I asked the old, bearded taxi driver in Islamabad, “I want to go to Taxila so take me to the bus station in Rawalpindi. Kitnay?” (How much?)

“You’re a Chinese, as you like…” replied the driver (Pakistanis look up to the Chinese very much). Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the local bus station and took a mini coach to Taxila – the very local mode of transport with overloaded passengers which made me feel as if I was sitting in a sardine can.

I was hiding in the ancient towns of Punjab during the Osama Bin Laden episode, studying the cultural sites in Pakistan and living like a Pakistani. I traveled by public transport, visited remote villages, ate simple local cuisine daily, and spent most of my days with Punjabis who couldn’t speak English.

I was alive in Pakistan because most Pakistanis are lovers of peace. – Text and photos by Jia Wei

Jia Wei was an intern at Dawn.com