Lahore

 

 

Content:

 

- City tour

- The Old Town

- Taj Mahal of Pakistan

- Car Bazaar's

- Thieving Magpies in Lahore

 

 

City tour

 

I know already Lahore's streets from my last visit to the historic town near the border with India. From the Regal-Chowk we start our walk, in search of food and a mobile operator which is willing to sell us a SIM card.

 

The British colonial era buildings have retained there style, despite all the billboards advertising in Urdu and English a variety of products and are scattered confusedly on the facades.

 

In a quiet corner, under an arcade, we find an older man with three steaming pots. Behind the small, makeshift kitchen is a deep table with some chairs. We let us present the contents of the pots and order once Sabji (vegetarian curry) and a plate of spinach with boiled egg. There are roti, pita bread, and of course the local chai which is ordered around the corner from another mini-kitchen. The food tastes wonderful, the nice man sizzles on peacefully while not five meters away the raging traffic roars through the streets.

 

100 meters further on we enter a new world. The branch of MobiLink, our future mobile communications provider, is styled by the west. An incredible contrast to the street food, just right away.

 

The Old Town

 

We continue towards the old town. The main road is narrow and the dense traffic is pushing itself around the wheelbarrows, donkey carts, horse carts, pedestrians, mobile vendors, some cats and do not forget the goats that will soon be slaughtered. The heads and feet are a delicacy and are piled up neatly next to the living goats. Where is the rest of the goat? I still ask myself this question :)

 

Along the way we treat ourselves with a "minaret-ice-cream," our new favorite dessert. I have named the Minaret-ice-cream because of it shape, which reminds me to the rocket-like minarets on the questionable SVP posters at the even more dubious minaret initiative in Switzerland a few years ago. Here, the "threatening" Minarets are not black but white, ultra-sweet and very tasty. Long live the minaret-ice-cream! :)

 

The streets in the old town are narrow and covered with stalls and thus a pedestrian zone. Except that here, of course, a tuk tuk passes as pedestrians and donkey carts and the like is seen in the wild tumult of colors. The smells are intoxicating, the spice stalls interspersed with small kitchens and clothing stores. Silk trade is big here but is frequently interrupted with a barbecue stand. Veiled women roam the streets and remain standing at the shoe stand and survey the newest high-heel collection. Same as at home... women just loves shoes!! :o)

 

 

Wazir-Khan-Mosque

 

We turn from the hustle and bustle of the market alley in the courtyard of the Wazir-Khan-Mosque. The quitness here is overwhelming. We sit at the fountain in the middle of the courtyard and look over our shoulder to the Pakistanis to our left to wash us as correctly as possible.

 

Then I suck in the atmosphere around us in this serene place. It is as if the clock has stopped. We sit in the beautifully tiled mosque and hear the young Koranic students as they recite verses from the Koran.

 

For a small "Bakshis" We can climb on one of the minarets, past dead pigeons on the steep and dusty spiral staircase to the top where we enjoy a unique view of the turmoil of the town. Beautiful.

 

 

Taj Mahal from Pakistan

 

The Badshahi-Mosque which is built  opposite the Lahore Fort and also called Red Mosque, stands for me in a row with the Taj Mahal in India or the Imam Square in Isfahan. It is one of those places where one becomes breathless. I step through the entrance gate onto the giant red square which can take up to 100,000 people. On the opposite side the Red Mosque sits with its flawless, white domes. In the corners of the square stands the great minarets.

 

The sun just disappears behind a dome and I'm struck by the unique atmosphere of this enchanting place. I let myself down on the red stone of the place and simply enjoy the moment of this magic sunset. Breathtaking.

 

 

 

 

 

Car's Bazaar

 

As I already know I am now in the Toyota heaven, and so of course we can not refuse Andrews request to follow the Australian we met in Goa already to the car bazaar.

 

We attend to Pakistan's second largest used car bazaar after the one in Peshawar and feel as happy as a woman must feel in a large 500 x 500 meter shoe store. :) It is simply a paradise for any man here, every spare part for all common vehicle can be found here. Next door we find an abundance of tools, electrical equipment from the smallest part to the finished cabinet.

 

I stroll with my plastic bag which contains Fridolin's broken parts,  in the first available shop and you do not believe it, I find at first my taillight which was shattered by an tuk tuk crash in India, my oil pressure gauge, and my car clock which both are broken since the water-issue in Mongolia. JUHEEEE, I LOVE PAKISTAN. :)

 

 

Thieving Magpies in Lahore

 

Of course despite our spare part luck in the bazaar, the problems on the cars remain. This time it has caught Mark and we are currently remove the steering column, as these gives quite funny noises from it.

 

We wanna consult the car manual to locate the problem, but where the hell is the Workshop Manual? We do not believe that someone has stolen the book!! AAAARGHHHHHHH! NO ONE, absolutely nobody, can anything do with the IVECO manual, this car seems to be the only car here that is not existing in Pakistan!!

 

FU**, now we must build the steering column back together without the instructions...