2020 in Review

My usual practice is to compose a yearly review in the last few days of a year but I have decided to write my review earlier this time around. 2020 is a memorable year for most people around the world, better be gone and forgotten. The Covid 19 pandemic has turned life upside down for a great multitude of people since mid-March. My daily routine did not change much except for the 3.5 months that I stayed in the Philippines during the lockdown. Well, there is a first for everything.

Fireworks at the Dubai Mall for the New Year countdown

I celebrated the birth of 2020 in Dubai, U.A.E. My visit in the country was pretty unremarkable until I met a local man in Al Ain. I spent a couple of hours in his farm in the oasis. I learned so much about the culture of UAE from him and experienced Arab hospitality.

In Al Ain Oasis

The late Sultan of Oman passed away on the day that I arrived in the border town, Burami. The country was then in public morning for the following days, and everything was closed. If it were not for the Pakistanis and Indians residing there, I would starve and die out of thirst in the first week there. LOL Out of the many places that I visited in Oman, the Sunday market in Nizwa stood out the most. It is the kind of authentic experience that I would not experience elsewhere in the world.

Animal auction at Nizwa Market

Pakistan was the next country that I visited. By then, there were more news about rapid spread of Covid 19 outside China. International travel was still business as usual and I thought I would be able to complete my itinerary by April 22nd. The obstacles in my Pakistani visit were of a different nature. Budget accommodations are very limited and so is intercity transportation. However, I managed to visit all the UNESCO sites in Pakistan in the alloted time. My most memorable experience has to be Mohenjodaro. It was the first time that I was accompanied by an armed policeman throughout the duration of my visit in an archaeological site.

A group selfie with my tuk-tuk driver and armed policeman in Mohenjodaro. 

My visit to Myanmar was remarkable even though there are many similarities between Thai and Burmese temples. Many people raved about Bagan. But I really liked Mandalay and particularly enjoyed my stay there. When I was visiting the reconstructed Mandalay Palace, I felt like I was time-transported back 200 years ago. I was at ease with my surroundings even though it was scorching hot.

 

My favourite selfie at the Mandalay Palace

Before flying off to the Philippines, I made a detour in Thailand to visit River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Crossing the land border into Thailand from Myanmar made me realize that Covid 19 had turned into a pandemic. I witnessed a Japan tourist being detained at Thai Customs when his body temperature was higher than the acceptable 37.5 C. By the time that I got to Don Muang Airport in Bangkok in a couple of days, many international flights were cancelled. I was given a face mask by a stranger at the Don Muang International Airport.

At the Kuala Lumpur Airport on March 15, while waiting for the connecting flight to Yangon, I learned that Philippine President Duterte had just announced that Luzon would be under a lockdown for a month. The staff at Air Asia told me that my flight was not cancelled and I would be allowed to enter the Philippines if I did not come from China, Italy or other outbreak countries. I took the flight to Manila and was instructed to go to my reserved accommodations right away. I was not allowed to take a flight to other islands until further notice. I was told by my host that people would not be allowed to go outside except to the supermarket or pharmacy starting on March 16. There was a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am. The streets of Manila were empty.

All my subsequent and rebooked flights were cancelled. In the first week of the lockdown, most of my waking hours were spent calling airlines, banks, travel agencies and accommodations. Nobody knew when I could fly out of the Philippines or receive the refunds. When things started to settle, I formed a support group on Facebook. For three months, I prayed the rosary every day and tried to help stranded Canadians to return to Canada. When limited public transportation became available in early June, I took the LRT and MRT and visited several places in metro Manila. The most memorable visit has to be the old city centre, Intramuros.

Intramuros, Manila is full of Spanish colonial structures.

After the 14 day of quarantine, I moved to my current home in July. Many international students and working holiday visitors had returned to their home countries by that time. Finding a decent place to live in Vancouver was relatively easy this time. During the summer months, there were very few new cases in British Columbia. However, I chose to stay inside and learn how to cook even though there were no health restrictions. I have mastered a few dishes that I thought I would never be able to make from scratch. I also sewed a couple dresses by hand. I had plans to form an NGO to help eradicate extreme poverty in developing countries but once again these plans were put on hold. Instead I am all caught up on old TV shows and movies that I did not get to watch for the past ten years. LOL

By early November, the second wave of the pandemic arrived in Canada with a vigor. There were numerous health restrictions. Even there was no lockdown in Vancouver, people were told to stay home as much as possible. Non essential businesses were closed by Christmas. The new normal is wearing a face mask in public places and carrying bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse at all times. Starting next year, I would also be carrying a reusable shopping sac because one-time shopping bags are banned in Canada starting Jan 1, 2021. I prayed for a white Christmas but got a soggy Christmas. 2020 had been unpredictable from beginning to end.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Pakistan, Jan 28 - Feb 16, 2020

According to Wikipedia, The name Pakistan literally means "land of the pure" in Urdu and Persian. It alludes to the word پاک (pāk), meaning "pure" in Persian and Pashto. The suffix ـستان (-stān) is a Persian suffix meaning the place of, and also recalls the synonymous (and cognate) Sanskrit word स्थान (sthāna).

Before I start describing my experience during my nineteen day visit in Pakistan, I would like to present a map of Pakistan. Other than having conflicts with India over Kashmir, Pakistan is generally on good terms with its neighbours - Iran, Afghanistan, India and China. People think of Pakistan as a Taliban stronghold since 911. I saw no evidence of that opinion.

As of March 6th, 2020, the government of Canada has the following travel advisory:
PAKISTAN - AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

Avoid non-essential travel to Pakistan with exceptions (see below). The security situation is unpredictable. There is a threat of terrorist attacks, kidnapping and sectarian violence.
Regional advisory - Avoid all travel
Avoid all travel to :
- the area within 10 km of all international borders, except the Wagah official border crossing point
- the Kashmir region, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
- the province of Balochistan and its capital city, Quetta
- the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including Swat, the city of Peshawar, Khyber, North Waziristan and South Waziristan
Safety and security situation
Islamabad - Exercise a high degree of caution
Exercise a high degree of caution in Islamabad due to the threat of terrorism.

Map of Pakistan

In planning my visit, I tried to avoid all the "problematic" areas mentioned in the travel advisory. Fortunately none of the six UNESCO sites in Pakistan is located in any of these regions. 

My e-Visa for Pakistan was literally granted to me at the 11th hour after I shouted at the staff at the Pakistani Embassy in Muscat, Oman and publicly announced on Facebook that I would not be visiting Pakistan ever, on the day prior to my scheduled flight from Muscat to Karachi. If my e-Visa was not sent to me at 2:11 am on Jan 28th, I probably would have missed out on an opportunity to explore a young nation with a very long history.

How do you get around in Pakistan? If you are a driver from the UK or Australia, it would be easy because you can hire a rental car and get to different parts of the country using the extensive network of tolled highways and freeways. Or if you enjoy train travel like I do, trains are a more affordable option, especially during winter time when air-conditioning is not necessary. The least preferred option is the intercity coaches because of their unreliable schedules. If you are flexible, traveling in minibuses and vans would give you ample opportunities to mingle with the locals and save you money. Some young travelers even hitchhiked between cities in Pakistan.

What surprised me was the lack of public buses in urban areas except in Karachi. Tuks-tuks are still the major means of transportation in both cities and towns. There are regular taxis in addition to shared vehicles using cell phone apps such as Uber, Careem, Swvl, etc. It was rather amusing to see elderly men booking Careem rides on their phones which they they barely use 10% of the functions. Technology is playing an important role in their daily life. I recommend that visitors purchase a local SIM card for 200 PKR (1.5 USD). Data rates with different duration periods are very affordable. It would only make your Pakistani visit that much easier.

Get ready to feel like a celebrity when you are visiting touristy places. Pakistani love to take selfies with foreigners. I remember how happy a young mother became when she suddenly took the space next to me outside Badshahi Mosque in Lahore Fort. She totally forgot about her crying baby for a few moments. After taking dozens of pics with her cell phone, I tried to take a selfie using my cell phone and she stopped me. When I promised her not to post it online, she agreed to have one selfie with me. Later someone explained to me that it is not customary for Pakistanis to post their photos on social media. Respect their privacy and do not post photos of people without their permission.

A selfie with my guide at Faisal Mosque in Islamabad

If you are interested in visiting UNESCO sites in Pakistan, be prepared for police escort at all times when you don't have a guide. An armed policeman escorted me the whole morning during my visit to Mohenjo-Daro. Even though many foreigners have visited these sites before, local governments are worried for the safety of the international visitors. I don't think you would be robbed or kidnapped; it is more likely that you could trip over a stone and hurt yourself. Because most of these sites are in rural areas, there are panhandlers especially near the entrance and exit. These panhandlers usually target wealthy local tourists and foreigners.

I only stayed in three cities - Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. I had to stay in a hotel in Karachi for my first night in Pakistan, and then another night in Larkana during my visit to Mohenjo-Daro. There are no hostels, guesthouses or pensions for the budget travelers. Airbnb has just started in major cities. Hosts are learning the about the hospitality business along the way. In comparison to other Asian countries, Pakistan does not have a plan to handle massive tourism. As it stands, budget travelers are less likely to choose Pakistan because of the much higher accommodation costs.

Having talked about the not-so-appealing points about traveling in Pakistan as an independent traveler, I would highly recommend Pakistan to any adventurous travelers. I can guarantee you that your Pakistani experience would be unique. Even though I did not visit northern parts of Pakistan, I believe their majestic mountains and glaciers could be compared to that of the Rockies in Canada and the mountains in New Zealand from the numerous YouTube videos that I watched. What I am most impressed with Pakistan is the warmth of its people and their sincere desire to connect with the visitors. Often the locals would take the initiative to start a conversation with me just to find out what I think of their country.

The Boyz and I at Takht Bhai Buddhist Ruins

Visit Pakistan, the place of unspoiled beauty, inhabited by people of pure hearts at the crossroads of ancient civilizations before everyone else finds out about this mysterious country.