Yesterday we relaxed in Karachi. I did some blogging, had a
Pakistani haircut, withdrew some money from an International ATM….. first time
we managed to find one working! Checked
out the possibility of shipping the bikes to Lahore by train or truck… and
concluded that it would be a nightmare.
4 of us checked out early this morning…. Jeroen stayed in
Karachi waiting for a high spec battery for his bike. We managed to leave the
city and get onto the bypass within 30 minutes using the highway. As we left
the city we saw people sleeping under bridges and on pavements. Outside the
city there was dense smog, huge ammounts of pollution trapped by a high pressure
cell.
The highway towards Lahore is a wide strip of tarmac…. No
road marking as such. The road has a lot in common with Elmer the Elephant…. A
patchwork of many different colours. The surface is highly polished and has
been finshed with copious amounts of diesel and engine oil… a bikers favourite.
The road is very, very busy, trucks streaming from Karachi
and its port toward Lahore. There are no rules of the road as such. Trucks and
cars drive where they want when they want. The concept of an overtaking lane
doesn’t exist. Vehicles move across the
strip of tarmac without rhyme or reason. Now that sounds ok? Add pedestrians
walking down the centre of the road? Add donkey carts? Add camel drawn
trailers, Add rickshaws travelling against the flow of the traffic, Add herds
of 100’s of sheep being shepherded by a teenage girl, Add buffalos crossing the
road….. And the road surface itself…. The tarmac has worn or melted into ruts
and troughs…… you get the picture I hope.
Finally, a tricky road. I hit a traffic cone at 50mph,
luckily it didn’t throw me off or wipe out one of the guys behind. This road is not Pakistans most interesting. It lies on the flood plain of and follows the path of the mighty Indus river. We dont see the river once. Concentration required constantly. A lifetimes exposure to diesel emmisions in one day.
We arrive in Sukkur around 4. We use a rickshaw driver to
guide us to the best hotel in town, The Forum Inn…. “House is full sir” The
manager directs us to another quality establishment. The bellboy follows us
outside and insists that the “City palace Inn” is a better choice….. obviously
his mate’s place. We follow the bellboy’s advice. The City Palace is OK, good
wifi, and within minutes the bellboy has turned up to collect his commission
….. he helps us out by doing some beer shopping, and makes another easy dollar.Parking at the City Palace was in the foyer itself..... just enough room for the other guests to squeeze into the hotel.
We order some takeaway pizza. A straightforward order, from a Pizza Hut?! 30 metres from the hotel. All 3 pizzas wrong…. But edible. We drink a few cans and have a laugh about Pakistani efficiency and service.
Tomorrow Okara. This will take me within a few 100 kms of
the Indian border.
Sukkur mileometer 23505
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