Life in the fast lane in Lahore
Lahore, Pakistan: Not a destination for the timid or the nervous, this city is a surprisingly thriving party place.
By TANIA ASHAN - Friday, July 31, 2009
Lively: Crowded tables in Food Street, Lahore
Lively: Crowded tables in Food Street, Lahore
On Liberty Chowk in Lahore, the roundabout where earlier this year a coach carrying Sri Lankan cricketers came under attack, there is a memorial with photos of the Pakistani policemen and a traffic warden who died in the crossfire.
The photos are above a sign that says: ‘No fear. Kill all the terrorists now.’ While the second directive may seem a little ambitious, the first is necessary in Pakistan.
This is not somewhere you go if you are of a nervous disposition.
There are many ways this city can kill you and terrorist attack would be an unusual way to go.
People regularly walk out into oncoming traffic and motorists are lynched for daring not to swerve in time to avoid them.
People throw themselves off brightly coloured buses travelling at full speed just because they have decided that’s where they want to get off.
This year the kite-flying festival of Basant was almost banned again due to motorcyclists being decapitated by unbreakable kite strings.
The traffic and pollution raise dust clouds so immense the city appears under permanent fog at times and so is not very asthmatic-friendly.
However, if you can avoid an early death here - and if you know where to look - there is no better party town in Asia than Lahore.
It is like a frontier town with the threat of violence and mayhem leading some of its inhabitants to live life in the fast lane.
Aysha, an interior designer, is wearing the latest fashion of cropped shalwar (trousers) and a kameez (shirt) so long it looks like she’s not wearing trousers.
She appears to have a lot of contempt for Westerners, but it is not for the same reasons as the Taliban; she is horrified at what I, a British Pakistani, am wearing.
Non-Pakistani ‘Britishers’ are also seen as quite backward in the eyes of these achingly trendy paragons of style.
With fashions changing every second month in Pakistan, foreigners have the look of country bumpkins in sophisticated Lahore society.
“Just imagine, you have all those fantastic designers on your doorstep and you guys still dress like that,” she says despairingly.
When I point out to her that designers cost money, she looks puzzled and a bit pitying. There is no shortage of money among people of a certain class in Pakistan.
Almost everyone here has the number of a bootlegger as alcohol is illegal for Pakistanis, whatever your class.
You phone up and they deliver whatever you have ordered in a brown paper bag to your door. Most of the people partaking of this service are too important and well-connected to have the police raid their homes.
So while most pictures of Pakistan in the West show scary clerics giving decrees on religion, there is another Pakistan that comprises beautiful people lazing by pools sipping mojitos.
For the average tourist, however, it is somewhat harder to access this world. To see the Pakistani elite up close and personal I head to ‘members only’ bar and restaurant Cosa Nostra in the posh suburb of Gulberg.
Set up by three Pakistani-Italian siblings, the prices are comparable to a fairly good restaurant in Britain, placing it well beyond the means of most Pakistanis.
There is no sign outside the door, just a doorman with a clipboard. I get in by using a tip Aysha gave me: “Look irritable, as if everything in the world is utterly tedious, and most people won’t give you a hard time.” My dress and my order of just a lime water both get a raised eyebrow from the snooty waiter.
Another favourite haunt of the chattering classes is Peeru’s, a funky cafe/arts space that hosts live entertainment and has a puppet museum to boot.
Where the ‘in’ crowd go changes with such regularity that even my guidebook won’t commit to recommending a place. Here novelty is expected and the boredom threshold is very low.
While the rest of the world watches Pakistan with wariness, Lahoris watch the rest of the world with weariness.
Always check the latest Foreign Office advice before travelling, fco.gov.uk.
Tania flew with Gulf Air. She stayed at Pearl Continental Lahore (Pearl-Continental Hotels…). Visit Welcome to P A K I S T A N for more information on travel to Pakistan.
Life in the fast lane in Lahore | Metro.co.uk
------------- some courage to write and some by metro editor. for a city that has been hit by terror in recent months. though article doesnt cover all aspect of lahore, but provide a un exposed side!
its always alive for hospitality and fun…