Travelogue – 11 – England to Pakistan in 16 days
In February 1965 I planned my first journey in a VW Beetle from England to Pakistan. I was a student in London U and an ad got me a Sikh student to share gas cost to go to India. I motored thru Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Iran. I drove in all hours of the day and night, in cold rain and wet snow and sweltering heat too. One night I drove through 6 to 8 feet high walls of ice on both sides of the road made by the bulldozers in Austria. Next day I drove on Yugoslavia Autoput with freezing cold wind that made heater blow cold air. Next day the Bulgarian hotel and police kept passports of all travelers who had stayed the night. Hours later we were let go after a Russian military convoy had passed thru the city of Belgrade.
Next week on a Turkish mountain the snow started coming down hard and soon the car was sliding towards the back. I tried to go uphill but it glided backwards and did not stop until it had hit a big stone on road-side. We got out of car and saw the stone that had stopped our fall thousands feet below in deep valley. The One upstairs had by His Divine hand saved me for a good purpose which then I didn’t know. We stepped into inches of snow and saw in the distant a flicker of a light and started walking to it. It took us about one-half hour to reach the door from which the light from an oil lamp shined. A preteen opened the door, saw two strangers at their door in the dark and called aloud someone. We knew no Turkish and they knew no other language but a bit of my Arabic conveyed our plight. We were taken to a mosque, fed bread with dry cheese and tea, a dinner delicious to the last sip. Someone assembled 4/ 5 Turks and spoke an Arabic phrase meaning all Moslems were brothers. Any lingering doubt thus gone all faces lit up knowing they were helping one Pakistani Moslem. We talked for an hour or so and I can’t say how much one side said was understood by the other. They gave me Holy Qor-aan and asked for a Qir-rut (recitation) which was a real delight to me. We slept on a mattresses of reeds and were still asleep when hot tea woke us up and sun was up. They took us to the car, pushed it on road, refused to take any money and hugged us good-bye.
We drove thru wilderness for days and ate what was available at gas stations. Downing bread, cheese, tomatoes with bottled soft drink soon left all charm in healthy food. The sight of roasted chicken served on top of a huge plate of pilaf in Tehran was a great meal. Next week it was dusty sweltering heat of Kerman and Baluchistan deserts in Iranian south. Next morning I entered Pakistan at Qla Sofed, and arrived in Quetta by Friday prayer time. A policeman told me of the Ahmadiyya Mosque. After prayer, I was welcomed with hugs. It touched me a great deal as I had never been to Quetta before and was a total stranger to all. But the greeters by the dozens made me feel as if I were their lost brother just come home. I didn’t notice on the way a night-time earthquake but reached home in Lahore next morning. I had driven 8,000+ miles in 16 days but the tops was experiences of Moslems brotherhood. The memory of happenings in Turkey, Quetta and in that journey are forever fresh in mind. God’s Grace in those delightful memories is as fragrant now as it was back in March 1965.
Three months later as a newly-wed with my wife and her family members we drove in a Corasir. Leaving Lahore in Pakistan we drove through Afghanistan and northern Iran to reach UK in 30 days. We drove through Shah-Pasund, the hunting-grounds of the Iranian Emperors and a pleasure for us then. Next week in the month of June we drove by snow on roadsides on a Turkish mountain close to Erzorum. The day-long drive on the northern shoreline of Turkey from Samson to Trabzon greatly enthralled us. The Black Sea breeze from our right and the greenery on our left can’t be easily erased from memory easily.
We entered Europe on an Istanbul ferry across Black Sea. Next day on a Bulgarian road we stopped to buy fresh fruits from one of the road-side stalls. A young woman vendor noticed the golden bangles on my wife’s arm and screamed happily. In no time 6 or 7 other girls arrived at my wife’s open window and kissed her hands in turns. Such kissing the hand of a new bride was construed as a good omen for their own marriages. They dumped a huge supply of grapes and cherries on my wife and refused to accept money. Finally I put some currency in a little girl’s hands and drove off to avoid a return of money. Next day in Zaghreb my sever chest pains had me admitted for surgery in the local hospital. A few hours later I was released ‘fully cured’ without any heart-attack symptoms or surgery. Apparently the preparatory sedative injection I got had really relaxed my stomach muscles. Resultant release of wind that was tied inside me due to long drive finally found a way out. Thank God for evaporating all suspicions of a heart attack or the need for imminent surgery.
Two years later once again I drove with my wife and our 2 under-2 year-old kids in an ever so longer-lower-wider Zypher. This trip along with three lady members of our family took 36 days from England to reach Pakistan. We enjoyed Afghan hospitality in a highway motel. N ice comfortable stay in a two-room suite. Big delicious dinner and sumptuous breakfast for three adults and lots of milk for our two boys. A locked-in garage for our car so that we did not have to empty it at night and load it on next day. All for 32 Afghanis which had then equaled 4 Pakistani Rupees which then equaled less than $1.
Then the 1967 Arab-Israeli war broke out in the Middle East. Other regional conflicts like the Iraq-Iran, Arab-Israeli and First Gulf war soon followed. Afghanistan was invaded by Russians. Iranians held the American hostages for 444 days. The political chaos in Middle East and North Africa turned into massive storm of violence. It was as if one gigantic volcanic eruption had suddenly exploded and set ablaze everything. The ensuing fire scorched the peace and foreigners fuelled fires by dumping in deadly arms. The 9/11 and demolition of Saddam Husain regime sent the flames of fighting go higher. The genii of murder, mayhem, massacre had been let out and few knew how to put it back. All dreams to peacefully travel thru Europe and Middle East with grandchildren were gone.
Peaceful, enjoyable, care-free, hearty welcome we got in all places we stayed even as we knew no local language. The beautiful cities, hotels and restaurants were sheer joy to enter and order food, not from their menus but from the little pictures of poultry and beef we carried in our pocket. The experiences with the people of the countries on the way during those travels and the memories they left us are so very pleasant and precious that I find few words to describe them. I wish we could travel again by road in PEACE through the Middle East as it was in 1965 to 1967. I cherish those travels we did three times between England and Pakistan, all in peace, real PEACE. We traveled with no fear, no anxieties, no danger of any kind We felt safe and enjoyed PEACE. We witnessed PEACE wherever we went, passed thru or stayed. We miss that pleasant PEACE. Mankind has the Key to PEACE provided in the Holy Qor-aan 002:178 but they have not used it. We wish PEACE settles in soon.
Tr – Travelogue – 11 – England to Pakistan in 16 days
Travelogue – 11 – England to Pakistan in 16 days
In February 1965 I planned my first journey in a VW Beetle from England to Pakistan. I was a student in London U and an ad got me a Sikh student to share gas cost to go to India. I motored thru Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Iran. I drove in all hours of the day and night, in cold rain and wet snow and sweltering heat too. One night I drove through 6 to 8 feet high walls of ice on both sides of the road made by the bulldozers in Austria. Next day I drove on Yugoslavia Autoput with freezing cold wind that made heater blow cold air. Next day the Bulgarian hotel and police kept passports of all travelers who had stayed the night. Hours later we were let go after a Russian military convoy had passed thru the city of Belgrade.
Next week on a Turkish mountain the snow started coming down hard and soon the car was sliding towards the back. I tried to go uphill but it glided backwards and did not stop until it had hit a big stone on road-side. We got out of car and saw the stone that had stopped our fall thousands feet below in deep valley. The One upstairs had by His Divine hand saved me for a good purpose which then I didn’t know. We stepped into inches of snow and saw in the distant a flicker of a light and started walking to it. It took us about one-half hour to reach the door from which the light from an oil lamp shined. A preteen opened the door, saw two strangers at their door in the dark and called aloud someone. We knew no Turkish and they knew no other language but a bit of my Arabic conveyed our plight. We were taken to a mosque, fed bread with dry cheese and tea, a dinner delicious to the last sip. Someone assembled 4/ 5 Turks and spoke an Arabic phrase meaning all Moslems were brothers. Any lingering doubt thus gone all faces lit up knowing they were helping one Pakistani Moslem. We talked for an hour or so and I can’t say how much one side said was understood by the other. They gave me Holy Qor-aan and asked for a Qir-rut (recitation) which was a real delight to me. We slept on a mattresses of reeds and were still asleep when hot tea woke us up and sun was up. They took us to the car, pushed it on road, refused to take any money and hugged us good-bye.
We drove thru wilderness for days and ate what was available at gas stations. Downing bread, cheese, tomatoes with bottled soft drink soon left all charm in healthy food. The sight of roasted chicken served on top of a huge plate of pilaf in Tehran was a great meal. Next week it was dusty sweltering heat of Kerman and Baluchistan deserts in Iranian south. Next morning I entered Pakistan at Qla Sofed, and arrived in Quetta by Friday prayer time. A policeman told me of the Ahmadiyya Mosque. After prayer, I was welcomed with hugs. It touched me a great deal as I had never been to Quetta before and was a total stranger to all. But the greeters by the dozens made me feel as if I were their lost brother just come home. I didn’t notice on the way a night-time earthquake but reached home in Lahore next morning. I had driven 8,000+ miles in 16 days but the tops was experiences of Moslems brotherhood. The memory of happenings in Turkey, Quetta and in that journey are forever fresh in mind. God’s Grace in those delightful memories is as fragrant now as it was back in March 1965.
Three months later as a newly-wed with my wife and her family members we drove in a Corasir. Leaving Lahore in Pakistan we drove through Afghanistan and northern Iran to reach UK in 30 days. We drove through Shah-Pasund, the hunting-grounds of the Iranian Emperors and a pleasure for us then. Next week in the month of June we drove by snow on roadsides on a Turkish mountain close to Erzorum. The day-long drive on the northern shoreline of Turkey from Samson to Trabzon greatly enthralled us. The Black Sea breeze from our right and the greenery on our left can’t be easily erased from memory easily.
We entered Europe on an Istanbul ferry across Black Sea. Next day on a Bulgarian road we stopped to buy fresh fruits from one of the road-side stalls. A young woman vendor noticed the golden bangles on my wife’s arm and screamed happily. In no time 6 or 7 other girls arrived at my wife’s open window and kissed her hands in turns. Such kissing the hand of a new bride was construed as a good omen for their own marriages. They dumped a huge supply of grapes and cherries on my wife and refused to accept money. Finally I put some currency in a little girl’s hands and drove off to avoid a return of money. Next day in Zaghreb my sever chest pains had me admitted for surgery in the local hospital. A few hours later I was released ‘fully cured’ without any heart-attack symptoms or surgery. Apparently the preparatory sedative injection I got had really relaxed my stomach muscles. Resultant release of wind that was tied inside me due to long drive finally found a way out. Thank God for evaporating all suspicions of a heart attack or the need for imminent surgery.
Two years later once again I drove with my wife and our 2 under-2 year-old kids in an ever so longer-lower-wider Zypher. This trip along with three lady members of our family took 36 days from England to reach Pakistan. We enjoyed Afghan hospitality in a highway motel. N ice comfortable stay in a two-room suite. Big delicious dinner and sumptuous breakfast for three adults and lots of milk for our two boys. A locked-in garage for our car so that we did not have to empty it at night and load it on next day. All for 32 Afghanis which had then equaled 4 Pakistani Rupees which then equaled less than $1.
Then the 1967 Arab-Israeli war broke out in the Middle East. Other regional conflicts like the Iraq-Iran, Arab-Israeli and First Gulf war soon followed. Afghanistan was invaded by Russians. Iranians held the American hostages for 444 days. The political chaos in Middle East and North Africa turned into massive storm of violence. It was as if one gigantic volcanic eruption had suddenly exploded and set ablaze everything. The ensuing fire scorched the peace and foreigners fuelled fires by dumping in deadly arms. The 9/11 and demolition of Saddam Husain regime sent the flames of fighting go higher. The genii of murder, mayhem, massacre had been let out and few knew how to put it back. All dreams to peacefully travel thru Europe and Middle East with grandchildren were gone.
Peaceful, enjoyable, care-free, hearty welcome we got in all places we stayed even as we knew no local language. The beautiful cities, hotels and restaurants were sheer joy to enter and order food, not from their menus but from the little pictures of poultry and beef we carried in our pocket. The experiences with the people of the countries on the way during those travels and the memories they left us are so very pleasant and precious that I find few words to describe them. I wish we could travel again by road in PEACE through the Middle East as it was in 1965 to 1967. I cherish those travels we did three times between England and Pakistan, all in peace, real PEACE. We traveled with no fear, no anxieties, no danger of any kind We felt safe and enjoyed PEACE. We witnessed PEACE wherever we went, passed thru or stayed. We miss that pleasant PEACE. Mankind has the Key to PEACE provided in the Holy Qor-aan 002:178 but they have not used it. We wish PEACE settles in soon.
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