Thursday, February 19, 2009

Lahore and the craziness of couch surfing begins!

Well my first few days in Pakistan were nothing like I imagined they'd be. I found a website called Couch Surfing and it gives you a great chance to see the different types of lives in other countries. The basics is that you are able to stay on someones couch for free. It Europe it might be a backpackers dirt flat, in Asia its generally better off people.
I pulled up to their mansion at about 4:00 pm. All the houses were large, gated, and sculpted. They had lawns and sidewalks and street lights. There were proper intersections and roundabouts decorated with fountains and waterfalls. I hadn't seen anything so first world since Singapore.
The servants greeted me at the gate, took my bag, and I was shown to the living room. There the kids introduced themselves to me. Their English was excellent and they were brilliant for their age. I was introduced to the wife and the grandmother and was told that father, the man I met on the website, wouldn't be home for a couple hours. They offered me some food and I was sat at a huge table you see in castles. They brought out 3 huge plates of chicken, mutton, and vegetables. I was really surprised when the continued with bread, rice, salad, and three drink choices. Their hospitality was amazing.
That night the man came home. We met, had a chat and exchanged some tales and then sat out in is 2009 Honda. We drove to his friends house where we were greeted with a bottle of vodka.
The night was an interesting mix of Pepsi, poker, and pizza.
All in Pakistan.

1 comment:

Megfa said...

I wonder how many people you have met since your travels... a gazillion million I am sure. So interesting!