Pakistan

Downtown Islamabad, 2019
Playing cricket/baseball with locals

 

Country Information:

The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad and the country’s population is about 190 million. The official languages are Urdu and English, and the dominant religion is Islam. A very small percentage of the population practices either Christianity or Hinduism. Its top exports are house linens, rice, pure cotton yarn, non-knit men’s suits, and heavy woven cotton. The time zone is 9 hours ahead of EST.

Jim’s Perspectives:

I loved my time in Pakistan, although it was cut short due to a flight cancellation with Pakistan Airlines. Wow, what a powerhouse of a country! I learned so much about this place during my short time here. Let’s start with…

This is a young country which was carved out of India when the British left in 1947, and its borders were dictated by which regions in India were Muslim controlled so, India ended up with the Hindu territories and Pakistan is now the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons.

Pakistan is rich with oil gas and many minerals. It’s a large country with plenty of fertile soil so, it also grows lots of cash crops. So, economically, one would think it should be an international marvel… and it should. But its government has its issues, squandering its resources on the world’s eighth largest army and exporting dissension through the region. Unfortunately, tourists don’t flock to Pakistan because of its poor reputation for supporting the Taliban, harboring Osama bin Laden and fomenting terrorism. Let’s hope that this is in its past, as the new government seems to be moving forward, with billions of dollars in new investments by the Saudi‘s and Chinese.

My guide Didar couldn’t have been any better in representing his country. His nonstop smile, curiosity, and upbeat attitude were infectious. During our time together, we traveled through Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and some surrounding cities. We envisioned going to Hyderabad to see where Osama bin Laden‘s house was but we didn’t have enough time. The highlight of my time was playing cricket in one of the parks outside of Islamabad. 

 

With the bird man in downtown Islamabad
View overlooking Islamabad

Brazil

Legendary Iguazu Falls Country Information: Tropical Brazil is the largest country in South America. After nearly three centuries of Portuguese rule, Brazil gained independence in 1822. Because of this Portuguese is the most widely spoken language of Brazil and is the...

Belarus

So many war memorials in Belarus! Country Information: The landlocked country of Belarus, borders five other Eastern European countries. The capital is Minsk. There were roughly 10 million people living here as of 2016, and 9 million as of 2020. Belarusians primarily...

Indonesia

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. There are approximately 260 million people living in Indonesia. The official language is Bahasa, but English, Dutch, and Javanese are also widely spoken. There are more than 700 hundred languages spoken in Indonesia! The majority...