|
November
14, 1999
This is
Nick Baggarly. Today we traveled from Multan, Pakistan to Quetta Pakistan.
Well we
made it to Quetta and we're very glad because we estimated that today
would be our most difficult day of driving. It was quite a long day but
thankfully, it wasn't as dangerous as we anticipated. We were warned
about the dangers of driving through the mountain roads around Quetta.
Apparently the truck drivers are known for running smaller vehicles off
of the road but we didn't experience this. It was a long day, our longest
I think. We traveled for 23 hours and drove somewhere around 770
kilometers.
Today's
drive contained every kind of road imaginable and our kidneys have
calluses from a few particular spots near Shahwali and Kashmor.
Two-thirds into the drive, as we rounded the corner near Sadiqabad, the
road changed from bumpy pavement to dirt with occasional whoop-de-doos.
An hour later we crossed several irrigation streams and bridges. We drove
across several of the streams but fortunately there were nice bridges to
take us across major arteries. Finally we crossed the Indus River which
flows south-southwest as it exits the Tarbela Lake Reservoir way east of
here near the India boarder. The dam for this body of water is among the
world's largest earth-filled dams. The source of this water initiates
from the Pakistani mountains of Kashmir. And the area where we crossed is
significant because several of Pakistan's rivers come together at this
point. Near here is the Guddu Barrage, one of the six man-made barriers
on the Indus River between Tarbela Dam and the Arabian Sea. This barrier
controls the flow of the river to create headwaters for irrigation
systems. The Mangla river, Sutlej, and Ravi rivers all flow here from
Punjab to meet up with the Indus. Pakistan appears to have a well planned
irrigation system and their geography is well suited for flat land
irrigation.
Judging
from the remnants on the road, a recent cotton harvest has just occurred.
Pakistan produces a lot of cotton and a lot of corn too but I believe
cotton is their main export though. Multan is the center of Pakistan's
cotton-growing industry. Seeing cotton flying all over the road reminds
me of the central valley of California; an area that produces a lot of
cotton as well, quite possibly more than anywhere else on Earth. We
passed field after field during yesterdays drive from Lahore to Multan.
The crops south of Multan seemed larger and looked as though they are
industrially farmed.
We set a
new record for bathroom stops with fifteen. That beats the previous
record set on day 16 in Tibet where Earle and I required stops twice an
hour due to dysentery.
Once again,
the burning of the crops and hazy skyline provides an excellent setup for
beautiful sunrise and sunsets. I've decided to learn more about
photography so I can better capture these scenes in the future.
I found it
interesting that they have Shell gas here in Pakistan. None of us knew
the headquarters of Shell Corporation however. Maybe it's right here but
somehow I doubt it.
We had a
couple minor vehicle problems today. The output or charging wire on
Alaska's alternator melted near the exhaust manifold so we pulled into a
gas station and crimped a new connector. You can see a picture of Earle
in todays photos as he burns his hand on the exhaust manifold moments
after the shutter snaps. We also adjusted the fan belt tension on
Hercules and adjusted the headlights as well. Then we noticed the
boomerang shaped alternator bracket on Alaska wasn't secured to the
engine block. The problem…a broken stud that extends from the engine
block alternator stud. We had it fixed last night in Multan thanks to Mr.
M. J. Ahmed (Ph.D), the owner of the Multan Holiday Inn. What a great
host he was. He was a fascinating man who received his PhD in Ohio and
believes that Multan is one of the oldest cities on earth. Aparently,
Multan is the oldest surviving city on the Indian subcontinent, dating
back more than 4000 years. Islam goes back to 800AD but throughout
history holy men and saints of all religions have been attracted to this
city. Dr. Ahmed is researching excavation methods, hoping to one day lead
an expedition that he hopes will uncover secrets and stories buried
beneath this mysterious ancient city; a city whose age claims are
currently a source of debate.
It was
today that we saw our first Hollywood scene in the Middle East. A lone
Pakistani man riding a camel was traveling away from road, going who
knows where out into the middle of the desert. It was quite surreal.
Another strange thing was waking up before sun up and seeing the
constellation of Orion's belt in the dark morning sky. Back home Orion is
visible at about 9:pm and gone by midnight but this morning we got to see
where it goes.
The
handshake is a big thing here in Pakistan. Whenever you meet someone new
they extend their hand. If you have business with someone, no mater who
they are they extend their hand first. They could be a boarder guard, a
store owner, or a diplomat but they all will shake your hand before
talking to you.
Someone
asked what our disappointments have been along the way. Well, I suppose
when you drive each day an average of 10 hours you have a lot of time to
think about things so I spent some time reflecting on, but not dwelling
on, the disappointing aspects of the expedition. Hopefully it will help
the next group who tries this.
First off,
I wouldn't list vehicle problems as disappointments. They come with the
territory and we have met a lot of very nice people as a result of these
leaky temperamental but purpose-built vehicles. Driving at night however
is disappointing, not to mention dangerous. It's no wonder everyone recommends
against it. We have missed some very cool scenery as a result of driving
at night. The drive from Multan to Quetta crossed a magnificent mountain
range called the Bolan Pass. It runs vertically through the center of
Pakistan and has historic and strategic significance and we missed a lot
of it once the sun went down. The only way to avoid driving at night is
by knowing your vehicles speed and knowing your route and the terrain
you'll be covering each day. It's also a good idea to read up on the experiences
of others who have driven the route and survey local people with the same
questions and look for common answers. There are days when we don't know
if we'll make our destination before sundown until mid-day. When we start
the day, we don't know what the terrain will be like in ten minutes or
ten hours so it's difficult to predict arrival times until well into the
drive so it's best to begin the days drive as early as possible. On the
road at sunrise is nice because there are fewer vehicles on the road,
which makes getting out of crowded cities a lot easier. Also the air
quality in the morning is noticeably better. You stand a much better
chance of making your evening destination and you get to see a beautiful
sunrise to boot.
Another
mildly disappointing aspect is our pace. Each day we are exposed to
countless experiences and images. We have a tight schedule that we must
try and stick to and there just isn't enough time to stop the Land Rover
and snap pictures every time one of us sees something spectacular. This
isn't a photo expedition so I have become content to simply view the
scenery as we drive each day and watch a brief moment of the lives of
others as we pass by. Instead I've grown accustom to snapping mental
pictures. I suppose one can debate which is better.
As we drive
we have been passing some amazing sights. We can't stop at all of them.
We can't even stop at most of them. Some we know about from our research.
Others we discover along the way. We just don't have time to see things
like the Pakistani version of “See the 100 kilogram chicken.” Todd
usually begins the day by telling us about the sites that we're passing.
He likes to talk to people so he usually finds out much of our
information and advice day by day on the road. We're not on a vehicle
rally so we at least have the option of stopping when we want to. But the
vehicles are slow so if we are to make our destination each evening we
must have urgency throughout the day.
Oh, I have
to tell you about the trucks here. Like every other country Pakistan has
more than it's share of large trucks. No 18 wheel semi trucks however.
Most are Mercedes and Tata brand, the ladder of which we talked about in
our India journals. Unlike other countries, the truck drivers decorate
their trucks with brilliant colors. I'm not talking about some NO FEAR
stickers here, I mean each one is done up like a parade float. Our
Beijing guide, King would definitely call them colorful vehicles. Each
one looks like a vehicle in a traveling circus convoy. Colored pieces of
tin and anodized aluminum around the exterior of the truck, arranged like
roof shingles sparkle, shimmer, and reflect. Similar to the back of a
Sparkletts water delivery truck but imagine this reflective surface all
over the truck. And it's not just decoration because these trucks are
perhaps most spectacular at night. They light up like a Christmas tree
when even the smallest ray of light hits their surface. We didn't have
any bad experiences with them either, probably because most were
incredibly overloaded and traveled a lot slower than us. This made
avoiding them easier than say the crazy busses in India. These trucks are
magnificent and they make sense. We're in a part of the world where some
people drive without headlights at night to “conserve fuel.” So it makes
sense for truck drivers to use reflective tin decorations so on comers
can see them. And like Land Rovers, no two are alike.
We heard a
lot of horror stories about Pakistani trucks. One person who has driven
this stretch told us, “They're ruthless and cunning and they'll blatantly
pull onto the road right in front of you without regard even if it causes
you to swerve off of the road. …And they don't use their headlights!” All
this advice put our group on double-secret alert for today's drive. We'll
this just wasn't our experience. The trucks drove very slowly. They never
cut us off. They pulled to the side allowing us to pass. They were
unbelievably visible with all of those reflectors, and most of them DO
use their headlights at night. I think driving at night sans headlights
is becoming a thing of the past but every now and then we'd see someone
running without their headlights.
Around 7:pm
we rounded another corner at Sukkur and turned North towards Jacobabad
and eventually through the heart of the Kacchi Desert. This is a barren
stretch of arid wasteland that historically provided the best access
route to the Khojak and Bolan Passes for travelers heading to
Afghanistan. Its emptiness is broken only by dry water channels and
solitary markers pointing the way to distant villages. The desert runs
the road from jacobabad to Sibi and covers 173 kilometers (108 miles),
the shimmering heat producing incredible mirages. In summer, the constant
scorching wind often proves fatal to man and their animals. In fact,
nearby town have recorded the highest summer temperatures on the
subcontinent.
We were
told today that the Taliban have a placed a price on the head of every
American traveler and that sounds a bit scary. But from my limited
experience here it seems to me that travel through this part of the world
is not any more dangerous than driving through Pomona, California without
a cell phone (hi Buss!) Still you should plan for your safety and we have
done that with a police escort. The escort today consisted once again of
two pickup trucks at all times; one in front of the Land Rovers and one
behind. Each one had at least five armed guards, sometimes more and
occasionally less. The numbers changed when the groups changed and the
groups changed whenever we entered a new provincial district. Just like
back home, this country is subdivided into counties and each time we
leave one, our fore and aft police escorts pull off to the side and a new
set of vehicles, waiting for our arrival, pulls onto the road. This
changing of the guard happened six or eight times today and it was
organized and communicated so well we didn't have to slow down at all.
While
shopping for a shalwarqamiz, which is a Pakistani robe-like garment, a
couple days ago in Lahore I noticed signs that their economy seems to be
doing well, that is if consumer activity is an indicator anyway. There
were countless shops with grand displays of gold and jewelry. The gold
was a brilliant color that I have never seen before. Some of the jewelry
stores glow bright with the awesome reflection of gold. These people wear
a lot of it too. That was a pretty fun day in Lahore. We wandered the
streets just looking around and trying different sodas and candy bars
that we don't have back home. The merchants had a huge selection of
clothes, jackets, and shoes with a few recognizable name brands.
Well it's
real late so I'll end this marathon day and marathon journal by paying
our respects to Josef and Rene Feit the drivers of car #72, a 1967
Volkswagen Cabriolet, in the 1997 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. The
German father and son team was involved in a fatal accident on the
outskirts of Quetta around this time last year so we'd like to dedicate
this day of our journey to them. I'd also like to urge anyone considering
this sort of travel to do proper research so you understand your risks.
Reevaluate these risks daily. And be respectful using diplomacy and
reverence so you represent yourself and your country well.
This is
Nick Baggarly. Good night.
|
