Marga, my Grandmother on Mum's side turned 80 on Friday. To celebrate, her family had a birthday party at the Ceduna Sailing Club on Thursday evening. Unfortunately, I couldn't go. Instead, I produced and sent the following video tribute to Marga. I hope you enjoy it.
After Hani and Mehwish's 2 wedding receptions in Karachi I flew north to Lahore. Lahore, located close to the Indian border, has an ancient past and is Pakistan's main tourist centre. It is the capital of Punjab Province with Punjabi being the major spoken language. Lahore is also noted for its shopping and I bought some bargain souvenirs.
The next two videos were shot from a rickshaw on the way to the Data Sahib Shrine. In the second video, note the guy yelling from the van approximately 12 seconds in. He wasn't too complimentary!
Pigeons on the roof of the Data Sahib Shrine
From the Hospital District
The decorations on the right are of a florist in the old city
Some of the architecture in the fort buildings, like this elephant, was intricate and beautiful
I love reflections
Lahore Fort tilework
The Lahore Fort
I didn't see as much as I wanted to in Lahore as first thing on all mornings but one I had to rush to the toilet. For one or two hours each morning I didn't feel 100%. By the time I felt good half the day was gone. The only morning I did not need to go to the loo I ate KFC (for health reasons, of course) the night before. At KFC I was served by speech and hearing impaired employees. The restaurant used a special system of hand signals to communicate with.
Lahore's pollution was also challenging. I developed a sore throat and then a cold because of it. In Karachi I was protected from the pollution most of the time, travelling by air-conditioned car and staying at Hani's place. I can't imagine what it's like in the heat of summer. To get used to this part of the world and enjoy their trip properly, people should stay at least a month.
The air pollution is evident in this Old City photograph
Fish offal, foam boxes and untreated sewerage make for a delightful smell and a photo not found in official tourism promotions
Pakistan's roads are full of all kinds of traffic - auto rickshaws, cars, buses, motorbikes, horse and carts, donkey and carts, trucks, pedestrians, bicycles and even the odd camel.
The buses and trucks are very colourfully decorated, particularly in Karachi.
I wanted to go on an intercity train ride in Pakistan but a journey did not fit in with my plans.
Here is a video I recorded of a Lahore street near the old city:
The rear of a Karachi bus
A donkey and cart and a bus in Karachi
Karachi chaos
The local buses are designed for passenger overflow to sit on the roof
A Lahore cart transporting fabric
Many of the auto rickshaws feature graffiti. In Lahore I just had to take a photo of the one above.
The above three photos are of the same Lahore bus. Kae, the Japanese backpacker was on his haunches in front of the bus when the driver tooted the horn - you should have seen Kae move :-)
The Niazi Express bus station, Lahore
A closer shot of the Niazi Express symbol incorporating a kangaroo
A man at a freeway stop feeding miner birds and crows along with himself. Pakistan's only freeway runs from Lahore to Islamabad. My Niazi Express coach is the one on the left. The bus on the right is an "Ahmed Hussein Butt Ways" bus (emphasis added). Note the eucalyptus trees in the background.
My bus left Lahore for Islamabad an hour or so late and then was delayed further by Eid livestock markets. I was certain I was going to miss my domestic flight back to Karachi. My stress-induced headache was not helped by the full-volume showing of an extremely violent Bollywood film. 200 plus people died in many full-on incidents, yet not one kiss was shown.
The bus stopped outside Islamabad and I was weighing up whether or not to get off or not. I got off, and for a rare occasion, I was glad to be approached by a taxi driver. He quoted 300 rupees (US$5) for the journey to the airport. I was in no mood to bargain. I explained my predicament to him and off we hooned in his seatbelt-free micro machine. The driver displayed super maneuvering creativity and I estimate we went through more red lights than green lights! Much to my relief I eventually arrived at the airport 30 minutes before departure. For his effort, the driver received an extra 100 rupees.
Karachi Airport, my last time on Pakistani ground. From left to right: Pakistan International Airlines, AirBlue and MNG Cargo (a Turkish freight company).
Like Istanbul is for Turkey, Karachi is the financial, transport and trade capital, and a former administrative capital of Pakistan. However, unlike Istanbul, Karachi is not Pakistan's tourist capital (that is Lahore).
Hani's family company is involved in trade via Karachi's two main ports.
Karachi is a vast, sprawling city. The weather was mild during the day and occasionally chilly at night. Many coconut palms displayed their fruits and eagles plied the air.
Surprisingly, on 2 or 3 different occasions I saw transvestites street walking in the evening.
A new mosque
I went with Hani and his friends or family a few times to local landmark Cafe Clifton. There we parked and drank very strong, sweet, milky tea brought to the car by the waiter.
A street in central Karachi. Billboards were everywhere on the main thoroughfares.
The new years eve entertainment at the Pearl Continental Hotel, the location of Hani and Mehwish's second wedding reception. For a city of 15 million people the entertainment options are very poor. I don't even believe there is a nightclub there. Hani's friends (mainly foreign educated) grumbled about the lack of things to do in Karachi.
Another busy Karachi street
25 December is a public holiday in Pakistan, not for Christmas, but for the birth of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the country's founder, also known as Quaid-e-Azam ("Great Leader") or Baba-e-Qaum ("Father of the Nation"). 25 December 2006 was the 130th anniversary of his birth. To celebrate this, there was a televised ceremony held in Karachi, Jinnah's place of birth, attended by President Musharraf and other other political leaders.
A video I shot of guard movements inside the mausoleum. Some people may recognise the music tune performed.(Note: This is my first ever video uploaded to YouTube).
The mausoleum. Note the eagles around the top.
As evidenced in this photo, thousands of eagles live in and around Karachi.
Karachi buses (and trucks) are vividly decorated (and often overcrowded).
