"Pakistan... Are you sure?" a Pakistan Travel Page by svbuchanan

I had a feeling about Pakistan... but wasn't sure. My mind knew it was a place I wanted to invest in, but my heart wasn't sure, so I travelled there. I, a single American female, went to Pakistan alone to see if anything was there for me.

Words can't grasp everything I feel about this country. And while I thought it might have been beginner's luck, I went again, and still it grew on me. What was once a thought, is now such a part of me.

Everything the western media says might be true, but it happens in certain areas, among certain groups that tourists would never bump into. I live in Washington DC where there is plenty of crime, but the crime happens in isolated areas - far away from the places I need to be. You can apply the same principle in Pakistan... but I would recommend single females travel with a male or Pakistani female. It's simply better that way.

The people and lands I've encountered were more pure and beautiful than any other place I have seen. Pakistan is a God filled country, and I pray for those affected by the earthquake of 2005. From Karachi to Rahim Yar Khan, Peshawar, Swat, and Hunza, Pakistan moved me.

I am so grateful for the gracious and warm welcome I received in almost every place I went. I can't wait to return a third time.

I don't know what to say about Karachi except that at first glance it shocked me. It's busy, dirty, congested, "Get out of my way!" attitude shook my lily-white western self a bit too hard. Luckily for me I had a wonderful family that served as a gentle introduction to life in Karachi. Karachi was so overwhelming and after two weeks there, I was glad to leave. But as time went on, I looked back at my time there and giggled at how much it shocked me. And then, one day I caught myself missing the crazed heat and congestion... the wild west attitude there, and knew I had been infected by Pakistan.