Getting Lost in Gojal

Getting Lost in Gojal, originally uploaded by !shTiaQ Ahmed (Transitioning).

Lost in the land, where there is only what’s needed, not more, not less. I did not know where I was, but in my mind there was a place, which I have been thinking and manifesting for a long time. I have crossed glaciers, walked beside the snow-capped mountains, sat at the bank of a lake, but my desire for more just kept me walking and talking to myself. I need to see what I have been dreaming for, and I can feel it all around me. It has about to reveal itself.

After crossing the road which I traveled all the way to this remoteness, elements of nature were blending just for me. Gojal seems to become a part of me. This part is considered to be a part of Hunza, but actually their language, and culture is different. There were gusts of wind, pushing my body from the known world to unknown. Huge set of triangular mountain tops were covered in clouds at a far distance. Around me was the fields, like steps they was descending with me, glacial waters irrigating the land.

Welcome to the village of Hussaini, Gojal Area, Near Pasu, Gilgit Baltistan, Northern Areas of Pakistan. This seems to be the end of the world. On the other-side was the great unknown and the Suspension Bridge of Hussaini.

Give me Large

Taken: Hitch Hiking in Hussaini Village, Pasu, Gojal, Pakistan.

Feast with View

Feast with View, originally uploaded by !shTiaQ Ahmed (Transitioning).

Let me tell you more about Hunza. Apart from all those high mountain peaks, arid zones, high altitude lakes, and large glaciers, with sense of tranquility and peace, there is much more to cherish by the hospitable people of the Northern Frontiers of Pakistan. One of it is, the rich cuisine that the area offers in a perfect harmony with the natural world with views of wide stretches of their irrigated land with so such growth of fruits it makes the tree bow itself to the ground.

Those who divert from the norm and try to enjoy the real Hunza Experience should look for local food rather than eating the same which is widely available. And those who have searched for it must know a special cook Lutfi Ali of the Hidden Paradise Restaurant in Karimabad. Along with the family serving apricot pan cakes in Pasu.

Either its Chhap Shuro: Whole wheat chapatti wrapped around meat, vegetables and spices cooked in the fire. Often referred to as a Hunza Pizza. or it is Haneetza Berikutz: A mix of crushed apricot kernels with onions, mint and coriander, filled between two chapattis then cooked. You would not forget the rich, mild and energetic taste of these dishes for a long time.

Start your meal with a A slightly sour soup made from the local dried cheese, believed to be a stimulant, called Qurutze Dawdo. I am sure you will sense the real Hunza experience running through your blood for a while. Enjoy your feast with the view.

Large View

Taken: Hidden Paradise Restaurant, Karimabad, Central Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Story of Cocoon

Story of Cocoon, originally uploaded by !shTiaQ Ahmed (Transitioning).

Let me share a story with you:

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

Taken: Somewhere near Balakot, NWFP, Pakistan

My Very Own Wedding

My Very Own Wedding, originally uploaded by !shTiaQ Ahmed (Transitioning).

How many have you seen that the Groom himself taking charge and covering most of his own wedding. Meet Me…

It may be because I just want to capture what I feel and saw on my very own wedding. It was a tough decision and soon I learned that easily said than done. This one was taken at the Beauty Saloon right after the all that make over was done.

Taken: My Walima Ceremony at 28th October 2007.

Drift Away

Drift Away, originally uploaded by !ShTiaQ Ahmed (Job Hunt Mode).

Some of the dearest moments ever spent are those on the road I didn’t want to travel. And some of the most magnificent doors I’ve ever passed through are where before there was no way.

Tears I have wanted to shed have turned to happiness because for a moment I could see beyond them. And hope has saved everything when I wanted most to give up in despair.

Many people have known the wisdom of safeguarding their health and security by taking time to analyze, not in the role of fact sifting, but by allowing the mind to amble, to drift openly from thought to thought. This sitting idly on the sidelines and fishing quietly in the mind can catch many a solution that casting would never hook.

When there isn’t time to go fishing, remember the words of American author William Mathews: "Knowledge is acquired by study and observation, but wisdom cometh by opportunity of leisure. The ripest thoughts come from a mind which is not always on the stretch, but fed, at times, by a wise passiveness."

Take a time out. Drift away to far away land, fish, meditate, enjoy.

Taken: Khania, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

Best View in Large

Break Free

Break Free, originally uploaded by !ShTiaQ Ahmed (Job Hunt Mode).

Let me start with the notion here:

“Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being” – Rumi

There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

Each of us has a purpose in life whether we’re aware of what that purpose is or not. Once you begin to make clear decisions about discovering and understanding your mission and purpose and fulfilling that purpose, and then follow through on your decisions by taking appropriate and consistent action, your subconscious mind will start to “freak out”. Forms of fear, doubt and worry will arise to hold you back and keep you where you are, where there is "the known", the familiar, your comfort zone. This “freak out” is a mechanism of your subconscious mind to keep you “safe”; it’s completely normal and par for the course, but these thoughts and beliefs do not serve you and your purpose or the world because they often keep you from moving forward.

If you are feeling any resistance to moving forward, your limiting beliefs are attempting to hold you back from stepping into the power and glory of Who you really are and what you’re here to do. Until you can break free from these beliefs, you will be using much of your energy to counteract those beliefs and you’ll never be completely open to allow Spirit to work through you. As a result, life and work will always take hard work to succeed. Yet, when we uncover and disarm these beliefs, the horizon opens up and the wind is at our back making the road ahead much easier.

A Large View

Taken: Driving through Upper Kaghan Valley, Between Burawai & Jalkhad, Pakistan.

Mystery Remains

Mystery Remains, originally uploaded by !ShTiaQ Ahmed (Job Hunt Mode).

Early morning, when sun was about to rise, there is something mysterious in the air. Mists & clouds are just waking up off their mountain beds. A small amount of rain kept me under the shade. There was so much happening around me. Step by step concealed things are being revealed to my very own eyes. Light and visibility playing the dance of life before me. The rhythm of blowing air was like the sweet melody I never heard or felt before. And then from nowhere, there was a glow of light, I was unable to understand the source of light but things start to glow up.

Above the centuries old Baltit Fort, there was a monument called Victoria Monument. It was just revealed and the background Peaks are playing hide and seek. The clouds started their journey to some other lands… And the Scenery took me into the trance. I stared into the view, trying to reveal something more but the mystery remains for the time.

There was much to enjoy about the trip to the Far Away Kingdom of Hunza. But what impressed me most was how valley welcomes its guests with the stunning view of some of the most amazing and out of the world gorgeous mountain ranges.

More Magic in Large View

Taken: Karimabad, Hunza Valley, Gilgit Baltistan, Northern Areas of Pakistan.

The Mountain Soul

The Mountain Soul, originally uploaded by !ShTiaQ Ahmed (Job Hunt Mode).

It seems that no matter how much climbing we do, it always seems there’s more climbing to do to get to the top.

As I trek around a large curve on the trail, with my head down, there was a sense of something magnetic before me. A cold chill in the air, as sun was on its way to set in an hour of so. I was nowhere, companions were lost on the way. May be I have been struggling to get to the height, and all other thoughts just slipped away.

The mountain before me seems to have a soul of it own. The view taking me back to those daring ones, who would have done that climb which seems to be impossible to me. My charismatic imaginative sense of being on the top mesmerized me. I lay down over a rock, opening up my backpack to get something to energize myself, and to wait for clouds to disappear. But time seems to be stuck for that Giant Soul, for half an hour wait, this was the best I got.

Large View

Taken: Trekking in Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

New Discoveries

New Discoveries, originally uploaded by !ShTiaQ Ahmed (Job Hunt Mode).

This is the primary reason I like to walk so much. Focusing on sensory stimuli is one of the best ways of relaxing the mind. Not that we can make our problems go away by ignoring them, but setting them aside for a few minutes, an hour or an afternoon can help us approach them again with a more constructive attitude. It might even give the subconscious time to process and propose some alternatives.

One of the advantages of communing with nature is that it tells an endlessly changing story. From season to season, the woods, rivers and fields offer scenes of transformation. The arrival of a new singing bird, the ripening of wild berries, the flush of fall colors or the formation of ice crystals on a pond ensure we will not grow bored from day to day. The Earth offers new discoveries every day.

A larger, A Better

Taken: Kaghan Valley, NWFP, Pakistan

Being Engaged

Being Engaged, originally uploaded by !ShTiaQ Ahmed (Job Hunt Mode).

Being engaged means promising each other that you will love each other for eternity, be loyal, true, and commit. The event normally involve a precious ring, which always reminds me of the movie "The Lord of the Ring".

The history of engagement ring is more myth and fantasy than the actual fact. Most people believe that "The ring" is a symbol of everlasting love, purity, devotion and commitment between two people.

Here in our part of world, the engagement period is a critical one for every couple. It’s time for meeting the parents. Both partners going through strict monitoring and at then it’s customary for the man & sometime woman to buy an engagement ring. The ring is a circle that has no beginning and no end, which is how marriage should mean.

Rabia & Danish knows each-other since their school age, and its not an easy task to keep & take the commitment to the next level. But love is a strange phenomenon which can make the world go round. May Allah bless them both with a wonderful life ahead. I am so happy for both of them.

Taken: Rabia & Danish’s Engagement Ceremony, Islamabad, Pakistan.