I touch down in Islamabad in the early hours of the morning. It is pitch-black, besides the colourful specks on the runway and some scattered streetlights. Pakistan is an obvious holiday destination. Media coverage rarely paints a pleasant story of the country, which is the seventh most populated in the world. Islamabad is very different from what you see in Homeland, when Carry runs down dusty streets full of screaming people. It’s calm, quiet and very green. Along the roadsides young men sell fresh mangos and the markets of the 6th and 7th district are filled with shops and even some western fast-food chains. On one side of the city, the Himalayan Massif starts building up with beautiful rainforests and monkeys screaming from the top of the trees. In the middle of it, Faisal Mosque, a gift from Saudi Arabia, looms over the city.The rainforests of the Margila hills are perfect for hiking and I admire the scenery from Dam-ne-koh, a viewpoint from where you can see the entire city and look out over endless stretches of green. I wear Pakistani traditional dress shalwar and Qamees. Lots of people from different areas of the country gather there for refreshment. By the end of the day, I’m quite certain that half of Islamabad Islamabadians visit the city. Time passes fast in a city which yields new treasures at every turn. I discover Islamabad’s best ice-cream parlour hidden behind the shopping mall and a scoop of kulfi ice cream – a heady mix of cardamom, rose, saffron and pistachio – becomes a daily ritual. After Islamabad trip I found myself on a very antique propeller plane heading to Gilgit, a small city in northern Pakistan. The plane is an experience of itself, cruising between incredibly high mountains and casually following the turns of small valleys as we fly over tiny villages and sprawling goat herds.I join a bunch of young Pakistanis from Karachi who are exploring their home country in a small van. We have a guide showing us around, which is a must. Not only do they know everything about the local security situation and take you to places which are impossible to find on the internet, a tour also gives you the opportunity to make much friends. When the weather allows, we sit on the top of our small bus as we make our way deeper and deeper into the Himalayas. With the wind in my hair and the sun in my face, I think: this is freedom. After exploring the Karakorum highway and the beautiful mountain village of Karimabad, (Pakistan’s top honeymoon destination) we head to Skardu. This remote town in the middle of the mountains is the starting point of mountaineers aiming to conquer K2, the world’s second highest mountain. It is a wild endeavour and none of the expeditions reached the summit in 2016. In the evenings we sit, talk and drink tea looking over the Indus River. Pakistan’s youth find themselves caught somewhere between secret raves in Karachi’s basements and buying alcohol on the black market, and longstanding family customs such as arranged marriage. The country is in torn between traditional ways of living and an educated younger generation keen for change. But when individuals depend on their family or spouse’s goodwill; village communities carry the function of lawyers, healthcare and education system rolled into one; and societal rules evolve around religion, this change is hard to come by.It’s rare for my travel companions to talk to someone especially a female. They are shy at first, not knowing if they are allowed to address me directly. But once they have gathered some confidence they ask me every question. Any way the people of northern areas are very beautiful, good mannered, caring and hospitable. They are eager to help the strangers especially who are on visit and need help. In the evening of the day we decide to get some rest. We spent the whole night time in sleep and next day we start our journey towards home. After completing journey to home I got temperature due to coughing and intense cold in the northern area. So that was the most beautiful and useful experience ever in my life.