Kilgore man faces ordeal on hunting trip
A Kilgore man’s hunting trip to Pakistan turned into an ordeal when he was almost arrested along the way, but he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything and says he would return in a heartbeat.
Dee Headley, whose company BASA Resources Inc. paid for his trip to hunt blue sheep and Himalayan ibex, was on his way to Pakistan when he was detained by officials in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The problem: they apparently believed Headley might be an American assassin. …………………………………………………………………..
He was pleasantly surprised when they returned to the Shimshal with his blue sheep because the hunting party was greeted with a parade.
As they walked down the rocky road into town they were also serenaded by a little band the village formed just the week before.
“The whole town, including all the little kids, came out and greeted us,” Headley said. “For them, it’s a big deal. They don’t get many visitors anyway and I was only the second outsider to hunt for blue sheep outside their local area”
He was also presented with a ceremonial robe made of wool.
Despite the extreme physical toll on his body and the misunderstanding with foreign officials, now that he’s been back in Texas a couple of weeks and recovered, Headley says he would go back again.
“They were very good people, “Headley said. “They did everything they could for me and I did not feel out of place as an American. Anytime it looked like I might slip, there would be two or three sets of hands ready to catch me.
“They weren’t going to let anything happen to me because they’re hoping I will go back and tell others ” Headley returned to Dubai (as planned) and his hunting equipment was returned to him (as hoped) and he had no further problems, though the trip took four days longer than he expected due to the length of the treks to and from the village to hunt. For complete story and Pictures visit News Herald and Pakistan Guides.
I congratulate the guys who instigated to develope such an informative website that endow with the important regional news.
Muhammad Ayub
GFO
AKF-Mozambiqe
Congrats to the native of Shumshal, whom have stream lined the natural resources and trying to tap it according time. Very encourageous and lesson learning for the other people of the contry and specially for the area of Gilgit-Baltistan people.
My good wshies are always for u
It really happened.. O look Zulfi bhai you made me surprised. I hope many more users are getting many new things from this site. I congratute you for your this effort.
Our Shimshali brothers have made us proud by receiving the foreign guests well, providing them with due comforts, demonstrating to them our ways of hospitality, giving them appropriate importance and above all; exposing them to the local tradition and culture.
The guests seem to have gone away with positive impressions, after what they happened to witness in Shimshal, especiallyafter the ordeal they had undergone elsewhere during the Kilgore man’s hunting trip.
Thanks to all the brethren of Shimshal for preserving our traditions and culture alive in their beautiful village. The value of cultural assets would increase exponentially with time, benefitting the local community tremendously. Many of the villages in Gilgt-Baltistan, I am sure, can learn a lesson or two from Shimshal.
Well-done Daulat Ameen – my classmate and the pioneer in modern education of Shimshal.
Mutabiat Shah, Islamabad
Shimsalis are the most shrewd people in Hunza. they are well known for turning every repeated event into new. there are peaks in Shimshal which have been climbed by more than dozen people. but every time when a westerner climbs the same peak they foul him by making him first. I wonder if Shimsalies will welcome even people from other regions as warmly as they did Kilgore, let alone poor Pakistanies. keep it up my brothers as you are the only one who are capable of surviving in capitalist economy.
I liked Khameto’s comment. these qualities make shimshalis a resilient community. many others needs to learn and follow