Luxury Travel to Pakistan
Dusty, narrow,
winding roads give way to the spectacular Shandur
plateau pass, where a fierce no-rules polo match
between the best teams of Chitral and Gilgit takes
place annually. More than 3500 meters above sea
level, stretching approximately 20 kilometers long,
Shandur is referred to by some as a place “halfway
to heaven”, and is the highest polo ground in the
world. With lakes and streams, shepherds and their
herds, the occasional glimpse of colorful fruit
orchards on the way to the top of the pass, a baking
blue sky overhead, and no city or cement to be seen
for miles, so one easily has the sensation of having
been transported back to the past.
Indeed, although the
first officially-recorded tournament played on Shandur took place only as recent as 1936, polo in
northern Pakistan is said to hark back almost 300
years. The sport of polo itself has its origins in
Central Asia, and dates back to the sixth century
BC. It supposedly began as a training game for
cavalry units for royal and elite troops in Persia,
where it was then called chughan (Persian for
“stick”), and it became a Persian national sport in
the sixth century AD. In its most primitive form, as
many as 100 players could play to a side, resulting
in the game turning into a small-scale war of sorts.
In those ancient days, there was no limit to the
number of players and no time limit; whichever team
was the first to score nine goals won. From Persia,
the game spread to Arabia, Tibet, China, India, and
the Himalayas. It was around the
China-Tibet-Pakistan region that the British picked
up the game, giving it the name by which the world
knows it today, polo. The etymology of the word is
supposedly from the Tibetan word pulu, which
means willow root, which was the material from which
the ball was constructed. Today, Chitral, Gilgit and
neighboring Skardu and Hunza play the game of polo
closest to how it was originally played: With no
rules, no umpire, and a good deal of reckless
courage and sporting bloodshed. Each game lasts for
an hour, with a short break between two half-hour
plays, or chukkas. During a game, horses
cannot be changed, let alone rested. Time-outs are
only given when there is serious injury to either
player or horse, but “seriousness” is relative here;
broken ribs and arms have not stopped players
before, and in fact, bandaged, bruised limbs or an
injured horse are considered signs of a good match.
Players do not usually wear protective guards of any
sort, and the polo stick is used as much as a weapon
as it is used as equipment, being used to whip and
hook the horses of opponents, as well as hit and
beat at the shoulders and arms of the opposing
team’s players. It is not considered cheating, but
rather, an extreme and scintillating display of
horsemanship skill and tactical savagery. The horses
used in the games are typically crossbreeds of
Himalayan mountain ponies and English thoroughbreds,
and are ridden wildly and at full-speed for the
entire length of the match.
A trip to Pakistan is
certainly an adventure- as reactions from friends
and relatives would undoubtedly inform you as you
openly contemplate a trip to the country. The luxury
of visiting Pakistan now, perhaps, is one of being
where few people have and certainly, whilst the most
savvy travelers have ventured through to Pakistan,
the infrastructure for mass-luxury tourism is not in
place yet, making it an ideal location for the
intrepid luxury traveller.
A unique aspect of
Shandur polo is its music, which is provided live
and throughout the game by traditional musicians.
Instruments typically range from one big drum to a
few smaller kettle drums, and also include a long
pipe, the traditional surnai, which is a
variety of the wind instrument. As in many
contemporary games, when a goal is scored, the
musicians play a tune unique to the scorer, his
chosen anthem. For the duration of
the games, a bazaar is also held on Shandur, and
here, one can buy handicrafts, souvenirs, listen to
folk music of the Kalash tribes who live in those
mountainous regions (among other performances), and
also enjoy folk dancing every night. A restaurant
tent is also set up for tourists and visiting locals
alike, creating the opportunity for a good dose of
intercultural exchange. Accommodation for visitors
is typically by luxury tent, thus ensuring a
comfortable stay in the midst of all the natural
mountainous beauty. The next tournament takes place
in 2009.
Luxury travel to
Pakistan is less about luxury hotels (although there
are quite a few stunningly restored boutique hotels)
but is instead about privileged access- staying in
the home of a Prince in Chitral, knowing
personalities on the ground as well as exclusive
access to a fort on the border of Afghanistan- this
is a country where 'luxury' is certainly defined by
connections and insider access.
