Lahore - first days and trips

22 - 30 may 05

Assalam o Aleykum,

the days in Rawalpindi passed fast. Asem, the reporter did everything to make me feel comfortable. He also introduced me to his friend who in turn is the best friend of the Iranian Counsellor in Peshawar and this guy should help me extending my Visa.
Asem's friend is a real horse lover. He showed me his stallions, Arab horses, powerful, elegant, fragile look but muscles and mind of steel.
Great animals. Always wandering around, no calm minute, there eyes seem to tell him “come on my friend, faster, I wanna run, lets go, why waiting?”
And its obvious, that the best of them is a “one man horse”, all others than the owner would be surprised to find them self down on the ground again very fast.
One evening I spent with the 2 Slovenians whom I had met in Lahore. They were applying for the Chinese Visa to proceed over Khunjerab Pass to Kashgar. We wanted to sit down in a street restaurant, but all tables outside were occupied. As the owner saw our disappointed faces, he made a full 8 eating Pakistanis with long beards and strange look leaving their table and prepared it for us. We felt sorry, but there was no chance. Sometimes its really embarrassing to be a guest here.
After sometime another Pakistani joined our conversation in a very subtle way. He passed small pieces of paper with a written message to Gregor, the Slovenian guy. The writing told about some bottles of alcohol and contained an invitation – for Gregor, not for Manja and me as we were female. After the 5 letter I asked that guy why he cant just talk. He told me its not possible to talk about “such issues”, the Holy Quran does not allow it. – But it allows drinking??? I haven’t read this part up to now…

The horse owner takes my passport on the next day an promises me to send it to my address in Lahore. First he tried to convince me to go to Peshawar right now and get the Visa extended, but I preferred Lahore, so he suggested to send everything direct to his friend to whom he had already positively talked on the issue.

Now Lahore. I never thought I would be looking forward to see Lahore, but I did. If the 2 guys Pierre and Andreas were really looking so much forward to m visit as mentioned in their daily mails, it can just get a great time.
After 4hs in the bus – sitting next to the driver as all women are allowed – I finally reached Lahore. A travel companion gave a helping hand in finding a Rickshaw for the last Kilometres inside Lahore and instructed the driver.

The first days are such a relief, I enjoy with the guys and Silke, a German girl who spends her last days here after 9 Months Pakistan.
I enjoy not having to pack, to go on, to hush, to leave the next day – not always have to say “I have no time!”
It’s great! Once I wanted to go out for shopping and after 10 meters a Pakistani doctor stopped his car with the now so well known words: “How can I help you, what is my duty for you as a guest?” You can’t deny. The take you everywhere you want, negotiate all prices for you, help you carrying, choosing, finding things and bring you back with out any bad feeling. These are the 2nd part of all men here. Either they treat you – as a woman - with holy ignorance and are most suspicious if you travel without a man or they want to protect you of exactly these guys and play their role as host and guard.
We talk a lot, I have so many questions and with every answer there are 2 more. I agree in meeting him the next day around noon, maybe earlier.

In the evening Andy, Pierre and me sit together, talk, laugh, enjoy, smoke hookah. The nite is almost gone when we slip under the light bed covers. Nites are much cooler than the days, so everyone tries to make the best out of it.

There was not much sleep for me in the hot house. I tried to have some more minutes after breakfast. It almost worked out, if there wasn’t that damn loud knocking.
I woke up, still in sleepy mood from a loud heavy knocking. What’s that? I realised that someone must stand in front of my room door. But who?
The guys are out for work. I opened and an odd looking old man with beard and gun stood in front of me. I didn’t understand a single thing. What was going on? What the hell does a man with a gun in the house?
The big beard started smiling. Where have I seen this face? It looks somehow familiar. It came slowly to my mind: the guard – but he ought to be outside!
At the bottom of the stairs there was the doctor – the solution. He came and knocked, but no one answered, so he made the guard wake me up – however.

I told him that this must have been the first and last time. I told the guard, that I don’t want to have visitors early in the morning, he helped me a lot coz this doctor showed up everyday – but only at the gate. He couldn’t get further.

In the evening we went out for dinner with Chandbhai (the Paki guy who showed us Lahore on the first visit), Bilal from Mauritius and a young guy from Chad. Usually I eat only local food in foreign countries, but the steakhouse promised to be a good alternative. “Gunsmoke” it was called and famous for the Steaks and the harsh service. Waiters try to give their face an angry expression and put every ordered thing with a loud sound on the table. A Show-Restaurant – loved by the paki uppercast. We had great fun with them and the hardly oppressed smile after smile. We were starving and very much looking forward.
“You want your Steak medium?” was the guy from Chad asked. “Hey man, do I look like a child? I am a big man, why do you want to give me a medium steak?”
“So you want it bloody?” “No man, I cant see blood, wäh! Not bloody, pls!”

There were many plans for the weekend, which one would success? Nobody knows. Party, French dinner, trip to Kasur or Jhelum, bathing, watching movies, doing nothing?

Saturday noon Andy called some friends after a great breakfast and many hours of wonderful sleep. “In some hours we will go, get ready guys! Direction North! Lets see”
After some hours we were really sitting in Andi’s Volkswagen Van. Chandbhai, Bilal and Wazim in the back seat on the mattresses, Pierre an me as co drivers and Andy behind the steering wheel. On the road again! Wow, that’s how a car trip shall be! Singing, stopping at every point, no worry about aim or darkness, having fun in side the car. In the direction of somewhere between here and there. I felt soooooo wonderful.
Chandbhai is in best mood. With Martin he always was polite, but serious and keeping distance. Now he acts like a child on a holyday trip with his 50+ years. The side door is open, he wears sunglasses and a cap, leaning outside, the beard flowing in the wind. From time to time his head emerges between the headrests and he puts ice cubes in our shirts or just laughs wildly. He is a crazy guy with a big heart.
Crossing the Chenab Andy said: “Look out on your side, where is the road to this beach?” “There it is, go right – we are going to the beach!”
Some gipsy tents stood in a row not too far from the beach but far enough to make it look deserted. We unpacked the cooker, made some tea, enjoyed the water, pouring it all over our selves, running in the sand, jumping and dancing as the sun set slowly on the horizon. What a time! We got pretty hungry there so we decided to go on and find some food. Finally we found ourselves in Jhelum, where the Rothas Fort was mentioned in our guidebook. We ate in the city and proceeded. Andy had seen some pictures and wanted to try to sleep inside the ruins of the fort. It spreads over a vast area, so we wanted to try.

http://de.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/isa_friegs/detail?.dir=4084&.dnm=86b4.jpg&.src=ph

At midnight we arrived, the guard told us about snakes, thieves and wild boars, but he did a night tour with us on a small part of the area, then he allowed us to sleep near the parking place – just on the other side of the road under some trees in the sand. Fine, but do snakes and wild boars know, that this was the permitted site? There was no special fence as “line of control” only a small road. Anyway, we were tired and slept.

In the morning Chandbhai served tea and cookies, we had a pleasant walk in the ruins.

Though we were 6 now, not only 4 like in the Starex there was much more harmony, no tension, easy decision making. In the end everyone had enjoyed and somehow finds himself near the car at the right time.

On the way back we wanted to stop at the “best truck restaurant in whole Punjab (a suggestion of Andy’s friends). When we asked first, the man on the roadside said: “Only 10km.” – The same answer we got every time. Finally after 30km we found it with our bellies roaring louder than the old van’s engine. But it was really good food, excellent!

In the late afternoon the first dust and smog clouds of Lahore entered the car through the windows – back home.
Here I want to stay for some more time!

Allah Hafez
Isa
Ps Some time ago – was it yesterday? – I read about the heat wave and the some 30 degrees you have there. Even Big Ben couldn’t stand it? I just wanted to tell you: Now we have 45 degrees. Yesterday we only had 41, everyone was happy. I am really looking forward to the hotter days to come because I have heard they are even for the mosquitoes too hot. I can’t count the bites – just watching a small part of my left foot I see 7 – not counting the 2days old ones. The rest of me looks same.
When I think of the time in Austria – I went nuts when there was a single mosquito in my room. Now I can say: 20 bites more or less make no difference at all. A body can cope with so many things. Mosquitos and heat are not the worst!!

PPS: We were awaiting the results of the French Referendum impatiently. How are the reactions now in Europe – England? Didn’t Tony Blair say something like he cancels the British one if the French deny because then there is no sense in it anyway?
What’s on now?

there are pics on yahoo - they are too much for this blog... if you are asked for a password: acchigom

Jhelum Trip