OzBus 14

We head out of Karachi with high hopes for what’s to come. Today is the first time we meet our ever changing police escorts, something that we become accustom to (eventually). Unfortunately one of the group had left their passport under their pillow at the hotel, halting us for a good hour or so as the hotel staff tried to get the passport back to us. All was in order once the man on a motorbike came to save the day. Goes without saying that it was the first and last time anyone ever forgot their passport on the trip.

Our first pit stop is a petrol station, nothing out of the ordinary really. However, Amjad invites us to have some tea at the truck stop opposite while we wait in order to get out of the midday heat. The stop is minimal; wooden tables low from the ground covered with rugs in order for us to sit, flies inhabiting most of the area and a few locals staring in a manner now common place for us all. So far, throughout Pakistan, we have seen trucks colourfully and lovingly designed by their owners. At the stop, we manage to see one of these up close and, thanks to the exuberance of some of the girls in the group, manage to get in and have a few pictures taken with the truck. Throughout our journey so far we have seen these trucks transporting loads that dwarf it’s carrier both in height and in width, covering the road and what can only be described as a mushroom shaped atomic cloud type obstacle. You’d have to see it to believe it.

Moving on from our tea stop, Amjad takes us to a burial ground designed for royalty and their servants. A vast land covered with tombstones and erected buildings made of sand coloured bricks. Amongst the buildings and occasional weed plant life, we stumbled across a snake charmer giving us a show. From there, we went to a small town for lunch and onto yet another mosque. I was unfortunate enough to be wearing shorts, so I wasn’t allowed in the mosque, but I felt my current level of expertise in the field needed no further expanding. Our next stop was a small lake where, much to the delight of some of the group, we can take a quick dip. The girls decide to take advantage, but due to locals being a bit too eagle eyed, the girls had to bathe borderline fully clothed. If you hadn’t have guessed by now, Pakistan is so far the best country to travel in as our guide is fully aware that the bus journey is not a simple A-B trip, but more a series of enjoyable stops breaking up what would normally be a monotonous chore.

As we head towards our next night stop, there are a few things notable from Pakistani as a whole; it’s crazy traffic and it’s charming locals. The traffic is tame compared to what we had seen in Iran, but that doesn’t mean it deserves any less credit for it’s lack of organisation and manic nature. The locals just seemed to love life in general, personified more so in the local children swimming (naked) in what could only be described as an overgrown puddle. Hotel is standard and, as common trends have shown, nothing to write home about. So far, Pakistan is a winner.

Tags: Travel

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