Back from Pakistan

Life was good when I was on vacation in Pakistan... I've gone silent for a while, mostly because I was so immersed in my great new life in Pakistan, even  though it was for a measely 2 weeks.  Probably my best trip to Pakistan I can remember!  How can you not love shaadis (weddings) in Pakistan?  My cousin got hitched, and it was basically 10 days of wedding functions, dancing, mingling, partying, and fun!  We also managed to have booze throughout the festivities, even though it is illegal in Pakistan, that is thanks to the bootleggers to supply us with our Johnny and Absolut.  I also managed to make it back to NYC single and un-engaged, much to the dissapointment of my many aunties back in the homeland.   So much happened, but lets see if I can remember some highlights....

The Mehndi was definitely the most fun function, as it usually is.  We spent several days before hand with my cousins and friends practicing out choregoraphed dances for the mehndi.  These were definitely the most technically advanced dances I was involved in.. I think in my old age of 29 now, I can't move and shake like I used to, so the rolls and kicks involved took a number on me.  Especially one move during a dance (to Josh Nal if you are curious), though executed beautifully at the mehndi, left me with a partially tore ligament in my thumb!  Now I am in a thumb splint for a few weeks.  But hey, it was worth it!! And chicks dig guys injured in dances, right?? Hmmm...

In my few days in Lahore, I managed to head out to the heart of foodland to Cafe Nisant, to have some true hardcore Lahori food... Taka-tak and Mughuz.. mmm... Taka-tak, which I thought was some sort of entrails, after I gobbled it down, realized it was Kidney and Testicles... That's right... Cooked on a Tava, and named after the sound it makes when they cook it with the metal spatulas, Taka-tak!  Mughuz of course, is Brain masala.... Sort of like scrambled eggs meets ground beef.... I preferred the latter to the former.  AND I didn't get sick! (The daily cipro saved me)

I also managed to sneak a peak at the Red Mosque, see a few madrassas, and run into several of the hardcore mullahs and Talibans who roam the streets of Islamabad.  Good thing I was sporting a beard, but I definitely kept my distance.  I also stayed out of trouble, even though 2 suicide bomb blasts occurred not too far from Islamabad while I was there and the brief arrival of Nawaz Sharif, which stirred up some commotion. Luckily I was gone before Osama's latest declaration of revolt of Pakistanis against the govt. So much anticipation and speculation with with these "elections" coming, Benazir's coming, and what not... But Paki's politics is a talk for a whole other day....

Now back in the U.S.  I miss seeing my family, good friends old and new, ghee infused parathas in the mornings, and servants and drivers to make my life lovely.  Now I sit here on call in the ICU, fasting for Ramadan, tired, and missing the homeland...

Comments

[working]

Have you been telling people you injured yourself dancing? Your American friends must be like "wow, those Pakistanis really take the wedding dances seriously!".

[Suga]

lol @ working

[Salacious Samosa]

How on earth did you manage to type that epic with an injured thumb?

Do not fret, with the international network of Aunties, I'm sure one of them will trap you with a fishnet and perform a shot-gun nikkah.

Here's to a absolut-free Ramzaan!
S

[Humz]

I visited Pakistan a couple years back and it was amazing. I was overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the people there. However, it was difficult to digest the extreme contrast between the rich and the poor. On the one hand you have extravagant houses with fountains etc. and on the other hand you have kids begging on the streets. I remember entering Pace, a popular mall owned by cricketer Imran Khan, and a kid (not more then 10 years old) stopping me at the entrance asking me if I had any spare change as he had not eaten for days. There was this emptiness in his eyes. I couldn’t control my tears. It was really heart-breaking.

[ali]

Unfortunately that is the harsh reality of the third world, not just in Pakistan, but so many places... I don't know if such social gaps will ever be closed....