July 5, 2007

Pakistan: vacation wonderland

No, I’m not kidding. Pakistan is a vacation wonderland! You just need to know where to go.

The boys and I ventured north in June with our friend, Cheryl Burke, a mission volunteer from Atlanta. We followed the Silk Road up the Karakoram Highway from Gilgit in northern Pakistan to Kashgar in Xinjiang Province, China. This trip is offered by many adventure travel agencies at significant cost; not having the luxury of paying someone to arrange it all for us, we left Lahore with a general idea of how we could do this, some suggestions of places to stay, and lots of Plan B ideas in case something didn’t work. We were amazed at how often things did work; we’re not used to that in Pakistan!

We started with a short flight from Islamabad to Gilgit, flying by Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest peak in the world. That started 14 days of adventurous travel, spectacular scenery, and the unbelievable hospitality of people all along the road. We visited one of my students in the Hunza Valley (near Karimabad), delighting in the fruit from his family orchards and a glimpse into their lives. Two young Hunza women invited us into their summer home for salted tea after seeing us hike by. The invitations were constant and gracious.

To give you some idea of how stunning the scenery was, ask Peter. He was daily heard to say, “I think I’m in heaven!” Other days, he staged a beauty contest, picking the most beautiful peak that day. There are snow covered views at every turn, wildlife and camel caravans, new foods to taste (there are 23 varieties of apricots in the Hunza Valley), and beautiful, smiling people all along the way.

Nathan, left, age 13, and Peter, age 9, on a snow glacier in the Naltar Valley, Pakistan.

We used local transportation and relied on those we met for recommendations for lodging and food. The biggest adventure was crossing the Khunjerab Pass, the remote, barren area between Pakistan and China. We learned there was a landslide and that we would have to walk over it. The Pakistanis are famous for their understatements, but this one takes the prize. The “small landslide” turned out to be a massive pile of rocks that not only blocked the road but dammed the river and descending streams to create a 5 foot deep lake as well.  We had to climb rocks and a mountain pass to get around it. We were not prepared for this; Nathan didn’t bring enough water and Peter’s nine-year-old legs just weren’t long enough for the arduous climb. To the children’s credit, they clambered up without complaint. It was only after Nathan nearly collapsed from dehydration and Peter saw the billet rope across a narrow ledge that they each rebelled. Nathan was heard to shout “We’re not doing this again, mom. We are flying back from Kashgar!” and Peter simply sat down and cried.

But our fellow passengers and the bus driver were determined we reach the waiting bus on the other side. People took our luggage, gave Nathan water, and took Peter’s hands to guide him over the difficult terrain. Mom and Aunt Cheryl were cheerleaders, shouting encouragement to keep going with the promise of soon being in China. An adrenaline-filled hour later, we found our scattered luggage and boarded the bus with a huge sigh of relief. We knew it was an accomplishment when we then met fellow travelers who said with incredulity “You did that climb with two kids?”

We saw a different side of Islam, too; north of Gilgit to the China border, the residents are all Ismaili or Shi’a. We marveled at the beauty of the women and children we met and the bright-colored clothing. We heard different calls to prayer and learned much about how the Ismailis practice their faith, particularly from my student Salman and his family.

We met ex-pats, too. It was a privilege to see their commitment to those communities and to furthering the Kingdom in this corner of the world.

For Peter, it was an absolute thrill to be in the country of his birth. Even though we were about as far from his birthplace as we could get and still be in China, he was welcomed and affectionately greeted at each turn. We learned much about Uygar culture and relished the cleanliness and ease in getting around in China.

In the end, we did fly back from Kashgar (one of those Plan B ideas we had to implement because the landslide was still there), passing the dramatic peak of K2 (second-highest mountain in the world) on the way to Islamabad. All too soon, we left the stunning landscape behind to descend to the Punjabi plains.

We’ve had time to reflect and make some calculations: in two weeks and two days, we took two airplanes, six buses, three crowded vans, four jeep rides, three camels, and 13 taxis ( we think—it was hard to keep track!). We hiked miles of beautiful countryside and around one landslide. More importantly, we experienced the hospitality of strangers and the words of Paul rang true: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:12-14).

And so, to this long list of gracious people we say thank you: Ty, Kareem, Ali and his brother, Salman, Ghulam, Didar, David, Sara, Joshua, Micah, Jim, Albert, Akhtar, Pervaiz, the man in the PIA office who secured our seats to Gilgit, the NATCO bus driver who helped Peter over the rocks, Christine, Ronnie, Ted, Judy, and the post office staff in Aliabad who sewed our package of Hunza rugs for shipment home. It was an incredible trip!

And back in Lahore

Robert is working diligently in his spare time this summer to convert his Ph.D. dissertation into a book; Peter is taking swimming lessons, and Nathan is preparing for boarding school by sleeping late as often as possible. The check on this is that he sleeps with Chase, the visiting dog, who makes sure he is up long before noon.

And I am back to work after this much-needed break. My primary accomplishment of late is finishing the college Web site.

Here’s wishing you all a relaxing, restful summer. And if you want recommendations for a great vacation in Pakistan, let us know.

Thank you for all the emails and prayers and for your continued interest in our work here in Pakistan!

Marianne Vermeer

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 111