Chapter 16 - On the Radio and Shopping Mania

After getting back to Pindi, we had a little bit of time to take care of the post expedition business. Of course by this time, we were in the middle of Ramadan, and it gets pretty draining to be running around all day. And since no restaurants are open so by default even Matthew had to fast!..or at least not eat in public during the day. But we got to do a fair bit of shopping and my childhood friend, Saad Zia, who hosts a program on FM99, one of the most progressive stations in Pakistan, invited me and Jeff on for an interview! Matthew and Linda managed to visit almost every jewelry and carpet shop in Islamabad and Pindi and would have a shopping show at the end of the evening.

The last official act of the expedition leader is to go for a debrief at the Alpine Club. Here the Secretary General of the Alpine Club confirmed that Anisa is indeed the youngest American to go to Concordia and Meesha the youngest Pakistani woman.
Matthew goes carpet shopping. We went through hundred of carpets being unrolled,
This is the one that Matthew bought. I kinf of liked the one above.
Anisa riding at the Islamabad Riding Club.
The instructor was very impressed by here even though she lost her stirrup in this picture!
Measurements for Anisa's custom made riding boots. They were ready in three days. These pictures are for reference so we can duplicate the measurements for other folks that want to order boots. First the measurement around the widest part of the foot.
Next at this spot in the middle..
Then around the heel to the front diagonally.
Above the ankle
At the calf.
Just below the knee where the boot would come up to.
The length of the boot.
This is how the boots finally came out. They were done in 5 days.
Matthew is ready to shave off his beard.
And lo and behold, he is 20 years younger.
My friend from when we were 10 years old, Saad Zia, takes us out for Iftar at the Islamabad Club. Everyone got the food and then we sat around waiting for the call to prayers so we could begin. .Saad and I went to the same High School, and have stayed in touch through the years. He has a radio show on FM99, one of the best stations in Pakistan.
I found out later that you are not allowed to take pictures there....oh well.
Saad introduces us to Nazir Sabir who has climbed K2, Everest, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I. What an amazing person. He regaled us with stories of avalances on Nanga Parbat that he barely survived.
After dinner.
An army patrol out on the streets of Rawalpindi.
Iqbal Town....I thought it a nice board....
Doors....at the "Lok Virsa" in Islamabad. it is a cultural museum, quite nicely done.
A truck at Lok Virsa.
More doors.
And some more.
A real truck!
Matthew liked the exhortations on the streets of Pindi, here outside a compound with barbed wire.
Jewelry shopping in Pindi.
More carpet shopping. We would take pictures and Matthew would then upload and send to his friend Drena who he was buying a rug for.
Anisa and Matthew feel out the carpet with bare feet!
Matthew lays out his jewel for mummy to admire while Anisa shows one of the shawls.
Anisa's decorated truck.
Visiting my friend Avais. Saad located him and we spent a nice evening talking about every subject in the sun.
Our fruit seller in Saddar who we usually go to.
Mangoes and apples all ready.
Ripe grapes attracting the bees.
We get some mangoes from a street vendor.
Shopping for Peshawari Chappals. Here Linda is calling Rich to find out if he wants black or brown. Meanwhile Matthew tries out his pair.
The Chappal market. There are rows and rows of shops.
It was a busy market with the typical suzuki minivans that is normal transportation for most people in Pakistan.
VIDEO - A short clib of the show.
My friend friend since childhood, Saad Zia, invited me and Jeff on a radio program he hosts on FM99, one of the most progressive radio stations in Pakistan. Of course as we were there, the electricity went, but Saad continued on unfazed and without the pictures nobody listening would have know that we were working without lights and people were dashing around trying to fix the wiring.
Saad lining up the music on the computer that he is going to play. He has a gift to hold your attention with his mix of charm and humour.
Saad or "Munna" as we called him, turns on the charm. Apparently there are a lot of US servicemen that listen to his show. We just have to get it streamed into the US. During Musharraf's time the radio station was shut down because it was "inciting revolt". It is a good thing we have people like Saad to incite revolt when everyone else is quiet.
The engineers working behind the scene.