Our Second Photowalk in Karachi

With our first Photowalk behind us, we geared up for another exploration in the hot Karachi sun, punctuated by incredible sights, sounds and smells.

We visited Mohatta Palace, originally the residence of a family ftom the Maheshwari community. After the Mohattas left Karachi in 1947 (proceeding the Great Partition that created the Muslim state of Pakistan and the Hindu-dominated state of India), it passed into government hands. It was given to Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Pakistan's founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is now a museum and had a startling archeological exhibit of a late 13th-14th c. necropolis.

 

We then spent some time at Sea View, a picturesque part of Clifton Beach, right on the Arabian Sea. As soon as we got off the bus, the dune buggy and camel renters stampeded towards us. It was a good move, as quite a few of us took rides.

Even I got into the action, much to the amusement of the entire beach and the consternation of the 

camel. My understanding is that all future showings of the classic David Lean movie will be referred to as "Alan of New Jersey". T. E. Lawrence may have known about the "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", but I certainly have intimate knowledge of "The Three Ways of Camel Burns"

Despite the incredible amount of attention at my riding skills (none), the highlight of the day was the Empress Market. Built in the time of and named after Queen Victoria - the "Empress of India" - it is now a cramped, crowded series of market stalls with everything from tea and pickle vendors, to pet sellers to a large section devoted to an open-air butcher. The smell went, respectively, from the divine to the abhorrent. I could take it, but many of the Pakistani teachers and students had to find the nearest exit after a few minutes. I'll spare us all those photos, though I admit it was absolutely fascinating.

pickle vendor keeping the flies off the product

This last one turned out to be my favorite picture of the day. As I was walking towards the exit, there were vendors of many dry goods. As with most people in Karachi, a smile and greeting in Urdu unlocks smiles in return and requests for pictures being taken of them.

The people of Karachi are kind, and intelligent, and warm. Just look at these two.

Thanks for reading!