OzBus 14

5am start, straight to the airport. Long check in process before our flight, the usual immigration procedure and a 3 hour flight all to be able to say “welcome to Pakistan”. The airport in Pakistan is nothing spectacular and doesn’t really reflect what the country has to offer, but at the time we only wanted to get away from Iran. There were many things that hit (or more like slap) us once we left the airport arrival terminal; the extreme heat surrounding us, the immense sun blinding us and our guide, Amjad, greeting us. He was very happy to see us and got off to a good start, proclaiming that the head scarf’s would no longer be needed (much to the female population of the group’s delight). All of which was a welcome change to us all.

The bus is a step backwards from the size and presence of previous, but had a charm about it that further added to our jubilation of being in Pakistan. Our first stop now in Pakistan was a temple (something that had started to wear thin on us). The sun obviously helped in viewing the building and Amjad managed to get a show for us of a changing of the guard type ritual within the temple (looking like something coming from the Ministry of Funny Walks). While heading to the hotel, we’re told we can head to the beach for a horse or camel ride and a walk around before eating dinner in “the best restaurant in Karachi”. I opt for the camel ride and a walk along the beach at sunset. The camel ride is bumpy to say the least and wasn’t over as quickly as I needed it to be. The beach itself was dark and had the local sewage system flowing through it, leaving a rather unpleasant smell lingering as you walk along it. The sunset couldn’t redeem the dirty looking beach, but you do start to get the sense that you’re miles away from home.

The restaurant is four floors high, with a rooftop seating area where we decide to dine. Our first taste of Pakistan is a positive one, with an interesting array of food laid out for us to delve into. As well as diverse, the food is very tasty and filling. Even the vegetarian within the group seemed happy with what looked at first like a predominately meat orientated menu. At the hotel, we have some organised beers from Amjad (beer being difficult to get in the country) to celebrate our entry to what is turning out to be the best country yet. Beer is terrible, but a welcome change from our week without in Iran.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 11:45 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.