Pakistan
from the Grand Trunk Road
The "Lost Tribes" of the Kalash valleys,
which some scholars used to believe descended from Alexander the Great
(though more likely they stemmed from earlier Indo-Aryan migration
waves), remain enigmatic to ethnologists. Never converted to
Islam at knifepoint like their relatives across the Hindu Kush
mountains in Afghanistan, and left alone by the British Raj and
Pakistani regimes, their geographic isolation has preserved their pagan
and agrarian way of life. Recent road construction has opened the
way to letting in more tourists as well as muslim influences so it's
unclear how long the Kalasha culture can be preserved.
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A cacophony of
buses, movie posters, and restaurants along Cinema Street in the
enchanting old town of Peshawar.
Charlie's
TalibAngels? Testing out weapons in arms shops and at the firing
range of the gun manufacturing town of Darra Adam Khel, only an hour
from Peshawar but within Pakistani tribal lands, which are not beholden
to Islamabad's central authority.
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The hill station of Murree above Islamabad remains a haven for
Pakistan family tourists looking to escape the summer swelter in the
lowlands. Women's faces are generally uncovered here, the
atmosphere relaxed, the number of hotels outnumber all the other
businesses in town. My favourite one was called the Move-N-Pick
Hotel.
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