Part of our research lead us to an Adventure Travel Show in London. We went under the misconception that it would be directed at people undertaking independent travel. Wrong! It was lots of stands promoting package trips to unusual places. Having made the journey up to London, we weren't about to turn round and go home so we booked in to a couple of talks. Ironically the first one was given by a chap who had done what we were hoping to do. Except he drove to India in a Ford Fiesta. Now though, he sold package tours!
The second talk was give by a very jolly Pakistani man of retirement age. He waxed lyrical about the different tribes that live in Northern Pakistan and the jeep tours he arranges. He was very passionate about his country and his principled charity work. No random gifts to street children, it turns them into beggars. Instead use that money to help fund the local school, then they won't be street children etc.etc. His tours were certainly different to anything else we saw that day.
Mahmood employs local people as guides and drivers, he takes his clients to live in remote tribal villages, to see their life as it really is rather than as depicted and reported in the press. As we left this very interesting talk, I said to Richard "if we weren't doing what we are, I wouldn't mind doing that."
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Looking good.
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