Friday, January 25, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
The 'Look-At-Me' Signs
I've been in Pakistan for about 12 days now and honest to God everyday is a new experience, never a dull moment. I've come back after so long but ironically not much has changed. I mean sure there are new buildings, better roads, internet, cell phone technology etc, but in terms of people and personal growth (not reproduction because I believe we take the silver on that next to India) we are stagnant.
There are so many stories to share, I dont really know where to begin. From the moment we landed to escaping Lahore in the nick of time for Multan post-assassination, fighting a crowd of motorcyclists for CNG, tires burning, protestations to coming back to Lahore and shopping in markets for wedding stuff, haggling for a better deal even if in the end it only saved me a rupee and a half, dodging crazy rickshaw drivers who make New York cabbies seem like saints, bonding with our driver, choking on smog in Faisalabad to dining at one of Lahore's top restaurants. It's all been wonderful in hindsight. This is only the beginning. I have 10 days to go and part two of our trip -- post-wedding -- is where we will get to do touristy sight-seeing stuff. There are tons of places to see, tons more relatives to visit, and about a bajillion places to eat - Im not into the American cuisine places, but I did spend about thirty minutes today in search of a Dunkin Donuts because I was craving coffee which I didnt find but the search will continue tomorrow.
I don't have much time right now to recant all the funny stories at once, so I shall write about them from memory (theres no way Im ever forgetting lol) for your entertainment. By far the funniest stories take place in the markets and bazaars. I don't quite know what it is about our demeanor (my sister's and mine) but for some strange reason its not only evident to us but to all shoppers that we don't quite belong here. We're constantly the most watched people as we stroll the gallys (alleys). People literally run into each other while starring at us. It's bad enough our driver, a young Pathan from Peshawar, even has noticed and got very upset over us being gawked at as well!
I kid you not, its not all in my head. How am I absolutely certain? Today, like all other days we were minding our own business and perusing the shops looking for jewelry and the like when all of a sudden we came across two men in a bear hug -- Im talking facing each other, all hugged up type bear hug -- we stopped dead in our tracks and looked at them, jaws slamming to the dirt floor. Yet, what was everyone else doing? Looking at us! As if that was the definition for model behavior! Dude!, we BEAT OUT the out-and-proud-lovey-dovey-huggy men!!! What the hell, lol!?! Even the two guys in question stopped hugging each other long enough to look at us.
We must have signs on our backs and foreheads that say 'Look-At-Me' in urdu because that's what everyone's been doing. And no, its not flattering. Ok, maybe it is...a little.
:D
There are so many stories to share, I dont really know where to begin. From the moment we landed to escaping Lahore in the nick of time for Multan post-assassination, fighting a crowd of motorcyclists for CNG, tires burning, protestations to coming back to Lahore and shopping in markets for wedding stuff, haggling for a better deal even if in the end it only saved me a rupee and a half, dodging crazy rickshaw drivers who make New York cabbies seem like saints, bonding with our driver, choking on smog in Faisalabad to dining at one of Lahore's top restaurants. It's all been wonderful in hindsight. This is only the beginning. I have 10 days to go and part two of our trip -- post-wedding -- is where we will get to do touristy sight-seeing stuff. There are tons of places to see, tons more relatives to visit, and about a bajillion places to eat - Im not into the American cuisine places, but I did spend about thirty minutes today in search of a Dunkin Donuts because I was craving coffee which I didnt find but the search will continue tomorrow.
I don't have much time right now to recant all the funny stories at once, so I shall write about them from memory (theres no way Im ever forgetting lol) for your entertainment. By far the funniest stories take place in the markets and bazaars. I don't quite know what it is about our demeanor (my sister's and mine) but for some strange reason its not only evident to us but to all shoppers that we don't quite belong here. We're constantly the most watched people as we stroll the gallys (alleys). People literally run into each other while starring at us. It's bad enough our driver, a young Pathan from Peshawar, even has noticed and got very upset over us being gawked at as well!
I kid you not, its not all in my head. How am I absolutely certain? Today, like all other days we were minding our own business and perusing the shops looking for jewelry and the like when all of a sudden we came across two men in a bear hug -- Im talking facing each other, all hugged up type bear hug -- we stopped dead in our tracks and looked at them, jaws slamming to the dirt floor. Yet, what was everyone else doing? Looking at us! As if that was the definition for model behavior! Dude!, we BEAT OUT the out-and-proud-lovey-dovey-huggy men!!! What the hell, lol!?! Even the two guys in question stopped hugging each other long enough to look at us.
We must have signs on our backs and foreheads that say 'Look-At-Me' in urdu because that's what everyone's been doing. And no, its not flattering. Ok, maybe it is...a little.
:D
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