‘Pakistanis are overwhelming and loving’

[shah1398]

‘Pakistanis are overwhelming and loving’
By Yusra Salim
Published: December 15, 2016
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KARACHI: Out of the 192 countries, Cassandra De Pecol has visited so far, Pakistan holds a special place in her heart.

“Pakistan has been the country I like the most and the one I feared the most to visit,” the American tourist, who aims to set a world record by visiting 196 countries in 17 months, said on Wednesday in her first interaction with media in Pakistan.

Cassandra, also known as Cassie, said she found Pakistan contrary to what the media portrays it to be.

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“Everyone in the US has negative ideas about Pakistan and fears to visit the country but things are very different. People are overwhelming and loving, I had a great experience here,” she said.

On her ten-day visit to the country, Cassie will now be travelling to Lahore and Islamabad.

Cassie started her journey on July 24, 2015, from Palau Oceania with the aim to visit 196 countries within 17 months and has so far visited 192 countries. Other than aim to become the first female documented traveller, Cassie also wants to create awareness where she goes.

The American tourist gives lectures in universities and holds meeting with students to promote travelling and tourism. “I am also planting national tree in every country I visit and taking water samples from rivers, sea and lakes to test micro plastics in them,” she said.

On her visit to different countries, she is also filming a documentary on education and promotion of tourism for future generations. “The documentary will focus on UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for the promotion of education.”

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In response to a question, Cassie said she would love to go into space after she is done with her record.

Cassie said the Middle East was her favourite, while she found South East Asia and Africa very different and difficult to visit and travel.

“Visiting few places was eye-opening for me and difficult to even visit,” she said adding that the only country she would like to visit again would be the Maldives.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2016.

 

[LA se Karachi]

Most people in the US don't know much about Pakistan. Only a few hold negative views.

I'm glad she visited. Once Pakistan's tourism industry improves, I expect many people from America to visit.

 

[alwaysfair]

Liked Pakistan the most but would only revisit Maldives ?

 

[maximuswarrior]

Most people in the US don't know much about Pakistan. Only a few hold negative views.

I'm glad she visited. Once Pakistan's tourism industry improves, I expect many people from America to visit.

The irony is that I expect the same. These Americans have a severe love hate relation with Pakistan. They are fed with constant negativity regarding Pakistan through the media and other channels. Once you are pounded with propaganda against any specific nation it is part of human nature to find out whether this is accurate or false. Americans are naturally a curious people. I expect many Americans to visit and explore Pakistan in the coming years. Not a doubt about it.

 

[LA se Karachi]

The irony is that I expect the same. These Americans have a severe love hate relation with Pakistan. They are fed with constant negativity regarding Pakistan through the media and other channels. Once you are pounded with propaganda against one nation it it human nature to find out whether this is accurate or false. Americans are a curious people at nature. I expect many Americans to visit and explore Pakistan in the coming years. Not a doubt about it.

Some people, I suppose. But honestly, most Americans don't know much about Pakistan at all. The only "-stan" they think about is Afghanistan.

That's why Pakistan has to get its name out there in the tourism world. Many people who don't read international news regularly have never heard of the country.

 

[maximuswarrior]

Some people, I suppose. But honestly, most Americans don't much about Pakistan at all. The only "-stan" they think about is Afghanistan.

That's why Pakistan has to get its name out there in the tourism world. Many people who don't read international news regularly have never heard of the country.

That's unbelievable, but since you live there you would know better.

 

[I S I]

Offcourse everyone in Pakistan would love to bring a gori mem to his life & home.

 

[LA se Karachi]

That's unbelievable, but since you live there you would know better.

Well, I've noticed it in other developed countries too. When traveling through Europe and East Asia, my family has run into people who don't know anything about Pakistan. Some people just don't keep up with the news, I guess.

 

[friendly_troll96]

darasl wo kehna chah ri hai pakistani namoonay hn pooray

 

[Devil Soul]

Globetrotter Cassie de Pecol arrives in Karachi in pursuit of Guinness World Record


SHAZIA HASAN

REPORTER


The 27-year-old American hopes to set a Guinness World Record of becoming the first woman to travel to 196 countries

You better have stamina if you want to keep up with Cassandra De Pecol.

The 27-year-old American was in Karachi on Wednesday for a bit of sightseeing as part of her daring journey to set a Guinness World Record of becoming the first female to travel to 196 countries of which Pakistan is 191st.

The current record is held by an American man who completed the feat in three years and three months. Cassandra, however, has been travelling for some 17 months now and only has five more countries — Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Syria, Yemen and Turkmenistan — to go.

“I still don’t have visas for the latter three. But that’s how it’s been. I have been applying as I travel,” she told Dawn.

Asked why she didn’t apply for all when charting out her expedition, she said she couldn’t because most visas were time-specific. For instance, the Pakistan visa is for only 10 days. “And it took me four months to finally get the green signal,” she said.

In Pakistan, Cassie, as she likes being called, is a guest of the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) Pakistan chapter on a request of the PATA headquarters, Thailand. In fact, PATA Pakistan’s chairman Akbar A. Shariff helped facilitate her visa formalities from here. And her programme in Pakistan has been organised by Asiatic Public Relations Network on pro bono basis, to promote a positive image of Pakistan.

She gave a talk at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, and one at Rotary Club. She also planted a sapling with Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar on Tuesday.

Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar looks on as Cassie plants Pakistan's national tree Cedrus Deodara - Photograph by farmansha/Twitter


“That’s what I do on my travels,” she said. “I plant trees, meet students, and oh, I also collect water samples from lakes, rivers and the ocean to test for micro-plastics,” she said.

“You see, I am travelling on a small budget. I have 15 to 20 different sponsors comprising big and small companies, a bunch of hotels and airlines,” she said.

One of the sponsors happen to be Adventure Scientists, a group of skilled volunteers concerned about preserving the planet. “I collect water samples for them. It has led to some revelations, too. Like we found micro-plastics in water from Venice.”

Bitten by the travel bug rather early, Cassie says that as a child she hardly travelled. “We only went to Canada because my mother is Canadian,” she says. “But I knew that there was more to the world than what is shown in the news,” she said while sharing that she ran away from home at the age of 13 to see the world.

“But Washington, Connecticut, is a small place. I couldn’t get too far,” she laughed at the memory. “That experience taught me one thing. That I had to have money to travel.”



At 18, Cassie also spent her first year of college in Costa Rica. “Later, when I was 21, I saved up 2,000 bucks making it possible for me to travel to 25 countries. I could sustain those travels by getting jobs, sleeping at stations, etc,” she said. “I tried offering an online course after that for $5 only but it failed. I guess I didn’t have enough experience back then like I do now.”

Cassie has been travelling alone throughout. “I wish I could have brought my cat with me,” she smiled longingly on noticing a stray cat on the steps of the Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum. “I wish I could take it back with me.”

But the young adventurer travels light. “I only have a carry-on knapsack. I don’t collect souvenirs and the gifts that I get I have them shipped to the US. I just can’t afford to carry extra baggage.” The only thing she is taking with her are her memories and the many photographs and videos that she has of herself at the places she visited.

Cassie giving a talk at IBA, Karachi - Photograph by umairica/Twitter


The visit to the museum at the Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum was a lesson in history as well as sightseeing. The father of the nation’s preserved things, including his bedroom, office, golf clubs, clothes and cars made her want to know more about him and how Pakistan came about on the map of the world.

Going from there to our next stop, the Mohatta Palace, every bus or rickshaw that passed by brought out a “wow!” She saw the buses here to be the most beautiful means of transport on the roads. Later, she was on seventh heaven when her hosts hailed a rickshaw for her which took her up and down a street.

Having begun her journey from Palau on July 24, 2015, and after travelling far and wide, she says that everywhere she went she met great human beings. “In Oman, these Syrian refugees cooked dinner for me,” she said.

But before coming here, she had to cut short her stay in Afghanistan. “My parents were so worried that they couldn’t sleep a wink while I was there so I left early,” she said, adding that she wanted to promote peace through tourism.

“I try not to research any country beforehand as I want to keep an open mind wherever I go. And I have found that despite different cultures, religions and race we are all people with the same basic needs,” she said.

Cassie has tasted all kinds of food, too. “I love Indian, Japanese, Mangolian, Korean and Mexican cuisines,” she said before happily reporting that she had not been unwell even for a day on her travels and was looking forward to dinner at Do Darya on Wednesday evening.

Originally published in Dawn December 15th, 2016

 

[Malik Usman]

Most people in the US don't know much about Pakistan. Only a few hold negative views.

I'm glad she visited. Once Pakistan's tourism industry improves, I expect many people from America to visit.

lolz.........i worked with them 5 years believe me most Americans don't even know which countries on their border and you are talking about Pakistan in Far East.........