Honolulu trekker and photographer Chick Alsop has traveled rough in Nepal, Tibet, Peru, Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Bali, but when he announced that his next trip would be three months in Pakistan, friends asked if he felt safe spending months in the hinterlands of a Muslim country, given recent world events. Alsop acknowledged some concern but had confidence that he and his traveling companion, Aisha Allen, would make it through all right.

And so they did. More than all right. After weeks in the village of Gulmit in the storied region of Hunza, in Pakistan's north, Alsop and Allen felt as though they'd "put down roots." They were planning their return before they had left the country. And they couldn't wait to tell friends how they had been welcomed.

Everyone who has taken a trip like this one — to a place that begins to feel like a second home in just a short period of time — knows the disorienting feeling of having a foot in two places in the days and weeks after returning home.

Having touched down in Ho-nolulu on Sept. 30, Alsop and Allen were still half in Pakistan in their minds when the word came, on Oct. 8, of the disastrous 7.6-magnitude earthquake in northern Pakistan. Ultimately, the quake would be responsible for the deaths of 73,000 and leave 3.3 million homeless as Pakistan's chill winter sets in.

Heartsick, Alsop and Allen began trying to get calls through to the man who had arranged their trek (he is safe, but Gulmit had not been heard from). Between phone calls, they brainstormed ways to help, reaching out to Hawai'i's small Pakistani community.

Alsop wrote this piece to let Advertiser readers know of their plan.

REACH OUT TO HELP OUR BROTHERS, SISTERS

"How may I be of service to you today?" he said with a smile. I answered jokingly, "Well, my brother, how may I be of service to you?" He grabbed my hand. "No, no!" he said, laughing, "You are the guest of Pakistan, and I want to help you. Let's have tea." Two months in country had taught me that this Pakistani stranger was sincere and wanted nothing in return.

Islam teaches the offering of hospitality to visitors, and Pakistanis take it to heart. Afzaal had found us looking lost at a Sufi celebration in Lahore and spent his next two evenings helping with our itinerary. Many Pakistanis we met then expressed heartfelt concern over the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Katrina.

I had traveled to Pakistan with a sense of caution, only to be met with overwhelming helpfulness and friendliness.

Arriving home to the news of the earthquake was like a bad dream. We had just been in the now heavily damaged northern areas, staying in villages, visiting schools and making many friends. Their stone and mud-walled homes were now shattered. With roads destroyed, bridges down, millions homeless and the onset of winter, our new friends were in deep trouble. We felt helpless, our hearts hurting.

The words, "My brother, how may I be of service to you?" had suddenly taken on new meaning. How could we help?

"We were in Pakistan for a reason we didn't realize," Aisha said. "We must hold a fundraiser."

So, next Sunday at First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, we will gather. Featured will be speakers from our Pakistani community, a slide show, live music and a silent auction.

It is said that you know that a trip has been truly successful if, in some sense, you never really come back. Pakistan was that kind of a trip. Pakistani hospitality was an experience that will be with us forever. Please help support our brothers and sisters in Pakistan.