Karachi is one of the biggest cities in the world with over 11 million people (some sources talk about 18 million people). It is about 15 times the size of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. I still can’t imagine how big that is, but just for the sake of comparison , it is bigger than Paris, Istanbul or Bangkok.
Getting out of the house was a bit of a hassle. I love to walk. Love, love, love. But in Karachi, you don’t walk. You get out of the house, get into the car and go where you need to get. By car. This was my biggest problem, but I had to comply.
The streets were large and the noise was big. Small cars are the way to go around on the busy streets and people seemed a little careless to what happens to the vehicle (scratches are no issue) as long as they can get through. Rickshaws are everywhere and also lots of people on motors. And yes, buses are just like in the movies or in the pictures from the internet: colorful and overcrowded.
I was advised not to take pictures so that people don’t get suspicious. At every light stop there were beggars coming to the car and knocking at my window. Again, being a foreigner is a big attraction for many curious people. Just like in Romania :)
Driving seems to be a gentlemen’s agreement. Sure there are rules…I guess. But the main rule is that the car honking first has priority. First few drives (on the passenger’s seat) were like a roller-coaster ride for me. First of all we were driving on the wrong side of the street. Everybody was driving on the wrong side of the street. There was a lot of honking and sometimes the priority was decided by the one who had more guts. But I was the only one surprised by the whole thing. For the rest of the people this was the normal day-to-day driving.
I didn’t get to see much of the city first time I was there. We stayed mainly around the neighborhood, which is the same with late Benazir Bhutto’s former residence and park, a rather posh area with nice houses, embassies and parks, shopping malls and food streets.
What stroke me the most was the security: I’ve not seen a real rifle in my life before landing in Karachi. And in Karachi I’ve seen so many, that I got used to them in few days. Almost every store has a security guard with a big rifle, while at banks or jewelry stores there are several guards. Some people have heavy armed bodyguards following them around, but we were in an area with several embassies and extra security seemed appropriate. Entering a shopping mall meant having the handbag scanned and us going through a metal detector. First I felt so strange. Then I felt a little more secure. After few days I didn’t even notice.
My conclusions:
• driving around can be an extreme sport for a newbie • buses, rickshaws, 4 people on a small motorcycle is not uncommon
• if you are uncomfortable around guns and rifles, a visit to Pakistan will cure that in few days (but will not get you hurt ;) )
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