Islamabad Travel Forum

Hi,

I've found this site helpful but I still need some help. My family will soon be moving and living in Islamabad for about 3 years c/o my husband's new post at the UN in not-so-nearby Kabul, Afghanistan. Forgive my ignorance, but I have been unable to get the answers to these queries from my Islamabad websearch:

1. Are cars there left-hand or right-hand drive? Stick-shift or automatic?
2. Do women need a male escort or companion to stroll or drive around the city or to other cities?
3. Are there community public libraries?
4. What is the dominant language or dialect spoken in Islamabad? If my dughter and I wish to learn the language, are there many language schools ?

These are all for now, and I look forward to hearing from anyone in this forum .

Thanks so much,

Mylene

1/ Cars are right hand drive..meaning stearing wheel on the opposite side. And you also drive on the wrong side (compared to US) :) Both automatic and stick shift are available...depending on your purse/wallet.
2/ Islamabad is also one of the cosmopolitan city of Pakistan...females do need an escort when going out...etc.
3/ Good question: I guess there are public libraries...but do not expect them to be at par with what youy are used to..and I guess UN/US Embassy must have there own library as well.
4/ English is widely spoken by majority of the people you will come in contact with...and english is Brit english..meaning you will always spell color/honor wrong.

Hope I have dissipated your concerns.

Regards...and enjoy your stay in Islamabad...one of the best places to live in present day Pakistan...

OOPPSS

A GRAVE ERROR!

2/ "...females do need an escort when going out...etc"

This should have read: females do "NOT" need an escort when going out...etc.

Glad some ISB VTer's didn't read this yet and replied...else it would have been curtain for me :)

Sorry if I had put a damper on this point...you must have skipped a heartbeat after reading this?

Vter's in Islamabad have read this and was wondering what are you talking about ? but then I also read your other posting and thought well now youve corrected yourself... so its all good . Though i have already addressed that concern of her's . But its okay ,we all make mistakes , especially typo mistakes . :-)

Thanks a lot to all who've graciously replied to my queries. Truly appreciated :-)
I hope you don't mind if I go back later with more questions. International relocations can be very challenging, but knowing that there are people willing to help with information is reassuring.

And please do not forget POOR Karachi....

1. Cars are left hand drive
2. Women dont need a male escort
3. Yes
4. Urdu, Punjabi, English, Pushto
2. There is a National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad

okay just correcting something here that Babar said . Its "National Institute of Modern Languages" called (NIML ) in short . Not National University of Modern Languages.

but Babar you have been very helpful . Thanks for participating .

PTSD .

Hmmm and how come cars are left-hand drive ? Most cars are right-hand drive here ..No?

The NIML has got the status of University few years ago (www.numl.edu.pk). In addition to many other languages, it offers Urdu language course (certificate and diplomas) exclusively for foreigners. http://numl.edu.pk/spring2005.htm

Cheers

babar

(1) Cars are right hand drive.

(2) No women do not need a male escort.

(3) Yes,i would strongly suggest you for National Library of Pakistan. Its a beautiful library with great collection of books. Its located near Prime Minister house.

(4) Urdu ( the national language ) and English are widly spoken. You should not have any problem if you speak English.

(5) National University of Modern Languages may be contacted for Urdu classes. As far as i know American School in Islamabad offers such assistance to foreign students. You may contact them.

I hope this helps!

Regards

Thank you for the additional and new info - re language schools and library. I seriously plan to study Urdu :-)

I have some new questions:

1. Are there several Internet Service Providers in Islamabad? Who are the ISP's you would recommend for broadband services?

2. What are the available family recreational and leisure activities for both locals and foreigners?

3. What general tips can you provide for newcomers/foreigners/ expatriates in Islamabad?

My family will be moving to Islamabad by mid-July and I am anxious and excited at the same time.

Mylene

1. There are several ISP in Islamabad (WOL, Comsats, Brain, Paknet etc. etc.). The easiest way is to buy a scratch card from market (easily available at cheap price) and feed it to your computer, connected with telephone line and enjoy.

2. If you like to hike on the mountains you can explore Margalla hills, but it will be very hot from june-september (so donot try it). During summer weekends go to NathiaGali, Ayubia, Murree, all are mountain resorts, and at 2-3 hrs drive from Islamabad and offer pleasant weather and stunning natural beauty. If you have few days-holiday then the Northern Areas (Kaghan-Naran, Hunza, Kalam) are the best choice.
While within Islamabad, the dining out is good choice, there are many quality resturents offer delicious pakistani and western food.
3. General tips....hmmmm...... respect the local culture...well.. living in Islamabad is very easy for foreigners as there are so many foreigners here.

HI

You are most welcome. Islamabad is a nice, peaceful and well planned city so i am sure you would love it.

(1) Yes there are many ISPs in Islamabad. Many of them are offering broadband and normal cost per month is around Rs. 1000 ( US # 17 appox ) on the average. Paknet is government-based ISP and its pretty good. Their broadband is Rs. 888 ( US $ 15 appox) per month. Once you get here, you can easily find ISP here.

(2) There are a lot of activities available within and around Islamabad. Hill resort like Murree is an hour drive. Bhurban around 1.5 hours, Nathia Gali around 2.5 hours and Abbaottabad appox 2 hours. Apart from that within Islamabad many facilities are there like Peer Sohawa, Daman-e-Koh, Fatima Jinnah Park ( one of Asia's biggest), Rawal Lake and a lot more. Checkout http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/5dd71/140988/ and i hope you would get to know lots of places. Rest you can have VT meet with local VTers of Islamabad whenever you want.

(3) Islamabad is different from rest of the Pakistan in the way that it has lots of foreigners / expatriates living here. Islamabad being the Capital city hosts most of embassies, consulates and Head Offices of many MNCs. So there is a decent sized community of foreigners / expatriates. Just respect the local culture and religion. Rest you should not be having any problems.

I would suggest you to check following websites on Islamabad:

http://apnaislamabad.com/

http://islamabad.net/

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/5dd71/140988/

Welcome to Islamabad, the beautiful!

Thanks again for the replies to my latest queries. I hope you don't tire from answering . As our departure date for Islamabad is but a month away, I believe I'll still have more questions.

U r most welcome. Its pleasure to help!

Cheers

You are coming over when the summer heat would be at its peak here (But sometimes we get rain ,when the moonsoon season starts ,so it does get pleasant on some days ,but on somedays it would be humid). So, bring some very light clothing with you for travelling around the cities . If you plan to go North , then bring some warm clothing with you . Or you could always buy some from here .

And please, though i can understand how you must feel ,and you must be nervous and scared and all sorts of thoughts would be going through your head about all sorts of things ,but you guys will be okay ! And hopefully you will get used to the change in time ,because we humans get used to everything after a while . And if you think you couldnt get used to it , then just tell yourself that its only temporary , three years ,and hopefully you guys will be back in your home country .

In the mean time , all of us vt'ers are here to help with everything and in whatever small way we can.

welcome to Islamabad, Pakistan ! . It will be a learning eaperience for you and your family .

I just returned from Islamabad yesterday. It is not a bad city, but I have noticed people tend to sugarcoat things about their own country. You should definitely travel with another person (male or female) at all times. Females travel freely around Isb, but I never saw a single woman alone. There are no public libraries that I know of. However, there are many book shops where you can get books for less than a dollar. Internet is widely available and there are net cafes on every corner. If you are used to DSL (cable), you will find the connections to be extremely slow as nearly all internet in Pakistan is dialup. You are going in the hottest time of the year, so your initial impressions of Pakistan may not be so favorable. Be patient with Pakistan (everything is very slow!), be vigilant about your health and safety, and you should hopefully have an enjoyable experience.

Dear Mylene,

I completely understand you, I am a native 27 yr old Pakistani but have lived in the US all my life and now I will be living in PK for the first time in my life and it scares me (and I'm pakistani, lol) I will be there for a couple fo years without my husband so...ahhhh Anyhow, I thought I could help a little
1) Cars are both stick shift and automatic
2) Cars are right handed (might have left handed there too, but I don't know)
3) You do NOT need a male escort (Thank god)
4) Dominant language there is Urdu (also punjabi)
5) Yes there are libraries (where, I have no clue)

I hope I was of help, also I would love to know people in Islamabad because like you I will be new so to know a group of ppl would be great, my email address is Afsheen_Mirza03@hotmail.com

Bye