But it turns out that it’s not something unique to our region as a lot of other countries around the world enjoy the same beverage but in a different style. Let’s have a look at 22 different types of tea that are popular around the world!

1. Japan

Matcha is a very fine powder with a green color to it. In Japan, it is more of a ceremonial type of tea and the event centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha.

2. India

Indian tea known for its medicinal purpose other than just daily consumption. Concoctions like the Indian Masala Chai is very popular which includes strong black Indian tea with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

3. Britain

Britain is perhaps the most popular destination after the South East where drinking tea is so popular. While it is usually served with milk, it is not uncommon to drink it black or with lemon, with sugar being a popular addition. The tradition of tea is so well liked that even very slightly formal events can be a cause for tea making. British folk however prefer to use cups and saucers instead of mugs.

4. Turkey

Turkish tea, called çay, from where we get the popular term “cawa” is pure black tea which the addition of milk. Tea is staple drink and is served everywhere and for most meals. Despite it being made from black tea, the color itself is a deep crimson that is served with two tiny sugar cubes in a tulip-shaped glass on a saucer and a little spoon to stir.

5. Tibet

Po Cha is Tibet’s national drink and is a made from…wait for it…Butter! The mixture is made from churning tea, salt, and yak butter. The tea itself that is used is considered very very strong and is acquired from Pemagul. The taste however is very different. Some describe it as salty and rancid. One certainly has to develop drink, with its salty, oily and sometimes rancid flavor, which makes it an acquired taste, is the national beverage.

6. Morocco

Morocco’s national drink, the Moroccan Mint tea, is a highly celebrated affair. The process of making the tea, locally known as Atai, is usually done infront of guests. The taste is so unique and refreshing, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions for the country.

7. Hong Kong

Hong Kong tea is often also referred to as “Pantyhose Tea” owing to the long cylindrical containers it is usually served it. The method of using evaporation and condensed milk gives it a creamy, foamy texture and when served in a tall glass it resembles a ladies’ pantyhose. Talk about a tall glass of refreshing sweet tea.

8. Taiwan

Taiwan holds the origin for the “Oolong” tea, which is highly regarded as the champions of tea. By some tea enthusiasts it is also called the “Champagne” of tea. The mixture of fine herbs and leafs, leave a faint and tingling taste on the tongue.

9. Kuwait

Tea in Kuwait does not bear any distinctive features other than it is a must have with every meal with flavors that include Saffron and mint. Its presentation resembles a lot with the Turkish tea.

10. Russia

Who knew that a frigid, cold country would turn to tea to get warm. Russia has had quite a history with tea making given the temperatures that usually hit the country. Despite that it is a cosy affair usually served with desserts.

11. Pakistani

Our milky, sugary concoction is a must have for our daily kickstart. From fancy hotels to roadside “Dhabbas” tea is served with the same fervor. It is the conversation starter for many and includes variations based on the amount of tea and sugar. Truck drivers, laborers and other low income class people hail tea as their daily motivation. Heck, we even have a famous #ChaiWala now.

12. Thailand

Thai iced tea or cha-yen (literally “cold tea”) is made from strongly brewed Ceylon tea, mixed with condensed milk and sugar and then topped with evaporated milk. When sold from market stalls in Thailand, the drink is poured over crushed ice in a clear plastic bag or tall plastic cups.

13. China

In addition to being a drink, Chinese tea is used in traditional Chinese medicine and cuisine. According to popular legend, tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shennong when a leaf from a nearby shrub fell into water the emperor was boiling.

14. Egypt

Karkadeh tea is Egypt’s national drink. Egyptians are well-known for being big tea drinkers. The tea itself is a sweet-sour drink of bright red color, made of dried Sudanese rose flower bracts. You can drink it both hot and cold.

15. Mongolia

Much like the country itself, the tea prepared also utilizes more harsher parts of the plant. But the overall taste and texture of the tea is not undesirable. Its soft, milky finish that is often accompanied with sugar is a regular drink at meals. It is usually served in a shallow round pot made of metal.

16. Kenya

Kenya is one of the leading exporters of tea and as such prepare one of the finest teas. They produce a strong concoction of black tea. Tea enthusiasts prefer the Kenyan blend for it copper color and perky aftertaste.

17. South Africa

South Africa’s native plant, Rooibos, is used to make tea in South Africa. The plant is native to South Africa and releases a vivid red color. It is prepared the same way as black tea with milk and sugar as additives. However, sugar can sometimes be replaced with honey as well.

18. Qatar

The tea is Qatar is known as “Karak” meaning strong. The tea gets this characteristic from an extra step of preparation by boiling the tea leafs twice to release a stronger flavor. It is accompanied by milk and sugar.

19. Mauritania

Tea drinking in Mauritania comes with its own special tradition. The tea is served 3 times, and tastes from bitter to sweet. Each time a cup is finished a brew is freshly prepared from scratch which includes mint as well. Talk about hospitality!

20. Malaysia

“Teh Tarik” literally means “Pulled Tea”. The tea holds a special place in the heart of Southeast Malaysians. It is made usually evaporated milk or condensed milk and leaves behind a frothy, bubbly mixture.

21. Argentina

“Yerba Mate” is a vitamin infused herbal tea that is shared in a group. It is passed around for everyone to drink which makes it quite a special affair. The taste however is somewhat earthy, and bland and is not suitable for the average tea drinker.

22. USA

Iced Tea is usually prepared with teabags or instant mix powders. It hosts a variety of flavors and finishes which makes it quite a common table item on meals. This is why its commonly referred to as “table wine of the south”.

Happy drinking everyone!

1. Muniba Mazari

Muniba Mazari is Pakistan’s differently abled motivational speaker, TV host, author and painter. Her talks on TEDx and other various platforms have inspired thousands of people. Victim of a car accident that left her paralyzed from her waist down, she advocates on how to think life differently and to overcome challenges to reach new heights. She has also been included in Forbes magazine’s  “30 Under 30 list” for  2016.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Fine art and also established her brand Muniba’s Canvas with the slogan “Let Your Walls Wear Colors.” She has been representing the voice of women, men, girls and boys across Pakistan on important issues of gender inequalities, discrimination and determination not to give up and win against the odds. In December 2015, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women) named Muniba Mazari as Pakistan’s first female Goodwill Ambassador.

2. Shazia Parveen

Shazia Perveen is Pakistan’s first woman firefighter for Rescue 1122. She joined at the age of 25 and belongs to Vehari District in Punjab. Having managed to wriggle into a world of men, Perveen thinks that that women can tackle any job and take up any profession of their choice.

“People would laugh at me when they saw me working with male workers. But the very same people would turn their scorn to admiration when I used to save their properties from the fire.” Perveen said in an interview.

3. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is Pakistan’s two-time Oscar winner for documentaries based on real stories from Pakistan. She started her film-making career in 2012 with documentary “Terror’s Children”. Later her documentaries “Saving Face” and “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” won academy awards.

Pakistan honored her with Hilal-e-Imtiaz award while Times magazine listed her among world’s 100 influential women in 2012. She has won a number of other awards including Emmy Award, One World Media and SAARC Film Awards. She also recently made a virtual reality documentary film “Look But With Love” for a nationwide campaign Dil Say Pakistan.

4. Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan’s child rights activist, has made us proud many times be it winning Nobel Prize for Peace or her address to United Nations General Assembly.

Malala originally hails from Malakand district of Pakistan. Pioneer of the Malala fund that enables girls in Pakistan as well as all over the world get education. She is a strong advocate of equal education opportunities for girls, partly the reason she got attacked by the Taliban. Taking leaps and strides forward she has appeared on International news shows to represent Pakistan and tell her story. She is now currently teaming up with Apple to help collect funds for girls education in Pakistan.

5. Samina Baig

Samina Baig is Pakistan’s globally known mountaineer who hoisted the Pakistani flag at Mount Everest at a very young age of 21. She is also the first ever Pakistani woman and the first Muslim to climb the seven summits.

Belonging to Hunza valley of Gilgit Baltistan she started mountaineering along with her brother when she was only 15. A documentary film “Beyond the Heights” has also been produced to feature her expedition to Mount Everest and got featured in the Travel Documentary series by Black Box Sounds for the nationwide campaign Dil Say Pakistan

6. Nergis Mavalvala

Nergis Mavalvala is Pakistani-American astrophysicist who was an integral part of a group of scientists which proved existence of gravitational for the first time in human history. The confirmed a major prediction in the Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

In United States she has been associated with LIGO project at MIT. Part of Mavalvala’s work also focused on the extension of laser cooling techniques to optically cool and trap more and more massive objects to enable observation of quantum phenomena in macroscopic objects.

7. Zenith Irfan

Zenith Irfan made history by becoming Pakistan’s first female motorcyclist who travelled the breath of Pakistan. Honoring her late father, who had wished to travel the world on a motorcycle she travelled to Kashmir, via the motorway. Part of her reason for doing so was also to portray how peaceful Pakistan is for everyone.

Zenith said she did not come across any resistance when she decided to make this journey. “My mother is a very liberal woman. In fact, she was the one who motivated and pushed me to ride a motorcycle,” she said.

8. Twinkle Sohail

Twinkle Sohail Pakistan’s premier female weight lifter. She won the gold medal in the 2015 Asian Bench-Press Powerlifting Championship held in Muscat, Oman.

Twinkle did this in her early 20s while other Pakistani men participants at the event in Muscat failed to do so. She has also won the gold medal in 57kg powerlifter category.

9. Namira Saleem

Namira Saleem is obsessed with adventure. She is the first Pakistani, man or woman, to reach North and South Poles.

She also holds the title of being the first Asian and first Pakistani to skydive over Mount Everest during the historic First Everest Skydives project. She is also going to be the first Pakistani to travel into Space when the first commercial space flight by Virgin Galactic takes off. Talk about adrenaline!

10. Samar Khan

Samar Khan is the first woman in the world to have cycled on the 4,500-metre-high Biafo glacier in Gilgit-Baltistan. the 26-year-old from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has this to say about her passion “You don’t need a trainer, you don’t need very expensive equipment and you can ride in the rain or snow,” she said. “It’s pleasant, healthy and good for the environment,” Khan added.

Her trip last a complete month out of which it took Khan 18 days and a dozen stops to reach Biafo.

Mohatta Palace is located in Karachi and was originally built to serve as the summer house of Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta, a Hindu Marwari businessman. Located in what is now known as Clifton, the palace used to stand tall as the ocean would creep up during the summers. The structure is built from yellow stone from Jodhpur and the local pink stone from Gizri. This incredible structure houses various rooms and is an amalgamation of the incredible architecture that the subcontinent has been renowned for.

Mohatta Palace is an elaborate building that pays homage to the era of intricate detailed work with intricate details which are present in almost every portion of this magnificent building. Carving, peacock motifs are found on every corner of the building’s stonework along with floral motifs such as Marigolds and Hibiscus. The octagonal pillars give the building a distinctly unique identity that sets it apart from it counterparts. Soon after partition, it was designated as the center place for Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1964, when Fatima Jinnah made it her residence. The Mohatta Palace would serve as her headquarter for election campaign against Ayub Khan. Till her untimely death the palace used to be known as “Qasar-e-Fatima”. After Fatima Jinnah’s death, her sister Shereen Fatima occupied the ground floor for many year until her death in 1980 whereupon the building was sealed off.

In 1995, the Sindh Government took over the palace as a means to convert it into a museum dedicated to showcasing the artistic and cultural heritage of Pakistan. After several years of deliberation the building was finally opened again in 1999 to serve as a public museum.

2. Badshahi Mosque

Perhaps one of the most visited and recognizable landmarks that pays tribute to the Mughal cultural and historical significance is this landmark from Lahore. Built in 1673 by Emperor Aurangzeb in his tenure of fanatical religiosity, the landmark has well served to attract large crowds of both local and foreign visitors due to its expansive courtyard, distinctive red brick that has a unique cooling effect, and the four towering “Minars”. But perhaps, the most controversial reason it is famous for is its location as it lies just adjacent to the “Heera Mandi”, an ancient residential colony of courtesans, musicians and artists that Aurangzeb in his time had ostracized tirelessly. A sikh temple, housing the remains of the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh is also constructed in it’s vicinity which gives the mosque an interesting contrast with its small and pearly white construction.

Being the second largest mosque of Pakistan, it has a housing capacity of over 56,000 people. From army headquarters, to stable for horses as well as storage for ammunition and guns during wars pre partition, the mosque has seen its fair share of a colorful and eclectic crowd. After partition however, the mosque was officially handed over to the Muslim community and re-established as a praying area. The mosque provides an intimidating yet peaceful feel with its towering minarets, intricately carved archways, and the imposing red sand stone.

3. Lahore Fort

Directly opposite the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque, across the Hazuri Bagh, lies the monolith of Mughal splendor and strength. Spanning a massive 20 hectares (that’s the size of almost 20 football fields) it houses one of the most artistic and culturally important history of the Mughal time. The forts original constructing is contestable, since there is no evidence to date when it was built. A coin dating from the time of Mahmud Ghaznavi from the many lawns suggests that the fort was occupied by people previous to Akbar making it a popular destination. It houses 12 must see attractions that made UNESCO declare it a “World Heritage Site”.

The fort, though obvious in its name for what it was used for still has multiple usages. From keeping armies, to giant gardens, to summer houses and courtyards for dancing, the expansive structure was a all in one for Akbar and the following rulers to come. However, the forts history has been a bloody tale, with excavations unearthing evidence of previous inhabitants. There are also inconsistencies in the overall structure and lawns to which archeologists suggest the fort had been there since a long time. After Aurangzeb, the last of the significant Mughal rulers, the fort became a battle field among Sikh, Marathas and other parties eventually falling into the hands of Ranjit Singh.

4. Shalimar Gardens

Shalimar Gardens, is a Mughal era garden complex designed after Kashmir’s unique “terrace” style landscape as well as the Timurid gardens that were built in Iran and Central Asia in the 14^th century. The gardens were built at the apex of Mughal power and creative prowess in the time of Emperor Shah Jehan in 1964. The garden spills over a area of 16 hectares with five different levels.

The Shalimar garden were generally used by the Emperor to entertain guests. The land had to be acquired by the local Arain Mian family of Baghanpura and was built under the supervision of one of the noblemen from Shah Jehan’s court. The Arain family handed over Ishaq Pura, for the garden to be materialized in return the administration and running of the gardens were handed over to the Arain Mian family and has been in their possession since 350 years.

The garden is representation of heaven on earth but also symbolizes a poetic connection of man and nature living together in harmony. The expansive garden had to be laboriously constructed to mimic waterfalls of Kashmir and is regarded as an engineering marvel. Along with Lahore fort, these gardens also carry the title of “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO. The intricate canal works, coupled with the marble inlays with carvings are a delight to look at and as a result the gardens are relatively cooler than the rest of city where temperatures can peak to almost 49 degrees. The garden also has a total of 410 fountains and an ecosystem of trees that bear fruit such as oranges, mangoes, apricots and many more.

5. Islamia College

Perhaps the most influential colleges of Pakistan, the Islamia College is the centerstone for the Pakistan movement and has had the future leaders of Pakistan grace it’s halls. Built on a personal initiative by Sir S.A Qayyum and Sir George Ross-Kepel, the college was a direct contemporary of the Aligarh Institute.

In 1901, after N.W.F.P (currently known as KP) was annexed from the Punjab, many of the youth found themselves travelling far and wide for quality higher education. With an idea for a college already in their mind, a trip to Aligarh convinced Sir Qayyum and George to build not only an outstanding educational institute but also a place that could cultivate leaders. Thus in a meeting with likeminded peers, the idea was brought forth and an immediate fund raising campaign was initiated. The people who were part of the meeting were the first donators. Mir Rahim Shah Kakakhel donated not only cash but also promised to build the hostel building which stands to this day with the name “Rahim Shah” ward. Nawab of Dir furnished a cash of 5 Lakh rupees as well as 400 trees. Other notable clans of NWFP such as the Afridi’s were also the fore runners in making the realization of the college a reality.

The Islamia College Peshawar was so monumental in making the next generation of leaders that Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited the college 3 times and also bequeathed a generous portion of land in his last will.

Credits: By Sadat Sabori

Khalifat mountain is located in Sulaiman Mountains Range in Ziarat District of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is the second-highest peak of Balochistan.

Credits: by Sadat Sabori

Khilafat Mountain is at the height of 3,475 meters (11,401 ft) and it is surrounded by famous and second largest junipers macropods (Junipers) forests of the world.  The leading route to Khilafat Mountain is through Zizri village from where it goes into the forest along the eastern flank of the Khalifat Mountain. After crossing the forest, towards right direction one has to enter a narrow chute which ends in a sheer fall to the right and a rock wall to the left. The rock wall, which requires a bit of free climbing, gives access to a rocky plateau.

Credits: By Sadat Sabori

Khalifat peak is not easy to climb. The route is difficult. For climbers, it is a real challenge. The climb can be attempted by those who are very fit or those who have some mountain climbing experience.A guide is essential for the tricky route. 

The snow is melting and spring is just around the corner, so, Pakistanis pack those jackets and get your shorts out cause outdoor fun time is back.

Usually, when it comes to getting one’s family or friends together for some outdoor, under the sun fun, we get lost in deciding what to do, one thinks about the variety of options and not seem to find many on the list.

Well, we at Pakiholic, have good news for you, dear comrades, because we have found the best place for you to enjoy spring at its full swing. Mangla dam!

What ????? Why ???? What even ???

You ask.

Well, one thing that many don’t know about Mangla is that it’s not just a boring old dam rather it’s a fun-filled place that provides tourists and visitors with multiple water sports activities.

From jet skiing to speedboat rides near the spillway, one could also enjoy paragliding and banana boating. Take a cool dip in the translucent blue water or complete the cliff jump challenge that many find too extreme.

There is an assortment of choices when it comes to food at the bank of the water. Many small food stalls provide you with freshly caught fish which they serve you fried and garnished with lemon and chat masala. If you’re really in the mood they rustle up a mouthwatering, tongue sizzling fish karai and it’s so good that you would definitely wanna visit again soon for a second round.

Mangla not only provides a fun experience at the waterfront but also hosts huge orange farms that play a huge part in producing a good percentage of the sweet nectarine in Pakistan. One could always visit these farms and enjoy the vibrant fruit straight from the tree while enjoying a picnic with friends or family. Basking in the sun among the fruit-laden orange trees that cover the farms that stretch as far as one’s eyes can see.

So don’t waste this spring sitting around at home watching tv folks, pack your bags and sandwiches and head on down to Mangla for a fun-filled weekend/ getaway.