Beast India Company just spent six weeks in the Hunza valley in northern Pakistan. This was very much an Eat, Pray, Love trip, taken after leaving a job with particularly long hours and a series of family misfortune.
(And yes, we're aware of the irony of wearing BIC gear in Pakistan. We all contain multitudes.)
Why northern Pakistan? Like many ABCDs, I would return to the motherland very often in my childhood, but my visits were largely restricted to the large cities. This was partially because my extended family lived in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and, unfortunately, Hyderabad, but also because my parents were nervous about crime and safety. Better to live within the walls of Defense than venture forth.
So the North has always had a bit of mystique. It was a Here be Dragons land where, unlike in the rest of Pakistan, the people were friendly, the air was clean, and the trash was collected.
But fantasies are just that, right?
Nope. Not always.
It's hard not be amazed by the beauty of it all. Skardu Valley, as seen above, lies where the Himalayas meet the Karakorum meet the Hindu Kush. Living in a valley surrounded by the world's highest mountains is pretty dope if you're into that sort of thing.
But what really makes the place shine are the people: friendly, tolerant, supportive of women's rights and the rest, honest. If your only experience of Pakistan is the big cities, you'll come away with the impression that everyone's out to get your wallet or get you with a knife. I mean, Yaar, I would leave my door unlocked.
This was also a great reminder of what a life well lived could look like. You know how old timey doctors would prescribe their patients with asthma or the vapors a month in Switzerland? Turns out that kinda works. Throw in glacial water, free range animal meat, and pesticide-free produce, and you have all the building blocks to feel great. The Hunza Valley isn't one of the Blue Zones where people live forever with minimal morbidity, but plenty of the locals did vouch for their community's health.
Ultimately, I walked away with an incredible appreciation of and pride in Pakistan. Or maybe not the entire country, but this specific corner of it where the country's promise seems to have been realized.
BIC is also thinking of heading back. Every year, Gilgit and Chitral play a polo match in the mountains which looks something like this:
Looks dope, right? The Shandur Festival is also an arts and music exhibition, so it's become a SXSW of sorts.
This takes place every July, so if you're game, let us know! We can rock BIC gear together.