Going to Pakistan with American Wife: Ongoing Updates

[Meengla]

I'll advice against Green Line, their 2 person compartments are hard to get ,the other 6 person compartments are horrible , Bathroom sucks and often delayed on stations .. talking from Personal experience from last December , Try Jinnah Express a little bit expensive but worth a try .

I thought Green Line train is the best one? Western toilets (important for wife) and considered a 'luxury' train. Hmmm.

Don't make it a PR trip. Simply enjoy it and go where you want to go. Trying a bit of everything will be a lot, travelling is already a very burnout experience at times.

Yes, it's a difficult trip. Just from the flights start to flights stop alone is 29+ hours!! Add in an hour to the airport from the American home, arriving two hours before the departure at the airport, then upon reaching KHI, clearing immigration/customs, meet/greet family at the airport, then the ride at probably 330 AM from KHI to the Karachi home. We are looking at at least 35 hours! Aghhh!!

So your advice is well worth considering.

As to Karachi vs other places. Karachi is a necessity because of family reasons.

Thank you all for the inputs! I will keep posted via this thread.

PS. A nice lady You Tube blogger from Karachi and her husband have kindly agreed to be our guides of sort and we are planning to take Super Sawari (bus) to go places in Karachi soon after our arrival there. Sounds exciting.

 

[YeBeWarned]

I thought Green Line train is the best one? Western toilets (important for wife) and considered a 'luxury' train. Hmmm.

Cant say about 2 Persons Compartments but 6 person ones are very bad .. and no their common Toilets are not Western one, Plus some Hotels in Naran , Kaghan , Shogran and Kiwai are also Local Pakistani toilets so just make sure to check before paying the Advance .

Plus one important thing, if you plan on going there do make sure to check under beds, wall ceiling and bathrooms for Spiders , We literally ran through a Hotel in Kiwai after we saw a big spider on wall .. If you want a reasonable , Decent and good Driver for Islamabad and forward let me know .. I will give you uncle's number who took us , he was very decent , Namazi Guy ..

 

[Meengla]

Cant say about 2 Persons Compartments but 6 person ones are very bad .. and no their common Toilets are not Western one, Plus some Hotels in Naran , Kaghan , Shogran and Kiwai are also Local Pakistani toilets so just make sure to check before paying the Advance .

Plus one important thing, if you plan on going there do make sure to check under beds, wall ceiling and bathrooms for Spiders , We literally ran through a Hotel in Kiwai after we saw a big spider on wall .. If you want a reasonable , Decent and good Driver for Islamabad and forward let me know .. I will give you uncle's number who took us , he was very decent , Namazi Guy ..

Thank you. It's highly unlikely we will be able to go to even Islamabad, let alone Naran etc.
Oh, wife is terrified of spiders just like you are of spiders and locusts (saw your thread about locusts in Karachi!) but they don't bother me. Now, if it were cockroaches then I'd run for my life...

I may contact you about ISB. Thank you so much!

 

[YeBeWarned]

Thank you. It's highly unlikely we will be able to go to even Islamabad, let alone Naran etc.
Oh, wife is terrified of spiders just like you are of spiders and locusts (saw your thread about locusts in Karachi!) but they don't bother me. Now, if it were cockroaches then I'd run for my life...

I may contact you about ISB. Thank you so much!

Enjoy your Stay in Pakistan my Friend

 

[baqai]

https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates/

it lists Pakistan so i presume you are safe, once in Karachi there are couple of must go places, just need to take a drive by through Quaid Mazar the place is not worth going in anymore, do take her to Mohatta Palace as it is peaceful and quiet, take her to Du Darya for good dinner right besides the sea. For movies Nueplex is there. A lot depends on the locality you are in, drop me a PM when you are here I will try to show you guys around if I am free or perhaps meet for coffee or something

 

[Meengla]

https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates/

it lists Pakistan so i presume you are safe, once in Karachi there are couple of must go places, just need to take a drive by through Quaid Mazar the place is not worth going in anymore, do take her to Mohatta Palace as it is peaceful and quiet, take her to Du Darya for good dinner right besides the sea. For movies Nueplex is there. A lot depends on the locality you are in, drop me a PM when you are here I will try to show you guys around if I am free or perhaps meet for coffee or something

Oh, got to take her into the Quaid Mazar! Many years ago we made it there but were not allowed inside the dome because of some ceremony or rehearsal happening that time.
Thank you for guidance help! May drop you a PM while there.

Oh, a very silly video as the latest. Fresh off the oven fresh!

Half Woman, Half Fox Person in a Pakistani Zoo!

 

[fitpOsitive]

@Areesh @Syed1. The question is Google FI in Karachi.

@ghazi52

 

[Syed1.]

@Areesh @Syed1. The question is Google FI in Karachi.

@ghazi52

Bhai Google FI Canada mein nahi hai ap Karachi ke khuwaab dekh rahay hain


Best would be to get local sim. I am always amazed how cheap the data is in Pakistan compared to west. Last year I had Jazz package of 6 GB for Rs. 150. I pay roughly 50 times that for SAME AMOUNT OF DATA here in Canada ($50/month)

 

[Meengla]

Speaking of Google FI--I have been making phone calls to Pakistan from America at 5 cents/minute. And looks like text messaging at least from America is included because I sent two text messages to Karachi and don't see any extra charges so far in my FI account. For a change, Pakistan is included the list of countries to make calls and for coverage; it's generally India which has those cheap calls and texts from America. I am pleased!

Sounds almost too good to be true but we shall about the experience in Pakistan...

Bhai Google FI Canada mein nahi hai ap Karachi ke khuwaab dekh rahay hain


Best would be to get local sim.

One of the conditions for Google FI is that plan has to be activated in America to take advantage of its features. Canadians are oddly out of luck so far...

I would rather not worry about SIMs in Pakistan--and I am not even sure the phone has a SIM slot (Google Pixel 3a)--the FI plan is definitely SIM-free but I have ordered a free backup SIM for my FI plan, in case I become the unlucky guy in the notorious cell phone snatching fun in Karachi; the SIM could be used in a backup phone. Aghh!

 

[JonAsad]

PS. A nice lady You Tube blogger from Karachi and her husband have kindly agreed to be our guides of sort and we are planning to take Super Sawari (bus) to go places in Karachi soon after our arrival there. Sounds exciting.

i will suggest register your local guide who ever they are in US consulate before you go anywhere with them.. Take this precautionary step..

 

[Syed1.]

Speaking of Google FI--I have been making phone calls to Pakistan from America at 5 cents/minute. And looks like text messaging at least from America is included because I sent two text messages to Karachi and don't see any extra charges so far in my FI account. For a change, Pakistan is included the list of countries to make calls and for coverage; it's generally India which has those cheap calls and texts from America. I am pleased!

Sounds almost too good to be true but we shall about the experience in Pakistan...



One of the conditions for Google FI is that plan has to be activated in America to take advantage of its features. Canadians are oddly out of luck so far...

I would rather not worry about SIMs in Pakistan--and I am not even sure the phone has a SIM slot (Google Pixel 3a)--the FI plan is definitely SIM-free but I have ordered a free backup SIM for my FI plan, in case I become the unlucky guy in the notorious cell phone snatching fun in Karachi; the SIM could be used in a backup phone. Aghh!

I wish you and your wife a safe travel experience and lots of fun in the motherland, however, apas ki baat hai, Karachi isn't exactly the most ideal place for a foreigner to get her first taste of Pakistan. I hope you take her to other parts of the country as well.

 

[Meengla]

however, apas ki baat hai, Karachi isn't exactly the most ideal place for a foreigner to get her first taste of Pakistan

Oh Bhayya, had it not been the family, we would'nt stay in Karachi for more than 3-4 days. Part of that is our personal aversion to cities in general: Too noisy, too busy, and often too violent... In America, we live surrounded by hundreds of acres of nature and hardly any neighbors. Hard to adjust to a city of even small size after that. And Karachi is humongous and humongously loud.

 

[Ahmet Pasha]

VERY good advice

Karachi is horrible. I would focus on Lahore and North.

Just my advice.

 

[Meengla]

I spoke above about Google FI backup SIM card; it arrived today. Free FedEx delivery! Looks like its some larger sized SIM card--more than Macro SIM size for sure. Hopefully, I will never have to use the darn thing!!

 

[Meengla]

So another question. How does Careem work for overseas travelers in Pakistan? I have an Uber account which I use in America. I also have a Careem account but the Careem.com website is erroring out whenever I enter my credit card info as a potential payment method in Pakistan.

But if Uber is common in Pakistan and not much more than Careem then I am fine with Uber!

And should I be very concerned about standing roadside holding the phone waiting for the rides, considering the notorious cell phone snatchers? Maybe I should carry some dummy phone, just for the robbers?!!
Any advice?