Harsh summer trip to Pakistan

2021-01-11T07:34:43.430Z

I traveled to Pakistan from June 20th to 25th, 2018 (although I arrived in Islamabad on the night of the 20th and left the airport in Lahore at midnight on the 24th ).Now I forgot why I decided to go to Pakistan in June . Earlier this year, I wanted to go abroad when I was free to work, so I arranged some trips. One of them was Pakistan. While looking at the advertisement of the travel agency, I found and applied for a tour of archaeological sites such as Harappa with a minimum of one person. However, in conclusion, it was my lack of thought to go to Pakistan at this time! June was the hottest time. The temperature was close to 40 degrees every day . On the final day, I experienced 41 degrees. If you go to Pakistan in such a hot season, it is not a tourist attraction. I don't know that Pakistan is such a hot spot, and I didn't know that June was the hottest time. Besides, even if it was a little hot, I thought that if I escaped to a hotel, restaurant or car with air conditioning, I could do something about it. But that didn't work in Pakistan. Anyway, I couldn't make a call to the outside, but when I woke up early, I wrote down the events of the day on my computer. I will write the impression of the trip in a diary style. 6 May 20 days Arrived in Islamabad. I arrived after 22:00 and just came to the hotel with the guide, so I still don't know what the city looks like. It's pretty hot, but not as prepared. It will be about 30 degrees. Last month, I wondered what the weather was like in Pakistan, and when I searched online, I was afraid that the maximum temperature was 46 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature was around 32 degrees Celsius every day for about a week. There seems to be no such thing. In the past week, it has been forecast that the maximum temperature will be about 40 degrees Celsius. From the time I was lining up for the flight to Islamabad in Bangkok, the people on board had a completely different atmosphere from the people in Bangkok. The face is Western and the clothes are Islamic. However, some women do not wear scarves. Everyone is relaxed. There is no sign of rushing when walking down the aisle. In any other country, when an airplane lands and the seatbelt sign disappears, at least almost all aisle passengers stand up, but only a minority stand up. Another thing I thought on the plane was that there were many children! There are many customers with children. Inevitably, crying rises here and there. It's hard for me to be a little nervous about the sound, but this person doesn't seem to care. I'm sure this is everyday. And I'm sure this is a more natural society. New clean airport. It's lined up with passport control, but it's also horribly time consuming. I feel it in various countries other than Japan, but this is special. It may be that you need a visa and the inspection is strict, but anyway. Some, and it seems there is a lack of passport, but made their way be taken to the place of another, per all told, one, short, 2, 3 was minutes, long and more than 5 minutes such calculations. It may have been around 23:00 when I was out. The exit of the airport is not much different from other cities. Meet the guide and drive to the hotel by Japanese car. Go through the highway. Car manners are not bad. Probably because I'm not in such a hurry. It is rare in a developing country to have such good traffic manners. Police officers with guns can be seen all over the airport and on the road. Hotel in about 30 minutes. It's not a very good hotel, but there is a soldier with a gun at the entrance, and he goes inside after undergoing baggage inspection and physical examination. The hotel is reasonably well equipped but not very clean. Garbage is piled up here and there. I'm a little worried about my future trip. Go to bed as it is. 6 May 21 days I woke up around 5 o'clock in the morning. I thought about taking a walk around for a while, but it would be a hassle to go in and out after being inspected one by one. I had breakfast at the hotel. Viking type, but different from Japanese and Western ones. Mainly curry, there are French toast and hardened grains. Curry is delicious, but for a 67-year-old person, curry is hard from the morning! There are no hams, sausages, salads, breads, jams, etc. Coffee is instant only. I drank instant coffee for the first time in a long time, but it was surprisingly delicious. We met in the lobby at 9 o'clock and were taken by a guide (male in his 50s) and a driver (male in his late 50s) to go sightseeing in Islamabad. I am the only tourist. This is the type of tour trip I use with my agency these days. In preparation for the heat, I applied sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat for the first time in my life. Islamabad has a population of about 700,000 to 800,000, but when the suburbs are added, it is said to be in the millions. In the 1960s, it was designated as the capital instead of Karachi and has been artificially developed. The first place I visited was the Shah Faisal Mosque. It is said that 100,000 people can worship at a large white mosque with a contemporary design. Although it has not been made, it is the center of faith of the people of Islamabad.

I visited after 9 o'clock, after the morning service was over and calmed down. The heat is already 33 or 34 degrees. I entered the mosque barefoot, but there are places where the soles of my feet are likely to burn! The iron on the railing is too hot to touch! Even though it is a place of worship, garbage is falling here and there, and dirt is noticeable. Outside the mosque, there were bags of sweets and corn that was thrown away after eating. When I entered the place of worship, there was no big trash and I was free from the heat, but there were still small things on the floor and it was rough with something like sand. People who have finished worship or who have come to sightseeing are lying down or talking to them. I heard that there is a women-only room where more than 1000 people can worship, and I saw some women here and there. It seems that men usually expect to accommodate more than 10,000 people, so basically the place of worship seems to be that of men. After the tour, I went to the Demyanenko Observatory. It is also a children's amusement park. There were also children, but the most common were groups of a few men, and sometimes groups of a few women. I don't see any couples of men and women. It seems to be such a society. When I asked the guide, he said, "No, I often go out with men and women," but as far as I noticed, I didn't see any pair after walking around all day. It was around 35 degrees, but it was comfortable with the wind on the hill. The town of Islamabad is green and has wide roads, making it a comfortable place to live (except for the heat!).

We provide Pakistan Tours Online services with different packages, like Honeymoon Tour, Group Tour, Company's Tours. Our Tour services are all in Pakistan or in Northern Areas.

After that, I saw La Hall Fort, which is nearby. It is a castle ruin built by successive emperors of the Mughal Empire, and the lower part of the stone is said to be BC. I walked to see the fountain garden, the Hall of Mirrors, and the emperor's audience room. However, at this time, it was already 38 degrees and 39 degrees. I can't walk. Sweat blows out and my head feels dizzy. It's a very nice sight, but I can't afford to taste it. When the guide was about to pay the admission fee, I was surprised to see the price list. 20 rupees for the general public, free for children and the elderly. Foreigners are 500 rupees! What a difference! It's tempting to say, "It's unreasonable!", But let's think it's good to offer it cheaply to the public. After that, visit the Lahore Museum. I've seen several museums in Pakistan and this is the most complete. However, there is no air conditioner anywhere. I think it's not hotter than the outside, but the temperature inside is definitely over 35 degrees Celsius! There was a famous statue of "Fasting Siddhartha". This is truly wonderful. Very exceptional. On the ground floor there were works of art and instruments from various eras of Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam. On the second floor, historical photographs after the birth of Pakistan were exhibited. After that, it was time to eat. However, after the hot weather, I had no appetite again, so I went to the guide who said that three small bananas would be fine, took me to a fruit shop, and returned to the hotel where I had my check-out extended. I took a rest. Sightseeing starts again in the afternoon.I went to the Shalimar Gardens. It is said to be a garden created by the emperor at the height of the Mughal Empire as a resort. It is a very beautiful geometric garden reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles. However, the temperature is rising more and more, 41 degrees. Moreover, because the sun is shining, the place lit by the sun must be over 50 degrees. I can't walk. The guide urged me to walk in the garden, but refused because I was not confident in my physical strength. It's Sunday, so there are many customers. It is said that he is coming to play from a little far away. Most are with children. There are many groups of about 10 people. Relatives and friends come as a family. Place a sheet in the shade of a tree to talk, laugh, and eat something. Some children are playing with cricket bats and balls, and some are running around. Well, as a Japanese, I'm impressed that there are families who come to play in this hot weather and there are children who run around in this hot sun. After that, I went to the Analkari Bazaar. It is crowded with many people. Atmosphere next to Ame. Shops for clothing, shoes, leather goods, etc. are lined up, motorcycles go on narrow roads, and people are walking. However, I didn't go through the grocery stores. Maybe I just didn't walk in that parcel. Or does this bazaar not handle groceries? It was near the evening, but it's still around 39 degrees, so I don't feel like ordering from the guide saying "I want to see more." Rather, it suppresses the desire to say, "Let's return to the air-conditioned car as soon as possible." After that, I asked the guide to put sandwiches, chicken (tandoori chicken style, but more intense curry taste) and spring roll style (Chinese style) in the air-conditioned car. But it was also pretty spicy inside) and headed to the airport. The guide told me to go somewhere more because it's too early to go to the airport, but I think the airport is air-conditioned, so I thought it would be better to spend time vaguely until departure. It was. At the very least, it doesn't hurt your health. In this way, I went to the airport, underwent a strict check that I had never experienced before, entered the airport, boarded an airplane, passed through Bangkok, and returned to Narita.

Jerry Smith

Harsh summer trip to Pakistan