[PopeDotNinja]

I’m an American, and I visited Pakistan on a whim back in September. I was able to spend a few days in the north. I can only say the north of Pakistan is incredible. There’s nothing that prepares you for seeing 8000+ meter mountains for the first time.

There’s no shortage of people offering tours, but I made my own plans. I rented a Toyota Hilux 4x4 for 4 days at $50/day, and they insisted I hire a driver because they didn’t trust me to drive solo (which in retrospect was wise of them because of language barriers, road conditions, police/military checkpoints, etc.). The driver quoted me a rate of $3/day (not a typo). I drove from Islamabad to Hunza and back in 3 days (I could only get one day off work, lol). It was way too much driving, but the trip was still incredible.

To make the trip extra fun, I had the worst case of food poisoning w/ diarrhea that I’ve ever had for the entire time. I developed that the night before I was scheduled to drive off. So in the morning I picked up some Imodium and baby wipes, and just stopped every hour or two. I somehow managed to avoid shitting in my pants, but I don’t know how. Nearly every bathroom in Pakistan, which might just be a hole in the ground, has a handheld bidet, which is a power washer for your backside. No matter how messy it got, I also walked away from a pit stop with a fresh backside.

Here’s some pictures of the traveling, sans pit stops...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tZ3scbSFbPbxQCpG7

[m23khan]

As a Pakistani living abroad, here is my suggestion to avoid diarrhea:

Simply avoid eating food from outside anywhere besides KFC. No, not even McDonalds or Pizza Hut. Doesn't matter how fresh or clean the food or restaurant or bakery look.

I love meat and dairy - avoid these both things while in Pakistan (KFC is alright). Only drink canned cold drinks (Try to do as locals -- they prefer 'white' / transparent cold drinks over coca cola. Only drink boiled water (or mineral water from some large supermarket/pharmacy/hotel). And avoid eating salad after sunset -- don't know why, just don't.

If you can, take dried instant oats/ramen noodles/etc. and chuck them into bowl of boiled water. Fruits and veges are good - just make sure you wash your fruits such as apples and grapes thoroughly with cooled boiled water / mineral water before eating them.

Finally, if you do get diarrhea in Pakistan, DO visit the local clinic and get some medicine prescribed. It will help you feel better much faster then trying to 'brave it out' or relying on some simple medications from back home.

[PopeDotNinja]

I needed this advice in September, hehe :) I lost 7kg in 3 days!

[Agingcoder]

Fifteen years ago I spent three weeks in Pakistan (as part of a significantly longer trip) - entered from the Indian side not far from Amritsar, went to Lahore, spent some time in rawalpindi then off to the Hunza. I also got the nastiest bout of diarrhea I had ever had in my life, most likely caused my bad meat (I still remember the faulty kebab...).

The locals where very friendly. When I was in the bus on the karakoram highway, we had a brief stop (bathroom break, food, etc). I was chatting with someone who was asking where I came from, when suddenly he snapped his fingers. A can of coke appeared on his hand, and he handed it to me, saying 'welcome to Pakistan!'.

As to the landscape, I still remember it many years later.

A truly extraordinary place.

[DeBraid]

Great story! Epic mic drop.

> No matter how messy it got, I also walked away from a pit stop with a fresh backside. Here’s some pictures...

[latchkey]

Sounds like an epic adventure, right before everything went nuts!

In SE Asia, we call it a "bum gun". Cannot live without it and you won't use TP ever again. Easy to order off Amazon.

[PopeDotNinja]

I call it an ass blaster XD

[splike]

This looks like an incredible trip.

Can I ask how did you safely organise a tour like that without getting scammed/putting yourself in danger? How did you get in contact with your driver?

[PopeDotNinja]

I googled “rental car Islamabad” and found a rents agency. I called them and worked out a deal to pay cash upfront with any special security deposit or insurance. They put me in touch with the driver. Basically I just went for it.

[asadlionpk]

There are many travel startups now which specialize in organizing these trips to north for foreigners. I can’t think of a name but should be easily google-able.

If you want to go cheaper, search for rent-a-car services in Islamabad.

You probably wouldn’t be scammed or put in danger either way.

[brailsafe]

This sounds like a great trip, but I guess I'm surprised that no one mentioned this, but I'm at least a little surprised that you were able to and are so open about recreational international travel during what seemed to be an uptick in the pandemic. Was this not a concern? Was there no difficulty in the logistics of doing this "on a whim"? A local here in Canada recently posted his vacation photos during Christmas and new years of him seemingly vacationing in Columbia, and it seemed like just about the most tone-deaf thing you can do, but I'm curious what your situation was. It admittedly burns to come across stories from people that were essentially doing nothing differently while most people are restricted or have lost their jobs.

[jrumbut]

Driving tours like that are an amazing way to travel. It takes away that feeling of needing to jam in as many things as possible and you can just live and take in the sights for a while.

[polishdude20]

Woah thanks for sharing! I like the stairs leading to nowhere carved into the snow! These views remind me of my trip to Peru. Huge mountains all around and super nice people. The valleys between the mountains alone are already 8000ft + above sea level.

[achow]

That's a small glacier looks like.

And more interesting for me was the drink cooler that is carved out of the glacier (at the bottom of the same steps). Genius!

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMj_FbNF8VZduHZ5AaEDU9V...

[polishdude20]

Yeah that's really neat!

[sillysaurusx]

Kind of a weird question, but, did the bidet avoid the feeling of “my asshole is literally on fire” that comes with diarrhea + wiping?

The diarrhea is miserable, but the other part isn’t great either. I’ve often wondered if a bidet solves that.

[jcims]

Not OP but in general but the answer is yes, and in the rare circumstances where it’s not it’s still way better. The only reason i haven’t bought one for the house is that i can’t commit to the $300 when i know what’s out there for $1000. 2021 is a new budget year for discretionary purchases though, sooo.

[BeetleB]

Perhaps you're getting confused with French style bidets?[1]

The one people are talking about in this thread are simple and much cheaper.[2]

[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=French+bidet

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Handheld-Toilet-Adjustable-Pressure-F...

https://www.amazon.com/Purrfectzone-Sprayer-Toilet-Diaper-Br...

[howlgarnish]

$300? You can buy one off Aliexpress for under $5.

[amingilani]

Pakistani living in Canada, here. I would hesitate before doing that, the cheap plastic ones might sprout a leak which isn't a problem in Pakistan because we design the bathrooms to be washed with of water buckets that goes down the drain in the corner easily. Find one at your local Home Depot. I found one for ~$80 CAD in Ontario but with a sturdier metal pipe and build.

[Talanes]

I don't understand why designing bathrooms to drain isn't a universal practice.

[Mountain_Skies]

I've had both a deluxe $500 washlet seat and a cheap $50 model. They both get the job done but if it fits in the budget, the more pricy model is worth it for the water temperature control alone. Due to the mechanical nature of the item, this is one of the few things I'd buy an extended warranty on if available. The $500 model lasted about five years before it died, which I suspect was caused by several watermain issues rather than a manufacturing defect or misuse. Stepping down to the $50 model was a bit of an adjustment and a minor quality of life reduction.

[howlgarnish]

Proper washlets are a different thing, the OP and I were referring to the basic bum guns which are not integrated with the seat:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33060246812.html

[simplemen]

Bought one off amazon for $25. Not the fanciest. Need to shut it off at valve after using it. It is not designed to be undwr pressure. But it has been working for 8 years. Don't waste your money on $300 bidet, it is just a hose.

[polishdude20]

I wonder if that feeling is due to stomach acid not being neutralized. Like you literally have hydrochloric acid eating away at your holey ghost.

A bidet probably diluted it well enough.

[fakedang]

It's acid so yeah.

[PopeDotNinja]

My rear never felt raw. I used almost no TP during my entire trip to Pakistan. Basically I just took a targeted shower many times a day, and didn’t need to rub my bum raw.

[xeromal]

lol, sounds like you and I had similar experiences except I was in morocco. I rented a stickshift suv and they insisted I get automatic since I was american. lol. Drove several days pooping my brains out from the bad food all the way from marrakesh to chefchauen to tangiers. Great people and beautiful country though!

[soared]

Barstool sports has a guy who does travel blogs and their trip looks very similar to yours. Something I definitely want to do.

Any problems with passports, politics/etc?

[PopeDotNinja]

No problems at all.

[TCS_]

That poor driver...

+1 for those pictures! Incredible scenery

[PopeDotNinja]

I gave him a really nice tip :)

[gautamcgoel]

...like, a week's wages? $21?

[PopeDotNinja]

Yup. $12 for 4 days, driving 8 to 14 hours per day. I had to cover his food and lodging, but we just shared a hotel room I was gonna rent anyway and food was cheap.

For comparison , I talk to a Kareem driver who nets $10 per day after expenses, and he drives 13 hours a day, seven days per week to support a family of 4. And my friend hired a part time for maybe 60 hours per month and she asked for $40/month.

[cosmodisk]

The pictures are beautiful and humbling at the same time- the sheer scale of the surrounding terrain is quite something, especially to someone like me,who comes from a flat country.

[PopeDotNinja]

It’s crazy to me to think that the USA has some gorgeous, tall mountains, and the mountains in Pakistan are twice the height!

[r_singh]

Ooh how exciting.

The north of Pakistan is where my grandparents come from. However, being an Indian I can't really visit the place easily....

[gariti]

Wow awesome photos! As someone who has visited Nepal 3x to see big mountains, I've always thought of people visiting Pakistan to be a little crazy. You've definitely made me rethink that!

[ericjang]

Thank you for sharing the photos ! Some of the poses are pretty funny :)

[sharadov]

Incredible pictures, as an Indian I've always wanted to visit Pakistan, but given the shared animosity between both nations, I'll probably never get a tourist visa.

[xerxesaa]

You can. I'm American/Pakistani (dual passport), with significant family who are in India (including my spouse and grandparents who are Indian citizens).

I went with my wife to Pakistan last year. I have plenty of Indian family who visit Pakistan regularly. It can take 6 months-ish to get a visa though and it is very annoying, so I would not blame you for not wanting to go through the process.

By the way, as an American I can't visit India. I used to visit pre-2007, but since the Mumbai attacks (and further strict restrictions imposed in 2011 onwards) they no longer allow me to apply on my American passport and I've been rejected every time I try on a Pakistani passport.

The animosity in that region is so unfortunate and I hope it ends in the future. I've seen countless families kept apart because of it.

[PopeDotNinja]

Just go to the Waga gate, walk in backwards, and say you’re leaving.

On a more serious note, I was surprised to learn how little travel there is between two countries right next to each other.

[amingilani]

Ha, as a teenager I found out a movie was playing in Indian theaters a few km across the border so I began planning on getting a visa to hop across for a few hours. I may as well have declared I was walking over to NK as someone from SK :)

[selimthegrim]

Those areas are restricted for Indian nationals, like their side of Kashmir is for Pak nationals

[sumedh]

If you want a similar terrain then head over to Srinagar, kargil and Leh in Indian controlled Kashmir.

[mixmastamyk]

How about Nepal?

[eqtn]

No visa required

[mraza007]

I loved the pictures you took, i just can’t wait to go to northern Pakistan