PakistanTravels 2000
These images come from my trip through Pakistan as part of a 6 month 'winterless' journey across Asia in 2000/2001, timed so that I travelled through countries when they weren't too hot, and escaped them before cold weather came. This leg of the journey was sandwiched between Iran and India, and was therefore generally from west to east, though there was a necessary excursion to the capital Islamabad in the north to get a visa for India, and a few side trips along the way. The megacity of Karachi, to the south, was too far off my course to warrant a visit.
As in other sections, the images are placed in the order of my travels, and encompass, in order, Quetta, Multan, Bahawalpur, Uch Sharif, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Lahore (note: not all destinations have images in the gallery).
Welcome
The sign at the Iran-Pakistan border.
Quetta
A donkey-drawn cart making its way down one of the main drags of Quetta. The city, in Western Pakistan, is close to the Iran-Pakistan border, and is a likely first halt if coming overland from Iran. It is the only high-altitude city in Pakistan. The thin air, mingled with the pollution and dust, make for a noxious brew. I left the city as quickly as I possible could.
Quetta
A view of central Quetta. There are mountains in the distance, though the dusty haze has all but obliterated them.
Uch Sharif
A donkey-drawn ekka is pulled down the dusty highway past ruined tombs in Uch Sharif.
Uch Sharif
Another view of one of the tombs, the tomb of Bibi Jiwindi. The city of Uch Sharif is said to have been founded by Alexander the Great. This splendid ruin dates from 1494. Half of it was washed away during floods in 1817 (according to the sign posted by the site by 'Archaeology Pakistan').
Uch Sharif
Another view of the ruined tomb of Bibi Jiwindi.
Market
A market in Multan.
Traffic
Autorickshaws and bicycles making their way down a narrow road in Multan.
Islamabad
A quiet main street in Islamabad. I was here to get a visa for India. Islamabad is to Pakistan what New Delhi is to India: an expanse of big roads and little traffic, paling in comparison to the older district nearby (which in Pakistan's case is Rawalpindi, while in India it is Old Delhi).
View of Badshahi Mosque
A view of the main street leading past the main mosque of Lahore, with some more minarets poking up above the haze in the distance.
View of Badshahi Mosque
Another view of the mosque, and surrounding environs, including a pollution-choked skyline. The flag of Pakistan, towards the bottom, is a nice touch.
Badshahi Mosque
A view from inside the Badshahi Mosque. Built by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1673 and epitomising the decadent Mughal style, it is the second largest moque in Pakistan.
Move on...
Go to the next Gallery section: India.
Go back...
Go back to the previous Gallery section: Iran.
Delhi Deadlines by Sheldon Smith
A washed out journalist, posted to India to cover a bloody election campaign, uncovers truths about his son's life - and death - in the country, truths that test loyalties forged in the war zones of Bosnia and Rwanda. A fiercely evocative narrative of modern-day India, filled with the clamour and hot stinks of its capital, this is a novel of death woven through with life.
"The writing is very very good... the mysteriousness of Wyndham's death and the narrator's involvement will entice the reader to keep reading." - 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) Expert Reviewer
