Salgirah Mubarak! (Happy Birthday)

OK, so it's my birthday again. Thanks to all of you that remembered one way or another, using one mechanism or another. And apologies I could not take your phone calls, but I chose to spend my birthday in a different place this time :)  and I was not able to pick up the long distance charges.

Work tends to have quirky ways of forcing you do to things you don't always want to. But when it does, you might as well make the most of it. And so it is that this year I was pushed to spend my birthday in never a more foreign place to me than Pakistan. So to put the icing on the cake (no pun intended) I asked my colleague and travel companion that in return for my effort, he would have to sing Happy Birthday to me, in Pakistan, and, sing in Chinese. So there you have it, something that had never before taken place, has finally happened: a Venezuelan/Australian has had Happy Birthday sang to him in Chinese, in Pakistan. To make it weirder, further conditions were met: the day had to start in Islamabad and end in Karachi, with a Sushi dinner and cheese cake for the candles. In the end, my colleague came through and honoured his name, passing with flying colours.

So my weird birthday present was to get to check out a part of the world most never get to see. I found this to be a land full of friendly, polite and very nice people, from the guy sitting next to me on the plane into Pakistan (he said goodbye and added "it has been a pleasure and a privilege to fly with you, thank you for your friendship" - even though we only talked a bit about Cricket...) right through all the employees of the hotels, people I met in the streets and the Faisal Mosque, heaps of scouts, the business people I met with and well, even the cameraman.

I know a lot of people have fussed over the issues that pertain to Pakistan, but I found a warm and open place instead, so there you have it. I felt safe all along, and regardless of some of the dangers that seem to lurk, I have to say, I have seen danger up close and personal in places a lot closer to my heart, if you know what I mean. And the food was nothing short of great!

I'll leave you (and me) with some pictures of my stay so far, because I wanted to post a memento of this "different" birthday I lived, far away and without any family to accompany me. Salgirah Mubarak to me! (and apologies if I offended anyone during my trip because of ignorance!!)

OK, so there's a bit of security at the hotel.

But, it's a beautiful hotel...

With live music, in the hotel lobby!

And then there were three...

Yes mate, it's sinking...

The Pakistan Monument. It reminds me of another structure, elsewhere on the planet...

Local scouts were drawn towards the aussie and the chinese dudes...

The Faisal Mosque. Fascinating!

Mighty Powerful Engine!

We were told this was a protest. Huh! I don't see anyone complaining!

I wonder whose insurance covers this.

99.9% genetic commonality... You can only wonder if the commonality is bidirectional!

That's what Islamabad looks like without me (at the "Monal" Restaurant)

Finally, thanks to those that remembered me, whether because you really tried, or you got a little bit of help from Facebook... (Isa++, Mama, Conrado, Suegrita, Antonio, Rafa, Jhonny, Indriana, Jenny, Ana Mercedes, Tim, Mario, Milagro, Nora, Khayam, Chris, Peter, Andrew, Joao, Ivan, Hitesh, Elena, Jon, Sandrine, Carolina, Dave, Evelyn, Ricci, Fernando, Raquel, Bernardo, Natalia, Dario, Gisela, Maria Carlota, Adriana, Richard, Ross, Liliana, Horacio, to name a few.

Note for posterity: Akbar & Afzal Khan: If one day we get to meet again... I remembered you dearly whilst in your country. I can't believe that after 30 years or so, I still remembered Akbar telling his brother the phrase "Jaldi Karo!" (Hurry up) which was kindly translated to me by people here. May we meet again.