September 28, 2021
There’s something very liberating about a motorbike. It has given me access to areas of Karachi which I would not have thought of going ever, let alone in a car.
This Sunday, out of the blue, the crocodiles (or is it alligator?) of Mangopir (https://goo.gl/maps/ZTceiLzjUpBCyJieA) came to mind, so off I set on my little US70 at 1145am. Instead of a 40 minute (as per Google Maps) ride, it took me over an hour to get there … all along getting dehydrated in the sun’s heat (even though I kept sipping my backpack water cooler). The going was all fine & dandy till I came to the Naya Nazimabad project- and there the roads were hell. Potholes filled with either sewage water or the previous days’ rainwater; clay-like mud; and no wind to cool the face in the helmet!
The end result was my clothes & shoes were a complete mess & my bike had changed colour to ‘brown’!
It was a pleasure to see the crocodiles in their enclosure. We can crib all we want that animal protectionism doesn’t exist in Pakistan; and this & that; but at this Sanctuary, the crocs are fed, taken care of AND revered.
As an aside- Karachi has so many tourist attractions … if only we can fix the infrastructure to make them easily accessible ☹ to us.
Returning, I decided to do so from the Hub Dam road & Northern Bypass … BIIIIIG mistake! The sun was just too hot and there was no wind. The water I was drinking most probably wasn’t replenishing the dehydration enough.
The Mangopir Road (leading northwards to the Hub Dam Road) was never ending. Eventually, I saw a “PEPSI” sign at a roadside Dhaba and just had to stop. I was panting away from the heat and dehydration. AFTER a 45 minutes rest, two 7-Ups, a full litre of cold water and sucking on a lemon, I was refreshed enough to set on again. I truly bless the dhaba people for looking after me and letting me rest under the fan.
At 3.15pm I finally reached home into the comforts of an a/c!
What’s the moral here-
DON’T travel to Mangopir
… IN Summer’s Heat
… ON a Motorbike
… ON broken roads
… WITHOUT protection from Sun or Dehydration!
Would I do it again … DEFINITELY! 😊
(p.s.- see the video posted on Twitter)
Dinshaw Avari- Trying my Hand at Blogging! 