Pakistan and Patagonia are worlds apart and one might be led to believe that they have little in common, but Brad and Aisha Sander have observed that the two places share an exceptional friendliness and sense of community. Since arriving in Patagonia last November, the couple have had numerous locals ask them about Pakistan, so they graciously agreed to talk about their life there in a presentation at the library on January 19.
Brad told the audience that Pakistan was created in 1947, having been carved out of what was formerly part of India, mainly to give Muslims their own country. Today it remains heavily Muslim. Its people are relatively poor, a condition that has been exacerbated in recent years by calamitous earthquakes and floods.
Brad went to Pakistan to paraglide, a dangerous and amazing sport that allows someone to soar to great heights with specially designed equipment. On paragliding excursions in India and Nepal, Brad learned that the “Holy Grail” of paragliding is actually in northern Pakistan, and first traveled there in 2007 in search of that ultimate flying high. His gliding experience there and the friendliness of the Pakistanis convinced him to stay on and lead some tours for paragliders.
Brad showed two short videos that presented the beauty of the Himalayas from a bird’s perspective. A flight can last for hours. One video chronicled his landing (after a six-hour flight) near a high mountain pasture where the local villagers excitedly greeted him, embraced him and invited him to share food and accommodations with them. He noted that none of the villagers had known him before his landing, yet they welcomed him and received him as though they were old friends. This warmth and friendliness is perhaps the main reason he fell in love with the country. Of course his meeting and falling in love with Aisha there only deepened his feelings for Pakistanis and their country.
In May of 2014 Brad was walking in the village of Chitral when he spied a friend driving a vehicle carrying several passengers who, it turns out, were Aisha and a tour group she was leading. He and Aisha were not introduced, but later his friend suggested to Aisha that she should do a tandem paraglider flight with Brad. She agreed, and that flight allowed the two of them to recognize that they had much in common, so much so that they decided to live their lives in tandem and got married in December of that same year.
At the time they met, Aisha was leading yoga retreats to areas of Northern Pakistan where Brad had been working. The couple explained that it is not only beautiful, but also one of the safest areas of the vast country. They now work together, taking people from the southern city of Karachi to remote first class hotels in the mountains. Their clients practice yoga, meditate, and hike. Their tours include upscale hotel accommodations, nutritious meals and domestic transportation all at a surprisingly modest cost.
Son and daughter-in-law of local resident Joyce Sander, Brad and Aisha came to Patagonia last November specifically to take advantage of a Tucson birthing center where they chose to deliver their first child. [See story in January issue of PRT.] The couple plans to return to Pakistan early this month. They will live in Karachi and resume their tour business.
Aisha and Brad have enjoyed their time here and extend their thanks for the acceptance and support the Patagonia community has given them. Many of us locals, too, have been enriched by their brief residency in our midst.