If you have followed my blog, you will see that this week Pakistan has figured significantly into my posts. From Masoor Dal and Boarding School Bedtime Stories, Pittsfield to Pakistan and Baby Switching,instead of going on the usual tangential trajectory, my writing has kept this theme. Perhaps it’s the whirring of the fan signifying summer has come to Cambridge that reminds me of warm Pakistani evenings and the ever-present sound of the Call to Prayer or perhaps the significance of my father’s birthday and seeing old friends.  Regardless of the reason, in keeping with this unintentional ‘theme’ of the week today I offer something far better than my words: Pictures!

Most in the west will never have the privilege of seeing beyond the headlines to the world of people, scenery, food, and hospitality that was and is Pakistan. The pictures below are a snapshot of a country that has faced more than its share of crisis and catastrophe. They show life in various parts of Pakistan and I hope they will resonate with readers bringing a human side that is not from a journalist or the news media, but from a virtually unknown blogger. We are told that pictures paint a thousand words. My hope is that this poetic saying rings true for the viewer.

The photographer is primarily Tim Irwin. Tim grew up in Pakistan, son of one of my closest high school friends, Marty. He returned in May of this year and used his significant skill with a camera to take some beautiful shots of the country and people. Jason Philbrick, a friend from Pakistan took the shot of teapots at a Chai stall. Enjoy this trip to a world of paradox.

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