Fishing and PGFA Dinner

Good day yesterday. Went to Korangi fish harbour for a look round. This was followed by the annual PGFA dinner. (Paksitan Game Fishing Association). Both were real fun.
I always like fishing ports. The smells and general layout of boats and gear. There's something about them that is always facinating to see. In the case of Karangi it is however somewhat sad. A beautiful port with what seems like nerw berths with over 4 meters of water. No boats moored up except some impounded japanese vessels. Seems since it was built about 12 years ago with foreign aid money it has never been used. Such a waste of money and opportunity. Given the possibilities it really is depressing walking round empty warehouses and wide open spaced with no one about. Korangi is about 15 kilmeters north east of Karachi. Might as well be on another planet. Seems to be in the middle of nowhere.
There are hidden in the back a couple of local fibreglass builders but not really very much else. Bit of a ghost town really. We came across one group of workers who were building a big 'dhow' type pleasure boat. That was it.
The evening was taken up by attending the 2nd annual dinner of the PGFA. It was great. Met a few guys who I have been on email or phone to over the last year. So now I'm lined up for camping in Gilgit and fly fishing further north. Should be a good 2009 and plenty of new things to see. Getting quite excited about it.

Empress Market Part 4

Becoming a bit of a series. Empress 1 through 4....
Anyway Fahim, Wanna and I finally got our first day at the market and it went well. We had a good idea of what we wanted. But the usual thing, once there things seemed to be a little different. Fahim placed the first section on the uTube.

Fahim does Empress Market

Wanna's collection of clips

The best part was chatting to everyone and Fahim speaking Urdu made such a difference. I am sure we will end up with some good stuff. Will try and do some more this week.
The Dawn new paper competition ends shortly. We want in.
So constructive comments to make it all better ....please and more please..................

Ormara and a night out from Karachi

This is a longer post than most as I went away for the weekend. Lot to write about.
This was my second trip to Ormara. Ahmad had decided we should make it an over night one and so give us a bit of time for a spot of fishing. Official reason for the trip was to undertake a site visit to the naval base and check on some ongoing ground improvement works. Can't tell you about that or I'll get shot!
Mujtaba joined us for the trip so there was plenty of chatter and banter on the way down. Who will get the biggest fish etc. And indeed who got the biggest one last time. I was not bothered I knew I had got and was going to get the biggest one tomorrow.
Ormara, lies about 350 kilometers west of Karachi. It is a small fishing village, existing on a short spit of sand perpendicular to the coast and running out to sea sea with a mud cliff ‘hammer' head at the end. Difficult to describe so I’ve added a Google photo, and believe me it is spectacular. The whole area comprises soft mud/sandstone hence the peculiar layered effect on the mountains, brought about by the wind erosion. Quite spectacular. The problem with taking photos of it all that is it so vast there is no sense of depth and the extent of the plains and mountains is lost in a small 4x5 print!! However, I did try, and actually found that a movie is probably better, as there is some movement in the frames, and this lends itself to giving some sense of scale. The other problem with taking photos was the Navy. No photos allowed!! So my trip up the hill to base camp etc, all interesting, but no printed memories.
So after starting off from Karachi around 10.30am we made our way along the main highway and had our first stop at a road side ‘cafe’. (Actually it's the only road side café for about 100 kilometers either way!!) And there were only 4 other customers. We ordered some tea and Nan bread with chana (peas to you!). The Nan bread was baked fresh as we waited. It was good, very good. The cafe is located against a spectacular view over looking the sea and a fabulous mountain back drop. Amazing looking round this area and the only mess is caused by man. Plastic bags and litter etc. If you avoid seeing it, then, the place is quiet simply fantastic.

Back on the road. Its a long road, part long and straight and some windy and reaching 2000+ meters above sea level. I've added a short clip to give you some idea of the rugged terrain and maybe provide some sense of scale and vastness of the area. Ahmad had some CD's from John Denver so I've used one track to remind me of the flavour of the trip!! Next time I'll ask him to add Pakistani music to the Cd player.

Well Ormara once there is a small dusty place and seems to exist mainly on fishing and small shops supplying local demand. The demands have increased as a result to the Navy being present. You can buy just about anything and its amazing when you look at the short video and see nothing but a really basic village. I bought a new car charger for a nokia phone!!
Whiskey, Gin and Vodka are also available if you know who to ask. A 1.5 litre bottle is about 1,500 Rupees. Fantastic value as the same in Karachi is going for about 3,500 Rupees or more. It depend on who you know, as you won't find it in a shop! I was sure there was no way I was going to find anyone to sell it to me without a good introduction. Need good contacts. I was told it is smuggled in from Iran. So some stops off in Ormara and the rest makes its way to Karachi. Iran is only about 300 kilometers away! I think I could with such assistance while away a few evenings in Ormara!!! I'll sort it out for the next trip.

The village is not much to write home about but you really need to see to arrive at that conclusion if you follow my meaning. Not sure even I follow it!! Its full of little shops all selling small scale items.

Well, we had a walk through. (I seem to be adding a lot of video this post!)

Mujtaba then showed me round the area where they were making fishing boats. (I've added it into this posting as it is all part and parcel of my trip to Ormara).

They make wooden boats in Ormara, in the same way that their fathers and forefathers did. The wood is not local, but imported from up country. It is generally of poor quality. Nor is it properly cured so the bending and shaping depends to a large extent on the shape of the original wood pieces.

Tools comprise a manual saw, hand turned drill (bow and arrow) and an arris for rough cutting and shaping. And a hammer to drive in the nails. (steel nails no less, not copper nails). They will not use an electric drill, stating that it will burn the wood..... Go figure....

Interestingly the general shape is good. I had Mujtaba take a close look and make a professional judgement. Seems all OK.

....Till next time....

Empress Market Part 3

The short video is slowly, I mean slowly moving forward. Check earlier Empress Market entries. I went down to the market this morning and took a few site shots. It was about 09.00am and things were just starting up. Fabulous array of traders and rickshaw drivers etc getting organised for the day. Here in this posting you have some fabulous shots of the good side of Empress Market. I know it is easy to write about these places and make it all sound so 'pretty' and so forth. However a friend chatted with me today (thanks Mac) and suggested/requested I try and portray more of the real feelings about visiting and being in such places. He's got a good point and I've decided therefore to add a bit more to this posting and try to explain what he meant. When you look at these pictures you all see an array of colours and a generally smiling and happy set of people going about their daily business with little or no mention by me of the dirt, squaller, rancid smells, piles of shit etc which you have to step over to get anywhere, and far less, any comment by me, on the generally poor live style of so many of them ( life style being an exaggeration by any stretch of the definition). You can be forgiven therefore after reading my Blogs for assuming life in Karachi is not so bad. Well for some like me it's great, but it is not so good for most, and for a vast majority of souls working in and around the market area its tough, uncompromising and I imagine downright depressing.
So during the next few posting I think I will make a determined departure from my usual topics and put in an effort and concentrate on a few of the environmental and social aspects to life in Karachi. A sort of 'these are the bad side of things'. I'll be going back to Empress market as a starter, and will try in a very realistic fashion to capture the 'other side' of it all. Hygiene or lack thereof will be a predominant feature. Could be I do a 'nice' video of Empress Market and maybe a second one as if to say there are several sides to Karachi. Good and definitely not so good. I've stayed away from it thinking readers don't want to know, and I've been happy to write about good stuff as well, but, now maybe it's time to look at the 'dark side'.
What do you think? Do you agree? If you've managed to read this far please give me some feed back on this aspect. Thanks.(p.s. that's what the comments box is for!!!). Look forward to hearing from you.

Sunday Lunch

After my strange lunch with it all being lost in translation (see last post). It was really good to have a sit down lunch with a bunch of Wanna's friends. We went round to Oi's house and together with her family and two other families had some noodles and fish with assorted veggies etc making a great meal. The mixture of nationalities was no real surprise being UK, Pakistan and Thai with the surprise of one Japanese. Good food and good company. Very pleasant and relaxing Sunday.

.....lost in the translation.......

I had been planning on doing a short write up on the local fishing harbour. That's after I get round to the Empress Market story.
But today I went to work as usual, realizing I needed to add a short "Alan in Karachi' feature.
Well it was a usual day in the fact that I went to work but it turned out not a completely normal day. You know that feeling when you get up in the morning and you just know that somehow things are not going to be straight forward. Well I had that feeling. You're never sure just what it is, or when that 'thing' will happen, but, when it does you know.
Well that 'thing' just happened for me. Lunch time came along and I asked for my usual "peas with chilli and nan bread"!! You know, same stuff as yesterday and the day before. "Yes Sir, no problem" said Sham Gee Sana. (right in picture). Sham, our tea boy has been buying this stuff for me on a daily basis for over a couple of months. So easy thing to do. Rizvan our office boy, who had been listening to this exchange, very quickly joined in to show off his linguistic skills. He repeated my request in Urdu so Sham was double clear what was required.

So very simple

Peas with chilli and nan bread

turned into..............

Cheese with chilli sauce and bread and nan

If you can work that out? Let me know. Time for me to go home and put my feet up and watch the TV, maybe even have a toasted cheese sandwich. There's a thought. Why didn't I think of that for lunch?

Links to the World Web

Just received an interesting email inviting me to add my Blog to a world map. So I've agreed and added 'Verve' as a side link. Will wait a few weeks and see what it does for me. It does show the location of Blogs around the world which in itself is interesting. However, please, when you follow the link taking you off to some exotic spots remember to come back and visit me again!!

Chairs

We had a walk round the side streets of Saddar Market today looking for furniture etc. Plenty to see and an amazing display of ingenuity by a lot of industrious workers. Amazing because walking on the main road you would never suspect that behind a little entrance was a labyrinth of alleyways and hundreds of tiny shops all making a living. The products range from office chairs being recovered to mending hand operated sewing machines. And in the middle of all this was a printers. We then found the local coffee shop. Will be back again soon.

Charcoal and things that pass you by in Karachi

Went out for a drive and came across a charcoal maker. Not a fun job. seems they are a few young boys employed to cut wood and stack it up for either selling as fuel or making charcoal. Not much evidence of the charcoal but the stacking was interesting. Notice in the pictures the plain almost lack of colours. That's how it is. Very bland, somewhat dark even with the sun full out. I walked into the yard and had a chat with the young lad who was sitting down stacking small wood cuttings. A very one sided conversation, in fact I don't recall him saying anything!!!! He smiled when I walked up to him. Did not get up, no movement just looked at me. Just showed me a clear bright 'red' set of teeth and accompanied this display with the lovely vacant betel juice look in the eyes. Doubt if he even remembers I called in, much less would have had any interest in my visit anyway. However, on reflection, if I had to work there, then I'm 100 % sure I would want a vacant mind as well. Might just try the juice.

On a much lighter note there were all sorts of things to see while just driving along. So difficult to describe and just as hard to bring across in pictures. Karachi is a kaleidoscope of colours and contrasts. Just look at these contrasts and range of activities in the photos taken in a 10 minute period. And all within about 1 kilometer of each other. We've got the horse crossing the road, the Police stopping a camel truck, a couple of young lads on a bike, buses and a vibrant life going on around us. The effort that went into painting the wheel pictured below. What does it tell you? Either they are very artistic truck drivers or they have plenty of spare time!!!!

Travelling, anyway which way does not seem to be an issue. If the bus is full no worries all climb on the roof. I have often wondered if I was on top of the bus how would I tell the driver when its time to stop so I can get off ?#$%...

If your carrying reinforcement steel, as one does on such trucks, then don't be normal and sit in the cab but on the steel. Rough ride!. Wonderful afternoon on the outskirts of Karachi.

Coffee in the PC Hotel

I've been putting off completing a script for the short video we are doing. Lazy ? No just trying to get it down at the right moment. Should be ready Monday/Tuesday. So have been keeping a low profile with all concerned. In the mean time, Wanna and I went out for a coffee and ended up at the Pearl Continental Hotel in the middle of town. Nothing to exciting but made a change to just going between the office and home. Possibly go to the beach this afternoon.

Camels - Ships of the "desert' on the streets of Karachi

I've been away and having only got back last Sunday seem now to have woken up. Now its Friday and I've done nothing. Nothing towards the Video project, or writing any Blog entries. Could be I've been asleep for 3 days. Bit like going on a heavy whiskey diet and loosing 3 days! I now know what it feels like without the hangover...

Well today I was off around town catching up on a few things. And I was lucky. I've been trying to get a short movie of a Camel working in Karachi. They are here used like donkeys for hauling stuff around town. They've been banned on several streets so, not a common sight. I jumped out of the car and was happy to get this quick chance to snap a short video. Its a bit dark but am now downloading some software to improve it. So if interested check back later.

Empress Market Part 2

Just got back to Karachi this afternoon. Will get onto the video/documentary starting tomorrow.