Am trying to speak a little Urdu but don't know if my phrases are of much value. I can count to 10, say 'hello, goodbye and thanks', and say 'there are 3 (4, 5, 6...) people sitting on 1 motorcycle'. Not too handy in general conversation.
The phrase that I have found useful is (phonetically) 'Kea muscla hey?'. This means "What's your problem?" Which has turned out to be very useful when a group of men are staring at me - they look away really quickly!!!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Utilities
Utilities are a problem over here. Power cuts are becoming more regular and for longer periods of time, and as summer starts these are bound to increase. All I can rely on having is 1 light bulb in some of the rooms - no other power, so no air conditioning, fridge power points, tv etc.
Last week it took 4 attempts 3 hours to do 1 load of washing. The first 2 attempts the power went off, the 3rd attempt the water was cut, the 4th successful attempt was because my guard went down the road to get me a bucket of water (once the power came back on) to finish the wash. So hand washing is the best way to do the laundry, but I hate this for sheets and towels!
بہاولپور
Bahawalpur (Urdu, Saraiki: بہاولپور), is known
for its famous palaces such as the Noor Mahal, Sadiq Ghar Palace,
and Darbar Mahal, as well as the ancient fort of Derawar in the Cholistan Desert bordering India.
I must have seen every mosque and shrine and
they were all jaw dropping gorgeous. Yet my main memory will probably be how
lush and well organised the farming appeared with lots of manicured crops of
maize, wheat and others that I can’t name!
The
wheat was being harvested by hand (usually by brightly clothed women) and then
fed into a thresher. It was then transported into nearby cities via donkey, ox,
camel, tractor or truck. So the roads, which were narrow and poorly maintained,
were clogged by a variety of over laden vehicles that obeyed no road rules and
were too stubborn (or manly) to give way. Travelling was slow and torturous,
and in very high temperatures, thank goodness for air conditioning in the
car.
I
also had another, short camel ride (around the impressive fort). During and
after I said the same thing I say every time I am on a camel, “Never again”.
This time I really mean it!
Also was escorted through a bazaar to a shrine to an ancestor of the Gilani family. The escort included an armed guard! had lunch at the Gilani residence, which was an honour usually reserved for heads of state. The current Prime Minister of Pakistan, under many legal battles due to corruption etc allegations, is a Gilani.
Sikh Temple
Had an amazing evening being escorted through the Gurudwara
Dera Sahib Panjvin Patshahi - Shrine of Guru Arjan Dev (1563- 1606 A.D )in
Lahore. It is a Sikh shrine
that had 3000 visitors when I was there – they were part of a 14 day pilgrimage
from India to the shrine.
This
shrine has a highly gilded attractive dome and followers of Guru Arjan Singh believe
that he miraculously disappeared in 1606 A.D. at the site in the waters of
river Ravi.
It
is a beautiful old temple and shrine and I was honoured to be
given special permission to enter with all the people who were on pilgrimage.
They spend 2 weeks at the temple living on site and offering up prayers on a 24
hour basis. The temple was run along similar lines to a marae with everyone
pitching in and living in a communal way.
I
was treated royally, (including being guided by the man who showed Prince
Charles around!!) and found everyone to be calm, serene, and very gracious.
Also loved the fact that most of the men wore orange or purple – very colourful.
Taxila (Urdu: ٹیکسلا) is situated about 32 km northwest of Islamabad. The city dates back from the 1st millennium BC to the 11th century AD and contains ruins of many religions including Islam, Hindu and Buddhist.
I loved the Buddhist temple which had a very calm peaceful air. It is believed to have had a large swimming pool that was filled with lotus flowers.
All the temples and shrines had amazing sculptures, unfortunately many had been defaced over time and all were beheaded. As well as religious artifacts many daily items have been found and displayed including kitchen utensils, jewelry, money etc.
It was a fascinating place and it’s easy to understand why it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The electricity power cuts are increasing in the length of
time. The amount of time when there is power available is becoming less and
less. Unfortunately it is not just shorter periods of electricity but also
erratic timings. In the morning power was on between 06:00 and 07:00, but now
it does not necessarily come on during this time. So I am showering, dressing,
eating etc with no lights, blow dryer, toaster, fridge etc. The other worry
about this is the weather is warming up quite dramatically and no power means
no fans or AC. So I’m dreading those days of 40 degrees plus with no means of
cooling down (nightmare).
time. The amount of time when there is power available is becoming less and
less. Unfortunately it is not just shorter periods of electricity but also
erratic timings. In the morning power was on between 06:00 and 07:00, but now
it does not necessarily come on during this time. So I am showering, dressing,
eating etc with no lights, blow dryer, toaster, fridge etc. The other worry
about this is the weather is warming up quite dramatically and no power means
no fans or AC. So I’m dreading those days of 40 degrees plus with no means of
cooling down (nightmare).
Was watching 3 guys with 2 bamboo ladders, 1 long and 1
short, and a pile of posters. They were hanging the posters from lamp posts.
The man with the long ladder would climb up, be handed a poster, tie the top
part of the poster , climb down and carry
his ladder to the next lamp post. Then the man with the short ladder would climb
up his ladder, tie the bottom of the poster, climb down, and repeat the process
at the next lamp post. Hilarious!!!
short, and a pile of posters. They were hanging the posters from lamp posts.
The man with the long ladder would climb up, be handed a poster, tie the top
part of the poster , climb down and carry
his ladder to the next lamp post. Then the man with the short ladder would climb
up his ladder, tie the bottom of the poster, climb down, and repeat the process
at the next lamp post. Hilarious!!!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Cyclists
Have noticed a curious trait of bicycle and motorcycle
riders. They often ride with one hand resting in the small of their back. Why?
And considering the safety issues on the road – Why????
Motorbikes are, in conjunction with donkeys, the workhorse
of Lahore. They carry up to 7 people on one bike, are used for transporting
beds, wheelbarrows, large plates of glass, anything. In one ten minute trip I
saw: a man sitting as pillion passenger with his arms crossed while a 5 year
old boy rode the motorcycle on a highway; a girl of about 3 or 4 standing up on
the carrier part of the motorcycle waving both hands to everyone while the
driver swerved between the traffic; a motorcycle stuffed with 6 passengers and
a live chicken!
riders. They often ride with one hand resting in the small of their back. Why?
And considering the safety issues on the road – Why????
Motorbikes are, in conjunction with donkeys, the workhorse
of Lahore. They carry up to 7 people on one bike, are used for transporting
beds, wheelbarrows, large plates of glass, anything. In one ten minute trip I
saw: a man sitting as pillion passenger with his arms crossed while a 5 year
old boy rode the motorcycle on a highway; a girl of about 3 or 4 standing up on
the carrier part of the motorcycle waving both hands to everyone while the
driver swerved between the traffic; a motorcycle stuffed with 6 passengers and
a live chicken!
Eid Milad Un Nabl
This month is a very religious month. I have not, yet, been
able to find out the significance but there is definitely a lot more noise and
action around the mosques and traffic police are out in full force.
Last weekend was the celebration of the prophet Muhammad
Pbuh’s birthday. The mosques were swathed along their edifices with coloured
lights (mainly green and blue), it was lovely sight driving past them at night.
able to find out the significance but there is definitely a lot more noise and
action around the mosques and traffic police are out in full force.
Last weekend was the celebration of the prophet Muhammad
Pbuh’s birthday. The mosques were swathed along their edifices with coloured
lights (mainly green and blue), it was lovely sight driving past them at night.
Electricity
After a couple of months with electricity being turned off
alternate hours we now have almost continual electricity!!! On Tuesday I had a
hot shower and was able to brush my teeth with the light on – it put a bounce
in my step for the rest of the day
I have been warned that we will lose power again as we head
into summer and people start using fans and A/Cs. It seems that spring and
autumn usually have the best possibility of reasonably regular electricity
supplies.
alternate hours we now have almost continual electricity!!! On Tuesday I had a
hot shower and was able to brush my teeth with the light on – it put a bounce
in my step for the rest of the day
I have been warned that we will lose power again as we head
into summer and people start using fans and A/Cs. It seems that spring and
autumn usually have the best possibility of reasonably regular electricity
supplies.
Real Estate
Hint for home buyers in Lahore. Check out the
number and placement of mosques in the area you are looking at. We hear the
call to prayer (5 times a day: starting at dawn and finishing at dusk) from 3
mosques, including one who has a very poor sense of time keeping – he often
starts 20-30 minutes earlier than the others and is still going when they start
their prayers. He also appears to acquaint volume with piety
number and placement of mosques in the area you are looking at. We hear the
call to prayer (5 times a day: starting at dawn and finishing at dusk) from 3
mosques, including one who has a very poor sense of time keeping – he often
starts 20-30 minutes earlier than the others and is still going when they start
their prayers. He also appears to acquaint volume with piety
Islamabad
Spent the New Year weekend in Islamabad, the capital city of
Pakistan. It is a planned city built in the early 1960’s, and is completely
different from Lahore. The most noticeable difference is the traffic: they
follow the road rules e.g. vehicles travel on the correct side of the road
& obey the traffic lights, of course it does help that there are a ;ot of
traffic police who are actually monitoring the traffic and pulling cars up for
infringements. The other major factor is that no rickshaws are allowed in the
city, unlike Lahore that has a large proportion of rickshaws that turn any
travel into a motorised lolly scramble!
Islamabad is also clean, very little litter and a lot less
building going on. Lahore has whole suburbs that are huge building sites.
There is a sophisticated, gentile air about Islamabad but as
someone said “It’s the Pakistani equivalent of Canberra” (Boring)
Did get shown around the city by a man who it turned out was
the unofficial president of Islamabad. He knew everyone. So at
restaurants we got the best tables, offered items not on the menu, and then
didn’t have to pay for the meal. As we looked at some stalls and shops another
man ran behind us, watching, and anything that we looked like wanting to buy he
would speak to the shop opener and then offer us the item for free!!! It’s a
shame there were no diamond necklaces or Lamborghinis for sale
Went on a hunt for the parliament buildings. Could always
see them in the distance but couldn’t work out how to get to them. Finally
after going through a labyrinth of road blocks we got there. Nice architecture
but what was most striking was the minimal security on display, you see more guards
and guns around where I live. Maybe the the labyrinth was a form of security!
Murree is a hilltop area north of Islamabad. It’s where the
British went in summer to avoid the heat in the lower lying areas. Today it is
still a popular holiday spot. Nice views, and good markets but it is memorable
to me for only one thing: I had a touch of Delhi belly and needed a toilet NOW.
Went to the flashest restaurant I could find and was struck with one of my
phobias – a squat toilet that was awash in filth. I would have preferred to
find a bush, but unfortunately there was no vegetation nearby and so had no
choice. It did make me reminisce on how good the South African toilets were in comparison.
Almost forgot the best part. When looking for our accommodation
in Islamabad we got lost and turned up at the gate of a house. Was Imran Khan’s
House!! Turned out we were staying next door
Went strolling near his driveway a few times but had no sightings
Pakistan. It is a planned city built in the early 1960’s, and is completely
different from Lahore. The most noticeable difference is the traffic: they
follow the road rules e.g. vehicles travel on the correct side of the road
& obey the traffic lights, of course it does help that there are a ;ot of
traffic police who are actually monitoring the traffic and pulling cars up for
infringements. The other major factor is that no rickshaws are allowed in the
city, unlike Lahore that has a large proportion of rickshaws that turn any
travel into a motorised lolly scramble!
Islamabad is also clean, very little litter and a lot less
building going on. Lahore has whole suburbs that are huge building sites.
There is a sophisticated, gentile air about Islamabad but as
someone said “It’s the Pakistani equivalent of Canberra” (Boring)
Did get shown around the city by a man who it turned out was
the unofficial president of Islamabad. He knew everyone. So at
restaurants we got the best tables, offered items not on the menu, and then
didn’t have to pay for the meal. As we looked at some stalls and shops another
man ran behind us, watching, and anything that we looked like wanting to buy he
would speak to the shop opener and then offer us the item for free!!! It’s a
shame there were no diamond necklaces or Lamborghinis for sale
Went on a hunt for the parliament buildings. Could always
see them in the distance but couldn’t work out how to get to them. Finally
after going through a labyrinth of road blocks we got there. Nice architecture
but what was most striking was the minimal security on display, you see more guards
and guns around where I live. Maybe the the labyrinth was a form of security!
Murree is a hilltop area north of Islamabad. It’s where the
British went in summer to avoid the heat in the lower lying areas. Today it is
still a popular holiday spot. Nice views, and good markets but it is memorable
to me for only one thing: I had a touch of Delhi belly and needed a toilet NOW.
Went to the flashest restaurant I could find and was struck with one of my
phobias – a squat toilet that was awash in filth. I would have preferred to
find a bush, but unfortunately there was no vegetation nearby and so had no
choice. It did make me reminisce on how good the South African toilets were in comparison.
Almost forgot the best part. When looking for our accommodation
in Islamabad we got lost and turned up at the gate of a house. Was Imran Khan’s
House!! Turned out we were staying next door
Went strolling near his driveway a few times but had no sightings
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