Survival & Maintenance
Dress codes – to Bling or Not to Bling?
Exercise opportunities, tailors, dry cleaners, hair & beauty salons, travel agents, airport transport &, travel tips
Pakistan is a very conservative country, notwithstanding the occasional confusing appearances to the contrary. Think Edith Wharton crossed with Jane Eyre, and you will just about have the measure of the Islamabad social scene.
Never arrive at a Pakistani-hosted party on time – one hour late really IS the norm, and the ChIc-er you are, the later you serve (and eat) dinner. Be warned – snack before you go, though the food will inevitably be delicious, because drinking (hard) on a totally empty stomach can be a serious challenge.
If you are invited to a diplomatic function, however, punctuality rules – so observe prevailing protocol, and turn up on time. Truly.
Dress Codes – to Bling or Not to Bling?
In Pakistan, one can never be too late or, if a woman, too overdressed (in both senses). Jewellery is a lifestyle statement for women here – wear or be considered bare.
Ladies, cover up!
This means wear loose clothing, with sleeves (short sleeves are ok too) and which covers your rear end. Yes you can of course wear western, but be sensitive to local mores, and remember this is not the Via Veneto. No plunging necklines, and remember “plunge” in Pak is “small dip” in Barcelona or Athens-speak. Do you REALLY want to be looked at like that? (There is only one answer to that – and your individual “statement” will not change anything – except your Pakistan experience. And not for the better.) Legs are most definitely a no-no. That actually means ankles, too.
This is a conservative (and some would say, repressed) society. Remember that most men you will come across outside social settings (and even most of those) are not exposed to flesh on a regular basis, and what works in a gym in London does not apply in Islama-good. And while a plunge-necked t-shirt or babydoll n jeans with touches of midriff showing is absolutely fine for a late night GT (“get-together” or party in Isloo-speak) in a private home, it really is not acceptable street wear….unless you want to experience the not-so-delightful SubContinental phenomenon of “Eve Teasing” (aka molestation and harassment).
Public female-male displays of affection are not culturally acceptable; men do not touch women in public - (if they do, they should not be); and topless in the UN Club or five-star hotel Serena pools is really, really NOT a good idea. Male-male hand-holding is common among much of the population, and rarely indicates anything more than a gesture of friendship, as across most of the Middle East and South Asia.
Mwah-mwahs at GTs in private homes are fine – indeed, compulsory – but be prepared for air kissing rather than cheek-to-cheek.
Men: shorts are worn in the home only please (unless you are Chinese, who seem to wear them anywhere, and with long socks). And you would not wear wife beaters, would you, because if you are reading this, you are a ChI and you know you are not in Orange County?
Exercise Opportunities:
• Yoga classes from Claudia Wachtel tel ; 0300 856 9991 email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• The Gun Club pool and gym (yes Isloo apparently does feel the need for a rifle-shooting range) www.thegunclubisb.com
• Aamer (a.k.a “Mr Universe”)’s The Gym, in the Beverly Centre in the Blue Area – the Socialites swear by him as a personal trainer for achieving their toned, sleek bods. Tel 0300 855 8051
• The Marriott health club (which has a separate covered pool for ladies open till 11pm daily, if that helps to motivate some of you). http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/recreation/isbpk-islamabad-marriott-hotel/ Tel 051 282 6121
• The Serena health club and its beautiful pool which is a small oasis of tranquillity, peace and civilisation. http://www.serenahotels.com/pakistan/islamabad/home.asp Tel 051 2874000
Tailors
Tailors are always a nightmare. They never deliver on time, they frequently wreck your nicest fabrics, and if they have to alter the final outcome more than twice, you will hate it for ever and never wear it. Trust us on that one.
However, some tried and true sources are…
The Maestros - for women’s glitzy (but not too much so) evening wear:
• Nia Couture 03465 003 076 & 0333 525 1647; and for day and evening,
• Samina Lakhani 0300 855 2888
For daywear, Evershine Tailors behind the Kabul Bakery in F7 just after Jinnah Supermarket, (ask for Shahzad and don’t be fobbed off with anyone else), which does a good job, though delivery can be slow, despite so-called “firm” delivery dates, which can be an issue.
For men:
• Ejaz (tailor to the ex-UK PM Blair and wife, among others – if that does not put you off), who speaks very good English tel 0321 526 5157, and
• British Suiting in the Blue Area
As always, quality assurance is everything – always a challenge, and always needs to be done in person. Be insistent on what you want, and you may even get it.
Dry Cleaners
ChI entrusts her silks and cashmeres to the Serena Hotel dry cleaning service (next to Rakaposhi and British Airways) but extra-special things are definitely taken to Europe.
Hair & Beauty Salons
• The one and only Guru of Style, Tariq Amin’s for hair (cut, colour), makeup….expect near-European prices though. Ask for Tariq himself (in town fortnightly only, from surveying his hair and music label empires) or Saba. Tel 051 265 3918. Currently on st 11 in E7 sector, but watch out for his salon in the up and coming Centaurus Building in the Blue Area
• Nirvana Spa – big on acrylic nails, and hot stone Thai-style massage. Ask for Juvi for nails (of all sorts). Tel 051 2206 101
• Marriott Hotel Beauty Salon once it re-opens, for mani-pedi and some Insiders get their hair done there too. The atmo is often noisy, social and Sofa Brigade. Tel 051 282 6121
• The Marriott Men’s Barber (ditto) is the in-joint for the gentlemen, (other than Tariq Amin’s of course).
• The Serena beauty parlour for emergencies. Tel 051 287 4000.
• Chinese beauty parlours also abound, but ChI doesn’t use them.
Travel Agents
• Bonds in Aabpara. Tel 051 2278941. Ask for Mansoor or Shahzad.
• Pearl Tours and Travels (Pvt) Ltd. Ask for operations manager Sadruddin Hunzai. 28 Bazar Road ( Begum Sarfaraz Iqbal Road),opposite Siraj Covered Market, G – 6 / 4 Islamabad Tel: 0092 51 2870 725 & 2278323
Fax: 0092 51 2274812 Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web: www.hashoogroup.com
• Walji’s for internal trips (eg to spot the bears in the Deosai Plains; ride the Khyber Railway) www.waljis.com
• And there is always American Express (office in the Blue Area).
Reliable Airport Transport
Radio cabs work. Really. Tel 111 888 100 and 111 957 957. Airports, in and around town. Allow about 30-45 mins for a pickup at busy times.
And Care Car Hire (051 289 0324 & 051 2890580) really does care – owner Mobeen Abbasi provides a reliable, courteous, air conditioned service for airport runs, ferrying around VIPs, or day trips out of town etc.
Driving in the rain in Islamabad
Photo from http://www.worldisround.com/articles/35849/photo152.html
Traveller Tips
Dress for Success: Get the dress code right and you will feel a lot more comfortable.
Check out the “upcoming” (as yet unfinished and very much still under construction) new hotel scene – investments in the service sector, mainly by Gulf Arab investors, are going crazy in scope, scale and target market – such as the ‘7-star’ at the Centaurus building (slated to be the Conrad Hilton); the upcoming Serena extension (which will be entirely suites); the Intercontinental (behind the Marriott), the Grand Hyatt (45 stories, near the Convention Centre), and the Jumeirah (beyond the airport),
For basic, getting-around info, Apna Islamabad www.apnaislamabad.com , as well as Apna Lahore and Karachi, are all good sources.
There are many of other Pakistan-specific websites, portals, blogs, news, special interest, and discussion forums, too, such as Chowk http://www.chowk.com, or Indus Colors www.induscolors.com ,...
On the radio, City F89 (www.cityfm89.com), is arguably the best amongst English language radio channels playing international and local music. Islamabad has a very lively underground music scene, some of which can be sampled at “Civil Junction” located in Gol Market, in F7 and other public and privately organized jam sessions.
“Comfort Blankets & “Clutching at Straws”
There are times for even the most seasoned of travelling International Citizens, when you yearn for the familiar, in a sea of stress and obligations…..
(Question: is the number of comfort blanket spots correlated to the difficulty of living in a place – or an indicator of its sophistication?)
Esajee’s in Kohsar Market, the source of imported goodies – just because it’s there
• Ferrero Rocher chocolates and Haagen Daz icecream at Isajee’s
• Marmite and McVitie’s Digestive biscuits (for the Brit ChI’s among you!) also from Isajee’s
Khaas Café
• Toni’s mushroom quiche
• Toni’s fish cakes
Shams
• Romeo y Julieta cigars from Shams next to Radio City in Super Market
• Ricola Swiss throat pastilles
Table Talk
• Coffee at Table Talk sitting outside, when you are trying to pretend you are in Europe, and the Spanish, Italians and Cubans at the next table make you think you might be
• For the Bombay-ites among you, check out the dahi vadas and pani pourris, accompanied by a cup of mixed chai.
Tiramisu
• Shahida’s Pavlova (to order) from Tiramisu – the next best thing to Paris!
Rakaposhi
• Brioche from Rakaposhi in the Serena hotel
Costa coffee in Karachi airport (yes, its the real thing!) en route to Islamabad – “the last outpost….”