So, I just found out that my luck is stretched thinner than I thought. The night I left Gilgit I met a man from Holland who was just arriving. Gilgit was under lockdown by the Pakistan army when we were there with a curfew at 6pm. Well, today Dave ran into the man from Holland who had just arrived in Islmasbad. He said that the day after the we left the earthqauke hit and no one was able to go anywhere. Then, the day after the earthqauke Sunni and Shiite fighting erupted. He almost got caught in crossfire running back to the hotel. The fighting became so intense that gun battles could be heard all day for the next 5 days, and no one could leave the hotel. Eventually, everybody was forced to call their embassy and on the fifth day an armoured bus arrived and took everyone away. One day difference and that would have been my experience in Gilgit. I almost stayed that extra day because I was so sick when I left. Also, today I saw a Shiite protest of the violence in Gilgit. It was intense, because I asked some people what was going on and they just told me how much they wanted to kill those "good-for-nothing Shiite protesters". I left quickly. The earthqauke has really brought ought some intense stuff that seems to have been seething under the surface of everyday life here. I will be happy to leave. Bye.
2 Comments:
Although this entry is a little scary, overall it sounds like you're having an awesome time. I'm jealous! If you are ever in a postcard-sending mood, I would very much enjoy receiving mail from cool, exotic places.
Carter
You are having the experiences than I can only dream about. I admire your courage and you gumtion to just go for it. You are also teaching me about another part of the world that I will almost certainly never get to.
May the force be with you.
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