more. Hug them more. So caught up was I in the moment of taking their picture that I now want to know more about them.

Perhaps too much knowledge takes away the mystique?

Maybe it is better that many questions remain?

I see the beautiful little girl…

And i look at her rugged hair and her dirt-caked fingers and the sores on her face. What was she thinking when I took this photo? Will she grow up to be happy? Will she even survive? Does she have someone that loves her?

One day I will go back. And try and find her again.

 

Adventures in Northern Pakistan

Rawalpindi – Gujarkhan – Neelam Valley (In no particular order)

Amazing Pakistan

 

 

The trials and tribulations of…packing

They say the most exciting part of a trip is the planning/packing stage. It can also be the most painful. But luckily for me; being a veteran of long-term travel and vagabonding, I have had many opportunities to hone my skills. I like to think of myself as a packing ninja! Packing super light! Do I sound like a nerd? Who cares! Listen, my back pack weighs nothing. When packing the key thing is to ask yourself this question:

“What do I really truly need that I can’t buy from the place I am going?”

And when asking yourself this question you must be ruthless. Not ‘what will come in handy?’. No, you must ask, what do i truly really absolutely NEED.

And when you do this, you realise, to much surprise, that you don’t really need much. It’s a bit of an eyeopener actually. The thing is most of us tend to over-plan and overthink stuff. We imagine scenarios where stuff will happen to us and we will need certain stuff to mitigate that stuff happening.

Am I making any sense?

No?

Good!

We live in a global marketplace so most things these days are easily acquirable. There are few places in the world left today where you can’t buy your sun creams and your shaving foams and razors and your Coca Cola’s. Where there is Coca Cola – there is also likely to be Lynx deodorant and all the other essentials. Yes – that’s right – I am not taking along any deodorant. Nor any shower gels or shampoos or shaving foams. Will I smell? Probably – but who cares. Hell I’m not even taking a toothbrush. Don’t need toothpaste or a toothbrush – sorry, too heavy – these are staying behind. No way am I taking my toothbrush on a mountain trek. In Northern Pakistan there is a peculiar tree, whose bark is used by locals as a toothbrush. It also has antiseptic properties. You see? My toothbrush grows on trees!

So what exactly am I taking then?

Here is the complete list of items in my bag:

T-shirts x 2

Long sleeved shirts x 2

Polo top x 2

Merino wool underlay (super light)

Merino wool overlayer

Micro fleece (super light)

Wind and rain proof lightweight jacket

Combat trousers x 2

Lightweight walking shoes

Socks x 3 (or 4!)

3 piece suit with shirt and tie (in case I end up in a classy restaurant…)

Sorry, that was a joke

Sony a7 RII camera with 3 lenses and 4 spare batteries and Neutral Density filter

Ricoh GR point and shoot camera that neatly and snugly fits in my pocket

Kindle reader

Ahh yes, laptop (and charger)

Contact lenses (approx 4 months worth)

Some toiletries that I can’t buy from Pakistan

 

That’s it. Simplicity personified.

That is all I have. Admittedly there are a few ‘gadgets’ in my bag. For example you must be thinking why am I taking two cameras? Let me explain this bit. The Ricoh GR is a small high quality point and shoot that I can use in dodgy dark street corners or anywhere where photography is frowned upon. It is super stealth and has this ‘snap’ function which allows me shoot with my eyes closed. Seriously. The Sony A7RII however is a little bigger – but still smaller than my Canon DSLR. Photography is a big part of my trip – it helps me connect with people and the world. The camera almost forces interaction with people and the world which is great. The laptop…I would LOVE to leave it behind. But alas I will need it for my image editing. Besides it will remain in my hostel. The only time I will be lugging it around is between hostels and on and off buses and trains and, even if it got stolen, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s rather old and grumpy but has been a loyal friend to me on many trips.

 

The fewer items you take with you, the freer you are, and the less you worry. If you have a bag full of crap, you worry about your bag full of crap. And i don’t want to worry about anything.

Travel is about letting go, of everything. Of freeing yourself of your shackles, your possessions and so called necessities. It teaches you to simplify your life. Your existence is suddenly not attached to the things that you own and you feel more connected with not only yourself but people. There is so much garbage in our lives, so much excess and fat, so much that we don’t really need.

Everything you possess, in turn, always, possesses you.

I depart on the 3rd.

Hello! World…

Coming soon…pakistan, Afghanistan and Maybesomeotherstan

So it begins…the adventure starts…with a visit to the Afghan Embassy in London…for a VISA.

How much?!

“£200 for single entry tourist VISA’ the lady proudly say’s. Or was she a little embarrassed?

“How much?!” I exclaim, again (for affect). Maybe I was thinking my repeating of the price would generate compassion and charity of such degree that it would initiate a discount?

I know that the Pakistani VISA cost me £130. Not sure how these prices compare to other countries. But clearly Afghanistan is such a premiere destination that the prices must reflect that.

Obviously.