Girls Travel Solo Guide: Basic Level

 With rise of social media, our generation is experiencing a change and undergoing such cultural shift that the things that were considered a taboo 20 years back are now a norm. One of the recent changing trend that I am in love with is girls traveling on their own from Pakistan.

While some of us think it’s liberating to travel on their own being females some are still scared not to do so because of various reasons. My quest is to break that fear and encourage girls to travel on their own, explore the world and experience different cultures hence I am sharing some tips for them to make their decision.

Make-up your mind

It’s important that you are firm on your urge to travel. Many would try to discourage you & scare you but that shouldn’t affect you. Some would ask you to simply go with family or wait to get married before you can travel. Block these people out from your thought process since you don’t want this kind of negativity.

Choose a Destination

Some of the girls I know never even have been out of the city let alone the country so it’s completely ok if you start your solo trips within the country. There are two things to consider while you’re selecting your destination i.e. money & your interest. If you are peace loving person you can’t select a chaotic metropolitan. And if your budget is extremely tight you can’t select a destination far away from your city.

Research, Research, Research

They say the best kind of traveling is when you don’t have a plan. In case of first-time travelers, that’s not the case. If you haven’t done your research properly, you might be disappointed big time once you reach your destination.  Thank heavens we live in an enlightened age of Google which not only provides us all the information we want but tells us exactly what we are looking for. Also, it’s always good to talk to people beforehand who have traveled to that place.

Pack light but not too light

No matter how much you love clothes you will have to pick and choose what you will be taking along with you. But I shall give you a fair warning, first time travelers love taking a lot of photographs so when you are in that picture wearing the same outfit you might get slightly disappointed. It’s safe to say you can mix and match clothes. Always take your own towel and pack according to the weather of the destination.

Money actually matters

First-time female travelers usually are utilizing their own savings for their trip. To make the best out of your vacation book your tickets and hotel online at least 3-4 weeks before your departure. Always look out for deals. Airbnb should be your best friend.

And in the end, don’t forget to have one hell of a time. All I want is girls to see the world, make it happen on their own, make new friends, try different cuisine, wander unknown streets and know how it feels to experience things they have never experienced before.  

Happy Travels!

Loving the Lines

Loving the lines

With every year I grow 
With every line that appears on my face
I get a little wiser, a little stronger

With every day passing
With every memory made
I survived an incident,
I lived an experience

The fatigue in my bones
The weight I carry
Reminds me of the times
I have lived I age every day & every minute
I breathe every moment

Learning &; moving on
A life full of tears, worries & hard work
A life full of laughter & warmth

- Bushra Joyo

Picture Credits: Tumblr

Telenor Tweet A Meal

Ramadan is long gone but the spirit of it should never die and the spirit of Ramadan is giving, sharing & celebrating togetherness. Telenor Pakistan continuing the tradition from previous Ramadan, came up with a beautiful and simple plan to share with those who are less fortunate.

What we all had to do was post pictures of our Iftar and Sehri on social media with the hashtag #TweetAMeal. The more we shared, the more Telenor promised to give meals to underprivileged. And in the end, when the campaign was over thanks to over 10,000 tweets 6000 people (1000 families) of Mithi, Tharparkar were given enough ration to bear the coming months.

#TelenorTAM

I am delighted to be part of the noble cause and am looking forward to be a part of it again.

Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Review

I am very disappointed to see negative reviews for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child floating around. Before you criticize the book please know that it is not a novel but manuscript of a play. If you have never read a play script before then this format of writing might surprise you.

I am sure we all had high expectations given how the Harry Potter series itself is extremely detail oriented, this story left us with a sense of need some more. But let’s face it even if J.K.Rowling comes up with 30 more Harry Potter books & stories we would still want her to write more.

Coming towards the story and plot, since it’s a play how she has kept it quirky yet very fluid. The non-linear

timeline definitely was a challenge for the readers to understand but it’s almost miraculous the way writers penned it down.

I enjoyed character development in the short story more than anything. Rowling’s ability to bring out each of her characters in limelight makes the story ever more interesting. It was good to see some of the old characters coming back to life we thought we would never see again. The bittersweet ending wasn’t a closure that the fans were expecting.

I hope to read more about the new characters on Pottermore as they are now out in the open. 

Back to School Shopping

Back in the day, I remember the best thing about going back to school used to be excitement of getting new books, uniform, bag and what not. But not only did we have limited options also they last-minute rush at the shops used to frustrate my parents beyond measure. All those childhood memories came rushing back to me when last night me and my sister went to get our nephew his school accessories.

That was a complete disaster. Not only the shops were filled with people but the shop keepers were charging double the price for everything. Instead of fighting our way through that madness we stepped back and went home.

During all this chaos my nephew who is only 6 years old was upset because he couldn’t get hi new school things. So instead of letting the poor kid down I opened Yayvo.com and decided to do his shopping with him in peace.

We got his B-first school shoes & uniform from Liberty also a very cute school bag. It was a hassle free  experience which I would  recommend all the parents to go for. The best part from online shopping is we were able to get stationary as well!

Karachi Salon Hopping

It has been quite some time hence I have been regularly going to salons/spas for various treatments in Karachi. In my purist to find the perfect spot I came across many but unfortunately none of the places I have been are able to satisfy me 100%. One thing or another always legs behind. Salons & spas in Karachi are generally inconsistent. If the facility is having a bad day, you for sure are going to receive not so good services.

However to make your life easier I am jotting down some of my experience for some of the services I have received.

Note: The routine services I get are

1. Wax
2. Manicure (OPI/Essie/Salon specialty)
3. Pedicure (OPI/Essie/Salon specialty)
4. Facial (Janssen/Guniot/Dermalogica/Salon specialty)
5. Body Massage
6. Hair Protein 

Raintree Spa

Hands down they have the best massages in town. The spa gives the ultimate feeling of relaxation to the customer and has good services as well. Their manicures & pedicures are worth trying as well however you will have to instruct the girl doing your pedicure to take that dry skin off your feet properly.

Their facials always give me a breakout so now I avoid them. FYI I have super oily skin.

Their prices are steep but it’s ok to indulge once in a while. Also with an SCB card you get flat 20% off on the bill.

Overall 8 out 10.

Link: www.facebook.com/raintreespa

Sedusa

Sedusa

They receive a special shout out as it is my now to go place usually. You will love  Zita’s waxing there for sure. Their Janssen cleansing is superb & I rather enjoy their manicures & pedicures.
Only if they would properly scrub my feet it would be awesome. I am a little skeptical about their herbal treatments as once I got their herbal treatment for my hair & that didn’t do much good. Their staff is super friendly & the little salon itself is rather cute.

They have monthly deals which make their prices within the range if compared to other spas & salons.

Overall 8.5 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/Sedusa-the-mini-spa-1450237488528560

Serenity Spa

Serenity

The good part about this salon is that they keep on offering discounts & deals. Previously I used to enjoy their mani & pedis but recently their service is not upto the mark. They don’t have a big collection of nail colors sadly.  I would rate their facials as decent enough.

Overall 6.5 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/Serenity-Spa-Salon-1459923727563664

Peng’s

Shabi (a beautician at Peng’s) lives up to her name in every way. Facials at Peng’s are expensive but they are worth every penny. They do not rush to end the service and make sure you are fully satisfied.  I haven’t tried their mani & pedis but the people who go their swear by it.

Overall 9 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/pengsalon

H&S Salon

Near to my home, super affordable & very friendly, H&S salon is what you are looking for if you need quick waxing done or a nice facial easy on the pocket. Also if you want a basic mani & pedi along with protein treatment I would recommend this place.

Overall 7 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/hsbeauty.1

Rashid Salon

Rashid Salon

Salmoon is a gift from God for my hair. I do not trust anyone except him when it comes to blow drys, protein treatment & haircut. He doesn’t chop of more than you want & stylizes accordingly. The people at Rashid’s are amazingly friendly. Also they have pedicure experts inhouse. And believe me or not after getting done a pedicure from them you wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.

Overall 10 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/Rashidsalon

Toni N Guy

It is a one stop solution for hair if

1. You are willing to spend ton lot of money
2. You have not any other option in the city.

Link: www.facebook.com/ToniandGuyPakistan

Foot Comfort

Foot Comfort

I honestly failed to understand what the hype is all about. Yes they did remove the dead skin completely but no it doesn’t give you that nice spa feel. The massage didn’t even last for full 5 minutes and neither there was any scrubbing. I had to take my own nail color!

Overall 5 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/footcomfortservice

Karachi Ladies Club

Won a free back massage & blow dry from them. I loved the massage and hated the blow dry.

Link:  www.facebook.com/karachiladiesclub

Hina Khan

Really very bad experience. The services are hurried & the place is always cramped. Not worth spending your time and money on.

Overall 3 out of 10

Link: www.facebook.com/hinakhanstudio

The places I am dying to try out but I feel they are way too expensive are

MINT Solutions

Link: www.facebook.com/mintbeautysolution

Amethyst by Roohi

Link: www.facebook.com/AmethystbyRoohi

And the next salons I will be hopefully trying out

Blush Salon

Link: www.facebook.com/blushspasalon

Mirrors Salon

Link: www.facebook.com/mirrors.salon

Nadia Hussain Salon

Link: www.facebook.com/NadiaHussainSalon

#Karachi #Salon #Spa

Learning Islam

I rather avoid getting in religious debates & discussions because we aren’t taught about religion in depth and usually the debates are based on personal opinions instead of authentic sources & references.

The problem of us, Pakistani’s, in majority is that since childhood it was sufficient for families to teach their children how to recite Quran Shareef in Arabic, finish Quran Shareef at least once, offer prayers & keep fasts. That’s it. End of story. The other source of religious knowledge is either Islamiyat textbooks or what our grandparents have to say.

Not once are we introduced to the translation of Quran Shareef. We never listen to tafseer, we never know the context of Ayats & God forbids if any amongst us even question anything regarding religion. We don’t even read the books of Hadith.

Please break this culture. Quran Shareef was sent to Nabi Kareem S.A.W in Arabic because the language of the people at that time was Arabic. Allah wanted the people to understand & take lessons from the book. Instead of forcing your child to re-read Quran Shareef in Arabic, introduce them to Quran in your language, The language that they understand & can take lessons from. If you like any Surah, do listen to tafseer of it. If you have any questions regarding faith, don’t rest till you have got your answers.

Our nation has such extreme behavior towards religion because of the dictatorship attitude towards it. Islam on the other hand, is beautiful. It is welcoming & has a way out for every problem for those who seek solutions. Don’t make Islam a matter of burden. I urge you, we are the future of this nation & we will shape the upcoming generation. Set a good example for them.

I have been listening to lectures of Nouman Ali Khan and feel we have so little knowledge regarding our very own faith. Please don’t limit your understanding and keep on exploring. May Allah bless us all with his wisdom.