How to quit your job and travel around the world

I swear it's not all donkey carts and camel rides. (Though it is deeply pleasing to see donkeys and camels enlisted into service everywhere.) Karachi is like no other place I have ever been - for starters, like I mentioned, there are fewer 'westerners' than any other place I've been. Certainly the security situation doesn't make tourism compelling. Also, I have never been to an Islamic country, so you can hear call to prayers multiple times a day, there is no alcohol allowed in the country (they have a heady list of mocktails most places) and more men and women than I expected are dressed either under a full veil or with a long beard and prayer cap. That said, wind down a tiny street and you'll find posh cafes or boutiques. Yesterday Anjum got his scruff shaved off at the local Marriott (multiple security and bomb checks to just sit in the lobby!) and then we did some shopping at the mall. I got pottery bowels from a women's collective and blinged-out sandals. Anjum's mom is also making me a sari and salwhar kameeze, so I got measured for that. I should mention the weather: revolting. Screw monsoon. Damn hot and sticky. We're making a ticket to go to Lahore on Thursday and Friday for some sightseeing.

The awesome, awesome Himals. This is an 8,000+ peak but I can't remember the name.

We stopped along the Friendship Highway between Lhasa and Gygantse to play in these sand dunes. As it's early summer there are wildflowers everywhere in Tibet.

Towards the end of our trek we came to a small village that was abandoned except for this small woman spinning wool on a stick.

This here is a Yak. He is carrying my backpack on our trek, which is much better than me carrying my pack.

With our jasmine and rose garlands at the house of Anjum's grandmother....and riding a camel down Clifton Beach. I was forewarned that I might "squeal like a little girl" when the camel got up from the sand, and um....well, let me explain that I am definitely the only foreigner who is riding a camel on the beach. And I screamed pretty loudly when the camel got up. So the whole thing was kind of a spectacle. Yes, very fun.

Labels: Karachi Karachi

I will let the photos do the talking ... I have retroactively added some photos to prior posts and here's a little something somehting from the last 24 hours: Kathmandu to Karachi. We said goodbye to our Canadian friends, Jill (American), Charlotte and Leanne after some nightlife (hot! sweaty! reminscent of Cambodia!)
Here I am eating cotton candy with kids at the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu. The little minxes befriended us as guides. We treated them to lunch - ice cream, coke and pizza (their choice). I winced only a little at the end when they put the full court press for money at the end (mother is sick, father isn't working, etc...)They were pretty sweet and taught me how to pray to Hanuman