Back from Islamabad
Got back from Islamabad last night after having spend a week or so there working for a newly started telecom operator implementing an interconnect system. Can’t say I really got to see any of the city though, expect the airport, office and hotel of course.
Been working quite long days (some 16 to 20 hours a day) but it feels pretty good since I managed to achieve everything that was planed and the customers where friendly and accommodating. Not to mention the great co-workers I went with. It makes all the difference to be around smart, dedicated and friendly people.
Stayed at the Marriott, there where no visible clues of the blast the previous week but I have little doubt that the security has been tightened. All vehicles where checked before allowed to approach the hotel and to get inside you had to pass an airport like security check complete with x-ray and metal detector. Once inside though it was like any other hotel. Had a really nice executive suite on the top floor that left little to be desired. Even the minibar was complementary (not that it lived up to the name bar as there where no liquor, but never the less).
According to a hotel employee the blast had not been caused by a short circuit (surprise) or a bomb in a potted plant but rather a man had walked in handed his bag to the guard at the security check point and said that he had forgotten something in his car, asking the guard to watch his bag for a minute. The guard agreed and the man left, a minute or so later the bag exploded. Ther guard did survive but was severely wounded.
The combined office and switch site was quite interesting, housed in what appeared to be and old hangar like building in a commercial district. It was a pretty large building but most of it not yet in use so everyone ended up in the same 30 m² room. Outside two cows roamed the property, kind of like corporate pets 
Being there during Ramadan turned out to be less of a problem than anticipated, we simply ordered lunch from the hotel and had our driver pick it up. Dinner was not an issue either as the sun set around 5pm.
Got my first Eid Mubarak (Eid greetings) card ever the last day, عيد الفطر (Eid ul-Fitr) is the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, and supposedly it starts today or tomorrow, depending on when the moon is first sighted, if I understood it correctly.
It’s always interesting to learn about other cultures.
The Islamabad international airport has to be one of the worlds most boring airports, once you’ve cleared security - a very time consuming process involving no less than three security checkpoints (all with metal detectors), luggage inspection and visa/passport verification - you end up in a terminal with two gates and about a hundred seats. No interesting stores, no restaurants, no lounge worth the name.
On the other hand Pakistan International (airline) turned out to be a positive surprise. I was somehow expecting them to use old decommissioned Russian tupolevs but actually they used fairly new Airbus A310s.
It was a pretty good trip, but it feels nice to be home.
