Pakistan: ③ Eating Out in Karachi

Crispy Beef Katsu (Cutlet) at Japanese Restaurant

Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to explore the Karachi restaurant scene as much as I'd have liked. Most major hotels and trendy shopping malls seemed to have a variety of international restaurants on site. Whilst I enjoy dining in those quality places, there's nothing much new to mention about their ambience or quality of food, etc, because it's all up to high standard, identical worldwide. This type of cuisine or restaurants are readily available in NY, Dubai, London, Bangkok, Tokyo, anywhere, everywhere. It's all the same.

I had dinner at a Japanese restaurant called 'Fujiyama' - a roof-top restaurant of the Avari hotel that afforded a panoramic view of the surrounding area. The head chef was from Japan, so the food was authentic and the quality was good.

'Dobinmushi' Soup Served in a Teapot

I tried a clear soup called 'dobinmushi'. It was very light yet seasoned to perfection and served in a single-serving Japanese teapot. Even in Japan the 'dobinmushi' soup is served only in those restaurants that are pretty traditional, so it was quite exciting to find it in Karachi.

High Tea - yummy!

The high tea at the Pearl-Continental Hotel was terrific and satisfying! We reached there just 10 minutes before the tea was over, so we were told to grab whatever we wanted first before the staff started clearing the buffet counter. This put us under psychological pressure and we were compelled to helping ourselves to far more food than we should have!

Sweets are all up to the western standard

Haleem

Yet it was indeed a fun fare and I'd always enjoy a good afternoon tea. Countless tiny bits of savoury snacks such as samosas, chaat, finger sandwiches, croquettes, meatballs to name a few, followed by a selection of mouth-watering pastries! I was totally stuffed!

I was certain I would skip dinner after the late high tea, but you really never know what will happen next – I was invited to dinner at a fancy members' club in the Clifton Beach area. The club was surrounded by a huge beautiful garden overlooking the bay, it had the feel of a country manor with an old British colonial touch with its high ceiling. You can always recognise the unmistakable colonial touch, whether in India, Malaysia or Sri Lanka.

Nice Juicy Steak at the Club

In the dining hall we had fried fish, some regional shawarma, steak and a 'Waldorf salad'. Never once in a million had I imagined to come across Waldorf salad in Pakistan! The steak tasted like Angus and I enjoyed the accompanying Madeira sauce in particular. Everything was yummy.

Out of all those restaurants I tried during my stay, the one that caught most of my attention was a local casual eatery. In front of the establishment and right on the street sat some 30 people (mainly young children and some adults). I was told there was a rather unique system that any customer or passer-by or anyone else is free to buy meals for those children who are indeed waiting for such sponsors to come by.

Bone Marrow Stew with Fresh Naan Bread

The food I tried here was a sort of bone marrow stew with a freshly baked naan. To be honest I was not quite used to this sort of local delicacy and can't really say it was to my liking.

However, my local contact sponsored the children and as the staff started serving them, every one of them looked so happy and delighted to be able to enjoy the very same dish as I was having.

The Boy...

I took a photo of a boy probably in his mid teens and then wondered if some of the children were 'regulars' of this eatery. If I ever happened to revisit the restaurant, what would be my chances of spotting this same boy again??

I guess, for a second I became somewhat curious to know what sort of life this boy was leading. Then I said to myself, "After all you'll never have difficulty in encountering someone like him, someone in his shoes here in this country." I just hope he will always be smiling just as he was when I saw him that day…

Pakistan: ② Walking Down the Streets of Karachi

Heavy Traffic...

I visited Karachi quite often sometime during the period from September or October of 1987 into the early 1990s. It was some 2 decades ago but I still have pretty vivid memories of certain places and scenery where my Iranian driver cum guide took me around to.

However, the first local bazaar in downtown Karachi I was taken to this time did not seem familiar to me. It was a no-frills shopping centre, old and dilapidated, filled with lots of small individual shops of mainly casual clothes like T-shirts, jeans, jackets, Pakistani dresses and the likes. I had no idea how many storeys the building had but I'd guess probably 3 to 5.

I bought about a dozen or so pashmina shawls whilst my local friends were shopping for some souvenirs for friends back in the UAE. Seemingly there was no sight of tourists or foreigners in the shopping centre, only local Pakistanis.

Local Shopping Mall

The second shopping mall I visited, which I believe was adjunct to the Paradise Hotel, instantaneously brought back all the vivid memories just like a flashback the moment when I walked into it.

Everything I saw in there - the narrow lanes, countless, colourful sarees on display, how uniquely the shops and stalls were arranged, chairs on the corridors for the prospective customers to sit down and haggle with the shopkeepers, and every single characteristic of the atmosphere - seemed so familiar to me.

Undoubtedly this was the one of the places I had visited earlier. I remember having spent time here haggling over the price of sarees (and I did get myself quite a few!) over a cup of rich milky local chai.

Men's Fashion à la pakistanaise

It was all too vivid as if it had been only yesterday, and the next thing I knew I was overwhelmed with a wave of nostalgia. Did it ever cross my mind that I would come across by chance the very same shopping centre after all these years and find it almost intact as if I had literally 'time-travelled' into the past??

It could have been demolished leaving behind no traces of having ever stood there or refurbished and redecorated out of all recognition.

Anything could've happened during those years, yet here I was once again standing in the very same place just as the 20-years-younger me had done so. Wow, what a nostalgic feeling.

Tourism seems virtually none existent now or then. Even aboard the flight, I reckon almost 98% of the passengers were of Asian subcontinent origin. A local source told me that Karachi was once a lively city but its vibrancy has faded away over the last 2 decades and how it tears him apart. Civil unrest, political instability and security concerns have been a major impediment to progress.

Mind you, being the largest city of Pakistan with 15 million inhabitants Karachi is the country's de facto capital of commerce, banking, and industry, and one of the largest cities in the world in terms of population. There may not be as many tourists as there used to be, but traffic is heavy and the streets are bustling with activity, a far cry from sleepy or dead, really.

Colourful Rickshaws

During my 5 days, I spotted an American couple having lunch at my hotel. They seemed to be visiting on business. I also saw at the Japanese restaurant a group of Western and Pakistani businessmen having dinner. Other than that I didn't really see any foreigners. After I returned to Dubai, I came across a Canadian man who told me he had visited Peshawar a couple of months earlier.

I'm sure there are people who are travelling to Pakistan as I speak, but very few. Some developing countries like Thailand, Egypt, China to name just a few are extremely successful in marketing tourism and generating a great deal of income from visiting foreigners, marking a significant portion of their respective GDPs.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, most of the tourists to this part of the world are heading for India or perhaps Sri Lanka. The recent negative news and images of Pakistan are amongst the factors that sadly deter people from having anything to do with Pakistan. You may have to be a savvy traveller to visit Pakistan solo. Well, I've done it before and I may do it again.

Fruit Vendor

I didn't face any challenges or difficulty getting about. However, following my local friends advice, I refrained from doing so on my own, which was a bit pity as I felt totally fine and capable.

Yet I must say I was much grateful for their assistance and practical advice as to what to do and what not to do. They provided me with a sense of security and assurance, making my trip come to fruition.

Pakistan: ① Come Fly to Karachi with PIA!

Postage Stamps of Pakistan

Like the saying goes "life is full of surprises", who on earth, including myself, would have thought that in a matter of just a few days I'd be aboard a flight heading for Karachi from Dubai?? That's right! You never know what will happen in a second, and this is exactly what happened to me when I was actually considering the Maldives, the Seychelles, Turkey or perhaps Kenya for my quick getaway destination.

Pakistan is by all means not an unfamiliar country to me personally but the last time I had travelled to Karachi was nearly 2 decades back. Having visited more than 40 nations across the world on or off the beaten track and 95% of the time solo, I had a pretty good idea what to expect and what not.

After all, I had seen slums here and there, more than enough beggars on the streets, poor living conditions in poverty-stricken countryside with no modern standard facilities of the civilised world. I reiterate this is not my first visit to Pakistan, so what could possible shock me any further??

Pakistan Visa

Many of my friends in the States or Europe would've probably thought me out of my mind (and they did!). Going to Pakistan amidst the recent and ongoing acts of terrorism since 9.11 and the vivid images of Pakistan's notorious involvement in such acts still keeping the world haunted? In fact as I was packing for the trip incidents like shooting, suicide bombing and/or civil unrest particularly in Pakistan's northern territories were being broadcast matter-of-factly 24/7.

Despite all the media frenzy and my friends' concern about my safety, I couldn't be more over the moon about my trip, thrilled with sheer excitement and perhaps a touch of nostalgia that I was about to revisit a country I was once so familiar with, that I was about to see with my own eyes and not through the media what changes may have taken place in my absence of so many years.

Flying with PIA

Of course I wasn't quite optimistic about how much or what I could possibly accomplish in just 5 days, with very little time to do any preparation given that the trip was all arranged most spontaneously but I set at least 2 objectives;

• Try to recall and track down the places and landmarks I may have visited 2 decades earlier
• Explore the country, life, people and observe the current situation as is

As they say time flies, it certainly did during my short stay. If I'd had more time and been better prepared, I would've have definitely enjoyed visiting some religious or educational or community organisations and fancied the opportunity to interact, exchange views and share opinions, thoughts and a lot more with ordinary members of the public from all walks of life. If only time hadn't gone by so quickly…

PIA Menu

I hadn't flown with Pakistan International Airlines since my last visit, so being aboard a PIA flight was indeed the very beginning of the series of reuniting moments I was about to experience, even though it was a mere 2-hour flight from Dubai to Karachi.

My luggage consisted of just one carry-on suitcase. Oh no! The aircraft was not connected to the terminal gate, so I had to get on a shuttle which was jam-packed with passengers (99% men and it was a heck of a long ride!) and climb up the stairs with the luggage to board. Oh no!

Entry Stamp at Karachi