yess - shehzad and spock
those were the days - I remember going with my uni. pals way back in 1991 - It was such a joy to travel through these areas - that was something like a global village with ppl from all over the world mixing together with no tensions or whateva in the streets of Gilgit.
The high ups and policy makers are doing a good job ( YEAH SURE ! ) holding seminars , doing conferences and having joy trips every now and then in the name of promoting pakistani tourism -
You would be surprized to know that NOT a single authenticated detailed MAP is available for the northern areas - save for the SURVEY of Pakistan - and it is not easy to get your hands on to that ( SECURITY REASONS ?? !! ) - People outside pakistan know a lot about tourism and travel in INDIA than Pakistan - all due to the INDIAN grip on media and yesss the indians have been able to successfully promote their country. We need to do something quick yar because as far as scenic beauty and mountaineering is concerned - INDIA is NO MATCH for Pakistan.
Agreed... I am glad you also think highly of those old days... I was a child at that time, and I remember all those flocks of foriegners coming here at that time...
Btw, I think maps of northern areas were available, by PTDC... Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation... They were pretty neat maps if you ask me. I used to collect all of them, from Moenjodaro to Swat etc... They were available for Rs.3 from the PTDC head office in Islamabad.
I don’t want to politicize this thread, but the statement is false that not too many know about these places. Those who have interest in knowing, do know about these places and a lot is written in magazines almost on monthly basis. Even now, when permits are slightly harder to get due to the lingering situation on the borders in Kashmir and Siachin. Nonetheless, a lot more can be accomplished through better allocation of resources towards advertisement, modern lodging, and infrastructure.
PN: thanks for the info, I haven’t read that book, but sounds intriguing..
I don't think it's entirely the responsibility of the government. How many of us do any kind of promotion on personal basis, not to many, including myself. It will be fair to say that, staff and agencies who are actually responsible, do need a lot more training and accessibility to Western media, and I think that's where the expatriates have their role to play, especially the ones who are knowledgeable about these areas. I am not too keen on explicitly blaming few people, when it should be a collective effort, ideally.
I think this is a point to ponder for all pakistanis living abroad . Think of ways and means to do this - mmm what about a informal photo exhibit or some sort of exhibition on pakistani handicrafts from the northern areas ?? - Well as a pakistani LIVING in pakistan i have little knowledge about the kind of life that pakistanis abroad are living - whether they can accomodate such healthy activities in their normal life or not ??? But it would surely help - I am sure the pakistani embassies abroad are not doing their job regarding this , properly - or at least it is not a matter of TOP priority for them
This is the Ultar peak in HUNZA . A small track leads out to the back of the Karimabad town - it gets all rocky after about a kilometer - somewhere on that track you see this ULTAR peak - framed to perfection (this pic from 1995)
PN: You are right. There are some pragmatic and unswerving means of getting the message across in a more vocal way in the Western media. For instance, embassies should liaise with organizations such as American Alpine club, which has thousands upon thousands of members, on matters such as promotion; issuing of mountaineering permits; and security. Advertising in magazines that cover ongoing expeditions and mountaineering opportunities in Pakistan on regular basis. Steps like these will be a great start.
As far as personal efforts are concerned, it never hurts to project a positive image of Pakistan at an level. Although, I would not depend on any kind of help from the embassy, since there always seems to be a disparity between the policies of the government and how the appointed staff overseas are capable of actually executing those policies. Therefore, people are better off discussing ideas on message boards such as this one while pooling efforts driven by their personal likings and interests.
I visited Lake SaifulMalooq back in 91. It was a great place to visit. All of a sudden it started raining and ppl went for cover, and there were 2 college students who started dancing in the rain and kept the spirit alive! This was in the month of June. As you can see we had to go there on horses (they call them khatcher I think) as jeeps cannot go there in June/July, but in August. As you can see, confused friends are of great use there
no wonder yaar, Pakistan has some of the finest places in the world!
~~* Life has taken me in many different ways showing that people only look for wisdom and status…… and even though I rank myself through that to show my good qualities and sweetness of speech!………
………But at the end all I get is the hand full of “DusT”~~~
,.-~´ ¨¯¨`·~-.¸-(_ WaFa _)-,.-~´¨¯¨`·~-.¸
[quote]
Originally posted by phajjaa nanbai:
** Well now the situation has much improved and You can take a jeep all the way from NARAN to Saif ul Muluk
**
[/quote]
Phajja, not true... You can take the jeep only after August... You cant do that in June/July, as the tracks are very small, and a jeep probably cant even fit in them!!! I went to Saif-ul-Maluq in both june and august, and its very different... In august its nothing... In june, its a glaciar and 80% of the lake is frozen, and from in the way you can see a frozen river stream passing right next to you, some thousands of feet down! Its very dangerous...
Yar..i went in like July 23rd there and there were only lil traces of snow…i wish i can go there when it’s choked with snow…whenz the time to visit it in that state?
I know for a fact that September onwards..the tracks become impassable so when to do.
..the views are certainly breathtaking..and hey i love the spirit of those two guys dancing in the rain…
Khanzada bhai, I went in June, and thats the time to go there!!! As you can see from the picture, all the mountains are snow capped, lake is almost frozen, but the only problem is getting to the lake, for which you need to travel by foot or horses… Believe me, thats an adventure, and you will enjoy it