Animals

Domesticated animals are part of the ecology of the road, and can sometimes cause traffic jams as they cross.

Pakistanis are Muslims (for the most part) and so they eat beef, but they also consume milk. You see guys on motorcycles with old-fashionned metal canisters driving around. Here is a guy driving his cows (notice the short round horns on the black one):
Between Hyderabad and Sukkur, you're crossing what's essentially a giant desert oasis (more pictures of that elsewhere). And the desert, there are camels, or in fact, dromedaries.

Road danger

The road is dangerous. Not because there is anybody out there to get you (if there is, I didn't see them), but rather because people tend to drive recklessly and at high speed. Vehicles are often overloaded and weave continuously, trying to go forward as quickly as possible. Sometimes, accidents happen (notice the decorated bumper)...

Overloading is a bit of a national sport (right after cricket of course)
And it can be done with either goods or people...
This car is driving about 60-70 km/hr (the one with the people standing)
Four people on a motorbike, and no helmet in sight.

Back from Sukkur

I visited Sukkur, in northern Sindh province, as part of my trip here. I was taken around the town and somewhat astonished by what I saw, but have few pictures to show as my camera malfunctioned once I got there.

Instead, since I drove there from Karachi (8 hours), I have some pictures from the road, where the buses, trucks, private vehicles, and animals live in an incredible and somewhat precarious high speed equilibrium. The road itself will soon be improved, and the scenery was interesting. Unfortunately, most pictures are taken from a moving car and through windows, and so they are not very good, but they illustrate the journey sufficiently.

The trucks that seem to ferry an infinite variety of goods among the highway are colorful and beautifully and intricately decorated. This one is from the toll in Sukkur. Note that the entire truck is decorated, including the bumper.

Another truck along the road in the irrigated part of the Indus plain. Note the motorcycles on the highway.
Another truck
The peacock (or is it a partridge) is a common symbol. Perhaps it has some religious or national significance, but I am not aware of it. Note the decorations down to road level...
Some trucks are decorated with human figures.

Apparently, even the interior of the trucks is decorated, so that they are still stunning when they are empty.
A nice side view of a heavily loaded, and completely decordate truck, including the cab.
More peacocks/partridges.

From Karachi

I am in Pakistan for a short trip . I have not had much of an opportunity to take pictures, but I have already been to Lahore and Karachi.

Lahore seems like a fairly peaceful city, and in the nice parts, is extremely leafy and clean. Old trees line the roads, which are in good condition. Our friends welcomed me in their home in the suburbs, where an amazing collection of kitchy developments has been laid to house the professional masses. The city itself has fairly low density. I will try to take pictures when I return later in the week.

This is a picture of the entrance to a development in suburban Lahore. Not far from this is something called Trafalgar Sq, I'll let you guess what it looks like...

Besides the brightly colored buses and the occasional donkey cart, there is nothing out of the ordinary about either Lahore or Karachi. There is the same nice villas, the same decrepit buildings, same beggards, bicycles, and tuk-tuks, same Range Rovers, servants, and armed guards, etc... that you might expect in similar cities around the world. Once thing that is amazing about both places, though, is the shear size: Karachi has 14M people (at least)...

People here are incredibly friendly and business driven. They all mention how bad Pakistan's reputation is around the world and want everyone to know that it's undeserved. Frankly, with what I've seen so far, I agree. I was invited to iftar to break fast, and met some very nice, highly cultivated and intelligent individuals. Of course, there is the occasional anti-zionist diatribe, and the jabs at the US and India, all within the confines of polite discourse and utmost respect for one's guest (that would be me).

Oh, and one more thing, once you have been to Lahore and Karachi, you know why NYC cabbies drive like they do...