We are almost out of Pakistan; tomorrow we will reach the border and enter Iran. We have all had a great time in Pakistan and would like to come back and spend some more time. Unfortunately our timing was less than perfect and we have been the victims of tension between politicians. Two days ago rockets were fired at the U.S. Embassy and yesterday was the deadline for Afghanistan to hand over Osama bin Laden to U.S. officials, so we have been at the mercy of our armed guards. These guys are great, very friendly and hospitable, but we have not been as free as we would have hoped to see more sights of Pakistan. Yesterday morning we hoped for an earlier start, but after some red tape we finally got started at about 1:30pm. I must admit it was kind of nice to sit around. We were not able to go anywhere while we waited, so we were forced to soak up the beauty of the hotel garden. We began the morning with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Pakistani tea, we later moved on to mango ice cream and water. While relaxing we were able to catch up on some journal writing and reading, I played guitar and generally milled about.

While having time to think I began to think of the similarities between Pakistan and the United States. I was surprised to find so many. Geographically they are very similar, although the United States is much larger, each country has a very diverse landscape. Pakistan has several large mountain regions. The North West Frontier Province is home to the Karakoram Range which has several peaks rising over 8,000 meters, including the famous K2. The foothills are heavily forested in contrast with western mountain ranges, Chagai hills or the Suleiman range, which are rocky and dry. The center of the country is home to the Indus valley, one of the oldest known civilizations. The Indus River is dammed and this is a major agricultural area. In the far west there is an arid plateau which melts into the Iranian border. The Bolan Pass, which is found just to the east of Quetta is the gateway to the sub continent and is and has been of great strategic importance. Also like the United States Pakistan's population is made up of very diverse people. Pakistan has major borders with Iran, India, China, and Afghanistan and has been influenced by all of them. Possessing the gateway to the subcontinent it has seen many conquerors, hosting some and swallowing others. The western Plateau and desert melts into Iran and is home to many nomadic herders. It seems as though the natural boundary between Asia and the Middle East runs straight through western Pakistan. The province of Baluchistan is the center of this meeting and is famous for its lawlessness and hospitality. I would image that many nomadic societies would often be labeled as lawless as it is hard for a government to control a population that is constantly in motion.

India is found on Pakistan's east border and if we were to dig down to the roots, India is Pakistan's closest relative. At one time India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were one country, however, upon independence from Britain in 1947 political groups were split, largely upon religious lines, Hindus and Muslims, and the once friendly groups could now no longer find common ground. The biggest difficulty in the split was where to draw the line between the Islam and Hinduism. The Punjab was the logical answer to this boundary question. In the past the Hindus and Muslims had gotten along, proof of this is shown in the fact that pockets of both religions once peppered the area. So in 1947, any line to be drawn would inevitably place many people on the wrong side of the line. As a result there was a great migration following the drawing of the line, unfortunately tempers turned into mobs and mobs turned into death squads. Before the dust had settled thousands had been killed and the open wound still has not healed. As an Americans we do not have to look too far in our history to understand this kind of hate, the horror of our own civil war which turned family against family is all too real. Pakistan is home to many different types of people, just like the United States, and tensions between ethnic groups are not uncommon. The Mohajirs are an ethnically diverse class of people that came from India as a result of the previously mentioned massive relocation. Many of these new commoners were well educated and took many of the white collar jobs from the people who had lived there before, this is not a real good recipe for good relations, and tensions are trying to be worked out. How much does this sound like the U.S.?

All the previous is to say the United States and Pakistan are very diverse, ethnically and geographically. Our countries both reap the benefits and suffer the consequences of these characteristics. Perhaps understanding the similarities between the two countries can benefit us both as we seek to find solutions to problems that confront both of our nations.

Now back to the days adventures, as I said earlier our driving day began at about 1:30pm, after the escort had been collected we had over 600km to go to the border and driving at night is never recommended. Needless to say we did not make the total mileage, but we made it as far as Dalbandin. We were crossing the Western Pakistani desert, which was very dry, as we expected. Jeff made the comment. "Doesn't Luke Skywalker live here?" which was totally appropriate. We also wondered if this is what Mars looks like, Rocky peaks and sandy valleys. I half expected to see Lawrence of Arabia on the hillside, are we all programmed by Hollywood? We drove until well after dark and decided to stop at Dalbandin. We all had been nervous since today's journey took us within 50km of Afghanistan and Dalbandin was not all that much further than this. We stayed at a government rest house that was so new that the plumbing nor electricity was entirely finished, the price was right ($2 a night), we knew we couldn't make the border, and we were all tired. We had dinner, sitting on a mat, at a local place. Our dinner consisted of naan Pakistani bread) and a spicy chicken sauce, in which I am not sure of the name. We are all fans of Pakistani Cooking including the cat which watched our every bit, and I must say was rewarded for his patience! Today was another good day and I am thankful we are still safe. Until next time this is Todd signing off.