Free Day in Islamabad

After a very short night (less than four hours sleep), we get up to make sure we can get some breakfast before they close.

I am helped by the waiter to select some Pakistani breakfast dishes: beef keema, channa, aloo, and paratha

Just as I think I have finished breakfast, the waiter brings a so freshly cooked puri, and some halva to go with it.

We go back to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep, before meeting up with Cynthia, the office manager of Adventure Pakistan (the local agent used by Undiscovered Destinations) in the lobby. As today is Mawlid, a religious festival celebrating the birth of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed, the banks and foreign exchange bureaus are likely to be closed, so Cynthia has brought along some cash for us to exchange through her instead. What great service!

Lunch

Cynthia also takes us to lunch at a fashionable local restaurant called Loafology. They do, as is expected, a selection of sandwiches and cakes, and as we are both still quite full up from a late breakfast, we just choose a cake each.

David's apple charlotte tart is apparently every bit as good as it looks

My cinnamon caramel scroll, however, is sadly not as delicious as it looks

David enjoys a carrot, apple and ginger juice

Whereas I go for a sweet lassi

The café is bright and modern, and filled with a young in-crowd.

David and Cynthia

Me and David

We spend the afternoon chilling in the room, sorting out our luggage ready for the journey ahead.

The view from our bedroom window

Dinner

Looking at the hotel restaurant as we enter the lobby this evening, I am really grateful that I did some research about local eateries before leaving home. The hotel restaurant is bright, clinical, and empty.

Seeing the security guard on the door sporting a serious rifle, David is a little concerned about the safety of walking outside after dark. “It’s not because the area is dangerous, it’s a government requirement” the guard reassures us. We are only walking a couple of blocks anyway, and we feel totally safe while doing so. Safe from a security point of view, at least; although the pavement (where there actually is some) is in such as state – as is the road – that it is a real trip hazard! I manage to make it to the restaurant without incident.

Hot and Chilli Restaurant

The kitchen is on the ground floor, open to the elements for anyone and everyone to inspect the procedures, while most of the indoor seating is upstairs.

The food preparation area. A delicious aroma wafts across as we approach.

The upstairs seating area, supposedly air conditioned.

David orders a Chicken Zinger Roll with garlic and chilli, which is impressively spicy and really good.

I choose the Mahani Dhal with rice, and red and green chillies, and a Roghni Naan.

The dhal

The naan

Dhal and naan

We also get a portion of Hot and Chilli Special Loaded Fries to share, which is enormous: potato fries on top of pieces of chicken underneath, and covered in a couple of slightly spicy sauces. It is really, really yummy, and probably our favourite dish of the night!

All this, plus drinks (non alcoholic, of course), and tip, comes to less than US$ 10. We certainly can’t complain at that! (It is less than one portion of take-away fish and chips back home).

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this amazing sojourn into North Pakistan.