Devil Soul
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Awestruck in Balochistan
HAMMAD SHAKIL
UPDATED
“The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only a page.” —St Augustine
For those acclimated to level plains and the smooth feel of plantations and knolls, the scraggy mountains of Balochistan is an extreme change of scenery. But, in this same extremity, lies its exquisite appeal; a merciless excellence that is most obviously manifested through the spring in the middle of a sandy desert, the water spouting out of an infertile mountain and the dark blue ocean which brushes the pebbled shores.
Most individuals are charmed by greenery, but some are inverse and find themselves pulled towards harsher landscapes. I am no different.
I chose to visit Balochistan to explore the rocky, sandy terrain that is the Hingol National Park. Everyone on my friends list cautioned me against going there alone. 'It's not safe!'
I did manage to find three travelling buddies, and almost immediately, the four of us headed towards the Makran Coastal Highway.
A truck driver has painted his portrait at the back of his truck.
Camels travelling on the road of peace.
Beautiful white mountains.
Entrance to Balochistan.
As soon as we crossed Sindh, the sights drastically changed. Miles and miles of sand stretched out on both sides of the road. We journeyed for 80km with no sight of a building, not one! Then, mountains began to show up, and how!
We halted at different places to take pictures. At one place, there was this burrow-looking hollow at the highest point of a mountain. We decided to trek to the top. The stones on these mountains turned out to be pretty slippery. At the top of the mountain, we were welcomed by a lovely man-made pass. While I was clicking away, somebody from, what appeared to be inside the mountain, began to holler at us:
"This is not an excursion spot, we are living here with our families."
We apologised and hurriedly left.
I'd happily live in a hollow with the perspective of a royal residence than live in a royal residence with the feel of a cavern.
Hameed, a local shopkeeper, who sells beverages.
Bridge on Hingol river leading to Nani Temple.
Our car was hurtling forward on the smooth road at 100km/hour. It was a workday, so hardly any explorers were in sight. All around us was, the peace and calm challenged by the over-hyped security concerns that are usually trumpeted about this gorgeous province.
On the way, I met regular people in their little shops; they were all pleasant and welcoming. Each local we stopped to talk to, had a smile on their faces. We crossed a few check-posts, where they checked our car and documents, and let us go.
The first stop on our itinerary was Nani Mandir, the most popular spot in Hingol district.
In transit to Nani Mandir was a little mosque, named the Mohammad Bin Qasim mosque, in light of the fact that he entered Sindh at this very point, with his armed forces. There were also the graves of his warriors on one of the mountains.
A very small mosque named Mohammad Bin Qasim, in his memory.
HAMMAD SHAKIL
UPDATED
“The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only a page.” —St Augustine
For those acclimated to level plains and the smooth feel of plantations and knolls, the scraggy mountains of Balochistan is an extreme change of scenery. But, in this same extremity, lies its exquisite appeal; a merciless excellence that is most obviously manifested through the spring in the middle of a sandy desert, the water spouting out of an infertile mountain and the dark blue ocean which brushes the pebbled shores.
Most individuals are charmed by greenery, but some are inverse and find themselves pulled towards harsher landscapes. I am no different.
I chose to visit Balochistan to explore the rocky, sandy terrain that is the Hingol National Park. Everyone on my friends list cautioned me against going there alone. 'It's not safe!'
I did manage to find three travelling buddies, and almost immediately, the four of us headed towards the Makran Coastal Highway.
A truck driver has painted his portrait at the back of his truck.
Camels travelling on the road of peace.
Beautiful white mountains.
Entrance to Balochistan.
As soon as we crossed Sindh, the sights drastically changed. Miles and miles of sand stretched out on both sides of the road. We journeyed for 80km with no sight of a building, not one! Then, mountains began to show up, and how!
We halted at different places to take pictures. At one place, there was this burrow-looking hollow at the highest point of a mountain. We decided to trek to the top. The stones on these mountains turned out to be pretty slippery. At the top of the mountain, we were welcomed by a lovely man-made pass. While I was clicking away, somebody from, what appeared to be inside the mountain, began to holler at us:
"This is not an excursion spot, we are living here with our families."
We apologised and hurriedly left.
I'd happily live in a hollow with the perspective of a royal residence than live in a royal residence with the feel of a cavern.
Hameed, a local shopkeeper, who sells beverages.
Bridge on Hingol river leading to Nani Temple.
Our car was hurtling forward on the smooth road at 100km/hour. It was a workday, so hardly any explorers were in sight. All around us was, the peace and calm challenged by the over-hyped security concerns that are usually trumpeted about this gorgeous province.
On the way, I met regular people in their little shops; they were all pleasant and welcoming. Each local we stopped to talk to, had a smile on their faces. We crossed a few check-posts, where they checked our car and documents, and let us go.
The first stop on our itinerary was Nani Mandir, the most popular spot in Hingol district.
In transit to Nani Mandir was a little mosque, named the Mohammad Bin Qasim mosque, in light of the fact that he entered Sindh at this very point, with his armed forces. There were also the graves of his warriors on one of the mountains.
A very small mosque named Mohammad Bin Qasim, in his memory.