Day Six - 7/1/04

12:30pm

We've finally hit the road. Leaving the apartment took ages. I painfully started to remember how annoying family (ie: Faisa) could be. Sometimes (most of the time) she's like an annoying fly that tempts you to swat it - off the fifth storey balcony. Not as many beggars on the road as back in 1996 (just a couple of hijras [editor's note: hijras are eunuchs who dress in women's clothes and beg for money outside stores and at traffic lights. They generally rely on the stigma attached to being a castrated, cross-dressing man to obtain tips from embarrassed store clerks and annoyed car occupants. Despite such a reputation, the hijras I spoke to were generally very friendly (especially after being tipped) although most could really use a new wardrobe and a facial!]). The roads are totally jammed, but this doesn't stop people from using their horns continuously. People drive wherever, even on the footpaths, so much so that some, like the one our car is currently on, has eroded into an elongated ditch. Dust is everywhere. Had a debate with Athar Mamu (an uncle from Brisbane, Australia who is visiting Pakistan for the first time in 30 years) as to whether there is a drainage system in Karachi.

7:35pm

I finally got in touch with Rabia! It was good to finally make contact! [Rabia is a friend who works for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I originally met her through a mutual friend in Sydney when I used to represent asylum seekers in court and Rabia was posted there] I had rung her on a number of occasions but without success. It took until my fourth attempt to realise that I didn't need to include the area code for Peshawar or not. She said that everything had been prepared and 'inshallah' (god willing) it will go smoothly. This has totally changed the complexion of my trip. Earlier today I was getting all depressed, wondering whether I would be able to do anything I had set out to do. Perhaps I am preordained to be disappointed, again, because my expectations are so high. Fucked if I knew.
- posted by syed-m @ 2:04 AM

 
Day Five - 6/1/04

Last night I finally reached Pakistan, and you could tell from the moment the plane touched down. In the airport there was a plethora of ubiquitous mustachioed gentlemen in military garb standing idly by every doorway. The immigration line was short but painstakingly slow. By the time it was my turn to be processed (and a digital photo of my face was to be taken by cameras installed at the behest of the United States) I was informed that I needed to fill in an immigration card. Incidentally, no one had given me one. Apparently no one knew that they had to fill in immigration cards, hence the delay (airport staff who greeted new entrants at an earlier gate only gave us baggage collection receipts which everyone assumed was all they needed for the immigration desk). Once I filled out the form, I had to wait again for the ever-so-delicate and slow immigration officer to process the people in front of me. Having said that, he was unfailingly polite and we had a pretty good conversation during the magical 30-minute period.

After I had finally been processed, a guard at the front of a door leading to the baggage claim section especially asked to see my passport. He looked it over once, then opened it ever so carefully and then said "Australian passport?" whilst poking my Pakistan visa (which is a very impressive green paper stamp that takes up an entire passport page). I enquired "Is everything ok?" in Urdu to which he curtly replied, "No, everything is not ok," again in Urdu.

"So you are Australian?"
"Yes." I replied. [Editor's note, this would be the first of three times I would be asked this question. The other two times were in Hong Kong]

I had been standing for over 1 and a half hours by now. My bowels were ready to explode. My feet were sore. I was tired. As a consequence, I probably sounded very gruff when I replied in the affirmative. This must surely have helped him conclude that I was unlikely to have been intimidated by him, and would therefore be in no mood to bribe him. So he let me go, just like that, and I was in the baggage claims area (mental note to self – a tactic to remember for future situations, don’t be intimidated by men in officious dress). Now all I needed to do was pick up my bags, get my tags checked, have my bags scanned, and in the blink of a broken camera shooter I was out into the open. Phew!

Ammi and Faisa came to pick me up. So did Faisal, Farrah and Dr Ruzia. Faisal still drives like he is in the grand prix. He's just over 30 now, looks just like his father Uncle Nizaam, and is as cocky as ever which is great to see. [Editor's note: and, just as ever, he constantly seeks our (meaning my family's) approval which is touching because it shows he actually cares about us). Farrah, Faisal's sister, is tall, pretty and quite elegant for an 18 year old. Dr Ruzia is very rich. I should have a pretty good time in Karachi. Right now I'm sitting in a fabric shop in Bhadarubad. I've just had my measurements taken for a suit and shirvani (Indian-style formal men's dress). My mobile is finally operative. Tomorrow I will be calling all the people I've planned to meet. Got to find an internet cafe!
- posted by syed-m @ 2:40 AM

 
[Editor's note, below is a further excerpt from my trip to Pakistan in January this year.]

Day Four - 5/1/04

I'm currently sitting in CX701 in Bangkok Airport waiting for the plane to begin its journey to Karachi. The stop over in Hong Kong passed in a blur. For most of the time in Hong Kong I was tired and drunk-like, my feet were swollen from all the walking, and my wallet was that much emptier from all the shopping. And boy is it a great place to shop, especially for generic clothes and electronic goods. Oh, and the porn. Apart from some kick ass clothes (which should make my journey in Pakistan slightly easier) and an awesome digital camera, I got myself some fairly high quality VCDs from a mall that appears to specalise in illicit porn sales. Its mere existence has taken on mythical propositions however, as, apart from the fact that it is on Nathan Street, neither Urban Nomad nor I can remember precisely where it is. See, although the VCDs were of high quality, I learnt, once testing them out to confirm this, that I had not bought enough (the plan to go 50/50 with Otiose was far too altruistic in hindsight). When I returned to Nathan Street with Urban Nomad to get some more, it took us several hours to finally locate the mall. And once we entered the mall, the police were busy closing up all the joints. Clearly, this saga has yet to reach its catharsis.

It was good to see Urban Nomad (and Ug Ugh, Caroline, and Otiose) again. Urban Nomad hasn't changed much. He's probably a little more mellow (if that's possible) and patient, but otherwise as histrionic as ever. For instance, although he asked me to bring a sleeping bag (which meant having a distinctly uncomfortable first night on his apartment floor as I slowly adjusted to the new sleeping conditions) he had a double bed all to himself. Apart from things like that though, he chaperoned me around Hong Kong remarkably well. I was the little kid whose every whim was catered to his doting grandpa. Caroline was a total angel, patient and accommodating. Circe is a very lucky guy.

I'm not sure if I'm any more relaxed for having visited Hong Kong. I certainly have more clothes! Let's see what Karachi is like. So far the Pakis in this plane have been pretty well behaved (last time I was on a flight to Pakistan, the aisles were constantly congested with people doing their namaz (prayers) or simply loitering - even over the desperate screams of cabin staff as the plane was landing!). Maybe the well-behaved passengers on this flight are a good omen!

PS: Next time I visit Hong Kong I need to buy a map and visit Nathan Road. Um, I think I already mentioned the latter. Man I must be friggin desperate!

- posted by syed-m @ 3:47 AM

 
[Editor's note - here begin excerpts from the log I kept during my travels in East and South Asia]

Day One - 2/1/04

I've been on this plane for about 2 hours now, though it doesn't feel that long at all. Before I know it I'll be in Hong Kong, hanging out with Urban Nomad. New Year's went by with a blink of an eye and i guess so too will this trip. I'm hoping that it turns out to be something of a watershed experience, a turning point in my life at a point in time when I feel emotionally exhausted and generally lost. Anything could happen, but I'm trying to avoid the lure of over-expectation. That way, I won't too easily get disappointed if the holiday isn't perfect.

I've been thinking about Plan A a lot, ever since I left work in December in fact. Hopefully, I will be in more control of my emotional dispositions towards her by the end of my journey. More importantly, I hope that Omar's (my brother) wedding goes ahead without a hitch, Ammi (mum) and Baba (dad) have time to relax, and Faisa (my sister) continues her recovery. And somewhere in that mix, there is space for me to have fun!
- posted by syed-m @ 3:19 AM

 
Fighting the back-to-work blues

It appears thus far that my rather long break from work has not dulled my instinct to gorge my brain on anything but work. To be more specific, I have yet again begun pondering a career change, this time into something which I have greater inclinations towards. Today my closest work colleague (with whom I routinely discuss topics, like Israel/Palestine, that we are both interested in) told me that he will be relocating permanently to central Australia for a new job. This follows the recent resignation of another person in the office last week. The 'quit work whilst you are still ahead' movement appears to be gathering pace. In light of all this, I have convinced myself to actively seek new job prospects both within and without the organisation I currently work for. At the very least, it's time to realise a greater chunk of my potentials. And hopefully this exercise can distract me from the emotional uncertainty that continues to linger for what must be a fairly consistent 2-3 year period (although, to be fair, it has never been a consistent or static thing).

One very immediate and important way to create such a distraction is to begin writing my entries on Pakistan. Before the memories lose their freshness, and before reality takes too firm a grip on the situation, I owe it to myself - no, I owe it to my adouring readership - to put fingertip to keyboard. In the meantime, if you hear of any promising job vacancies advertised please let me know.

Talk to you soon.
- posted by syed-m @ 7:37 AM