Today we finally slept in a bit, at least until sunrise, and then started packing for our trip to Islamabad. Even though I have travelled frequently with a lot of photography gear, it is still always a daunting task to re-organize and pack for airplane travel after 4 days of filming.
After our breakfast and tea (which was very robust from goat’s milk), we headed towards the airport. Even though Duriji is somewhat remote of a region, we still had a police escort in the front seat for extra safety. At first the police presence seemed unnecessary, but as we got into Karachi it seemed more and more apparent why we might need this escort. There were hundreds of thousands of people lining the dirt streets, and all of them keen on the appearance of our lighter skin, and western style. The city that was majestic late at night suddenly seemed fierce, menacing, and even a bit threatening.
There is no way to know if we were in any real danger or not, but that doesn’t account for the fact that Brady and I felt like we were in danger. There was a strange vibe in the air that made us feel unsafe and unwelcome, and the looks on the people’s faces that lined the streets reinforced this. I eventually put my kikoi over my head like a cloak, and that seemed to draw less stares.
Seeing Karachi in the daylight was also an unsettling experience, as it was the dirtiest place I have ever seen, or smelt. Both sides of the streets were riddled with trash, where it piled up in numerous places, attracting foraging stray animals of all shapes and sizes. There were canals of open sewage for what seemed like miles. The putrid, sun-baked stench seemed to stick to our clothes as we puttered through the humid smog, and there were shanties and beggars on every corner.
The traffic, though very congested, is actually wildly entertaining. It never ceases to amaze me how so many cars, motor bikes, tuk-tuks, donkey carts, bicycles, scooters and pedestrians can fit on one road. The lanes might as well not be marked, because no one uses them. And what would normally be 3 lanes easily becomes 5. Not to mention that there is no guarantee that everyone will even be going in the same direction. And the cacophony of sounds is a relentless barrage of horns, engines, bells, shouts, puttering exhaust, ringing cell phones and even animal noises. We are attempting to capture all of this on video, and the short piece that I am going to make from the footage is going to be called “Traffikstan.” Coming soon…
We arrived at the airport without incident, and with no motorway fatalities, and had a smooth flight to Islamabad. The air was considerably cooler and cleaner there, and the vibe was much more peaceful. It was a relief to leave Karachi, and to no longer be haunted by the ghost of Daniel Pearl. Tomorrow we drive to Lahore, where we will meet our guide, and see the rumored rich culture of that ancient city.
