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Visas = Hassle. No doubt.

Lazing in Lahore.

Conor_purcell
2005-11-18 13:41:12

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So it was I found myself in Rawalpindi, the twin city of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. Quite possibly two of the most unattractive cities in Asia, for very different reasons. 'Pindi is a jam-packed, noisy, dirty city, with absolutely nothing to do. But it has the cheap hotels. That's why people go there. Islamabad is a 'new, planned' city, in other words, a hell-hole with no soul or character, where you must get a taxi everywhere. Every Pakistani in his right mind aspires to live there. But it has the embassies. That's why people go there.

It was time to begin the process of getting to India. Everything I had heard about the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was bad. They make you wait a week. They make you come back every day while you wait. They don't give 6 months, only 3. They don't give Multiple entry, only Single. Well, only the first one turned out to be true, but that's only half the story.

My main problem was that, after five weeks, my Pakistani visa was about to expire. So I went to get it extended, thinking it would happen on the spot.

"Come back in three days", the cheerful official told me at the office, without even looking up. And so vanished any hopes that this would be a quick and painless effort.

So I went to Lahore to wait. And unlike the other two cities, Lahore is possibly one of Asia's most compelling cities, tons of history, world-class Mughal architecture, and, like all of Pakistan, the most friendly, welcoming and hospitable people you can imagine. My plan was to stay two days before heading back to Islamabad to collect my passport. The kebab I ate the night before my departure had other
ideas, and I spent that day in bed, clutching my stomach, between trips to the toilet to get a close look at the bottom of the bowl. The next day being Saturday, there was no point in leaving Lahore until Sunday, to get my passport on the Monday.
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