Allshore Global Resources, a virtual IT staffing firm based in Norman, Oklahoma, employs highly-skilled web developers in Pakistan. In the four years they have been in business, Allshore has mastered the logistics of working with developers overseas, so much so that they offer their clients offshore developers with an onshore experience. Given the geographical gap between the two, however, a cultural gap is unavoidable. This is a common conundrum among offshore outsourcing companies, but rather than downplaying the cultural differences like most, Allshore celebrates them. Allshore’s employees are committed to bridging that gap in as many ways as possible, for both the developers overseas and the clients here in the U.S.

One strategy Allshore employs to accomplish their goal is a blog. Not exactly a ground-breaking tool since quite literally, everyone and their mother has a blog these days. What is special about this blog, however, is the unique perspective that comes from an open dialogue between Americans and Pakistanis, both of whom contribute to the blog. It gives readers in the U.S. a chance to see and appreciate Pakistan in a new light.

Allshore is particularly excited about the newest addition to their cultural blog, titled “Travels through Pakistan.” The new segment will be written by one of the company’s Client Relations Managers, Ryan Querbach, a journalism student from the University of Oklahoma—with help of course from many of their developers overseas.

The goal of the blog is simple: to show a side of Pakistan that few are familiar with. Many people in the United States and other parts of the world are unaware of Pakistan’s sheer beauty. People tend to generalize the Middle East as a dry, desert-like area, and in some places that is certainly true. Pakistan, however, is actually a lush and beautiful country with numerous attractions that might surprise most people. Some of the destinations Allshore plans to cover include the Swat Valley, Khewra Salt Mine, Derawar Fort, and Taxila.

The new blog series is meant to provide a virtual tour of many of these attractions, with basic information about the sites and photos to give the reader the virtual experience of traveling through Pakistan.

Though this blog series is new and just a small part of the company’s blog, it shows the efforts Allshore is willing to make to decrease the distance between the two countries.

“We work thousands of miles from these guys,” said Courtney Alverson, a Client Relations Manager for Allshore. “But we really try to get to know them and their country, because we know it will strengthen our working relationships. It’s really difficult to build a strong business relationship without knowing a lot about the people you’re working with.”

For this company, the business side of things is no doubt important, but there a strong emphasis on cultural understanding as well. In reality, the two are not as separate as they might seem.

Allshore has released the first installment of their new travel blog. It takes readers through the Khewra Salt Mine, located in Khewra Pakistan. You can check it out here.