Christmas for Payatas
Saturday, November 22, 2008
What is more, on a daily basis, children pick through newly arrived garbage to collect material to sell. The earnings made by one child are not enough to even buy food for the day. Hence, entire families are forced to climb the mountain each day, hoping to earn enough to feed everyone. Children as young as four years old are forced to work in this daily struggle for survival.
In response to the plight of these children, Totedaddy.com is working with Lighthouse Center for Children Foundation to bring a little cheer to the children this Christmas.
Totedaddy.com has kicked off with a cash sponsorship of USD 10,000 to enable the children to celebrate Christmas. FusionExcel International has also pitched in a USD 5,000 in cash sponsorship. The money raised will help fund the projects already in place, and help fund additional projects aimed at providing better housing, and a means of livelihood for the Payatas community.
Does this move you? If yes, let us join hand in a good cause and work together for betterment of our fellow human beings. Together we can bury poverty.
posted @ 7:03 PM,
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Self Massage Treatment
Friday, November 21, 2008
Self-massage treatment constipation is believed to play a security role in the purge. Chinese massage is closely related to famous and proven method of treatment called acupuncture and is considered to be effective for a similar range of health problems. Explore the site and see what all China Massage is offering and how it can help anyone. It is a wonderful information rich site that should be book marked for regular use. I have already added this in my favorites for my reference.
Thanks to China Massage that they have vividly explained Self-massage treatment step wise. The supporting illustrations make it so much easier for anyone to practice this and benefit. It is simple; sitting on your own bed and putting five fingers close together at different positions and some easy movements of hands and fingers.
What is more, self-massage can adjust gastrointestinal function, muscle tension training, and enhance health, especially for chronic constipation. Adhere to the massage again, the way should be light, flexible, mainly to the abdomen. In addition, attention should be paid to an appropriate diet, eating more vegetables, fruits, to develop a daily habit of regular bowel movements.
I suggest you browse through and use self-massage treatment constipation when you need.
posted @ 11:52 AM,
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Krakoram Express
Late last September, it was brutally air-conditioned throughout and it is punctual, too. Six passengers have a compartment to themselves. No streams of persistent vendors. No one can have the pleasure of hanging from an open train door as they are locked stop to stop.
Like Lahore-Islamabad motorway the train is for many a symbol of modernity and progress.Most of my journeys begin from the hinterland and on foot with very little provisions on back. But this one began on the train. This time suitcases were packed instead of backpack days in advance and phone calls were put through to friends and relatives en route to alert them to our arrival. My starting point, the Lahore Railway Station, fourteenth gateway of Lahore, is sturdy and imposing. It is an interesting place to hang around in any time of day or night. At the Station there are bookstores stocked with spiritual tracts, Internet guides, archetypal books of love poetry and Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. Other shops sell everything from souvenir (crude) clay ware to artificial jewellery, not to mention a fast food chain outlet and countless tea shops. The platform is always clogged with goods going and coming to and from up and down the country. There is a grumble of departing passengers’ trains and the maddeningly frequent station announcements and attacks of red shirt porters (called cullies) and cab drivers on every passenger. Every porter has per trip rate written on the shirt but none charges that. Every one asks for more. In all this, behind one barricade of luggage on the floor of the station slept a family with their belonging tucked under their heads. This is because the utility of waiting rooms has been excessively marginalized over the years. In the holy month of Ramadan, the station becomes a huge eating joins. Every tea stall is shrouded in curtains. And, if you have seen one railway station, you have seen all.
The complete train (except engine) has been made by Changchun Car Company in China as part of Pakistan Railways consignment worth rupees 7.77 billions to import 175 passenger coaches. The 14 completely built coaches have already been commissioned and rest are to be assembles in the Pakistan Railway Carriage Factory Islamabad. Two Chinese engineers (one electrical and one mechanical) travel with the train to observe its performance that plies on the track laid by the British over a century ago. I tried to but could not converse with them. They only knew Chinese. But I am sure they must be surprised on how Pakistan Railways is using some of the old infrastructure. At places one can see the equipment of old vintage (1906) in use. The main strategic and commercial artery of the country, the railway line passing through the length of the country, needs to be doubled on priority.
Lahore to Karachi is always an amazing trip: mind expanding, horizons broadening, wallet emptying -- and you are home again. Nothing much has changed and somehow your friends are not as excited about your cool travel tales as they should be. Homecoming blues are a price I always pay. What can be done about them?
One of my cures when I am stuck at home is to keep up with letters and emails to people I met while travelling. As time goes on, you never know what those sorts of contacts will lead to -- future travel. It is all too easy to let travel friendships slide, but then that just gives you one more thing to be depressed about. Developing these relationships allows you to think of your trip as the start of something rather than an ending.
posted @ 8:05 AM,
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Why Travel
Saturday, November 15, 2008
David Braid, 32, a high school teacher from Melbourne, Australia, photographs a Kalash girl on her way to school in the Bumboret Valley of the Hindu Kush mountains. “My sister has this business that helps the ladies of Pakistan by buying their traditional fabric to make clothes that she sells. She spends a lot of time in Chitral, and my girlfriend and I came over to visit and traveled around that area. The Kalash — they’re not Muslim; they’re a sort of tribal people native to that area — they’re cut off from the rest of the world for five to seven months of the year. Lots of them dressed like that girl, and they still live in the traditional houses that they’ve been living in for thousands of years. I guess slowly they’re getting integrated — the women are marrying Muslim men, their lifestyle is changing. But they’re still there. I don’t know how much longer their culture is going to be there like that, but it’s just amazing that it is like that now.” As told to Austin Considine.
posted @ 12:41 PM,
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Kabul Comes to Attok
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Attock District in Punjab, Pakistan, is a place of great historic significance. Alexander the Great of Macedonia passed through it as did the first Mughal, Babar, and the various Afghan Sultans before him.Emperor Akbar the Great, the grandson of Babar, recognizing the strategic importance of this area in 1581 built his famous Attock Fort complex here. The fall of Mughal Empire in eighteenth century saw the rise of Sikhs in Punjab and Durrani Afghans to the west. Once again Attock became a battle ground between two contending powers. British finally ended the feud by subjugating both Sikhs and Afghans in the nineteenth century. British at the same time also brought rail line to the area, built first permanent bridge in 1880 over the Indus River, and established a new city of Campbellpur. After independence of Pakistan the city was renamed as Attock City while the old city by the river is called Attock Khurd (Little Attock).So what gives Attock its historic significance and strategic importance?
The answer lies in geography. Located at the rim of the Potohar Plateau and overlooking the Kabul-Indus River confluence to the north, Attock is the historic gateway to the Central Asia.
Mr. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India is known to have said: “As soon as I cross the Attock Bridge across the Indus River I feel as if I am in Central Asia”.Indeed Attock is the eastern terminus of the Kabul-Attock corridor to the Central Asia through which for centuries have passed the armies and the caravans alike. However unlike the modern highways, this corridor is not a work of engineering marvel but an act of nature as it was naturally carved through the Hindu Kush Mountains by the legendry Kabul River and its numerous tributary rivers and streams. Traveling through the historic Kabul-Attock corridor and its adjoining valleys is in essence following the journey of the Kabul River and its tributaries.
The 435 miles long journey of River Kabul starts just west of the Kabul city in Afghanistan and ends at Attock where it ultimately falls into the River Indus. The river rises in the Sanglakh Range 45 miles west of the Kabul city as a small trickling and flows east towards Jalalabad and ultimately into Pakistan. Half mile east of Kabul city it is joined by the River Logar from the south and then about 40 miles below the Kabul city joins the River Panjshir flowing down from the north. On its way to Jalalabad, Kabul River is also joined by smaller rivers like Tagao, Alingar/Alishang combined, and Surkhab. Then about two or three miles below the city of Jalalabad it is joined by the Kunar River, which first rises in Chiantar glacier in Chitral, Pakistan as River Mastuj and flows southwest into Afghanistan.
Once in Afghanistan the Kunar River gets joined by Bashgal River from Nurestan before it finally merges with Kabul River. Kunar River brings in enough waters from Chitral and Nurestan areas that a few miles below its confluence with Kabul River a hydroelectric plant is built to harness river energies. This is the first water works on River Kabul.
From Jalalabad onward River Kabul cuts deep gorges through the Mahmond Hills, curves northward and approximately forms the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan for several miles and then turns eastward again to be completely inside Pakistan just north of the legendry Khyber Pass. Ultimately in a perfect inverted U shape the river heads south towards the plains of Peshawar, the capital city of the Frontier Province of Pakistan.
Now this is the route through the Kabul River Valley, that armies of Alexander the Great and other invaders from Central Asia after him took to reach down to the plains of Peshawar.
These days, since 1945, the Upper Kabul River Valley in Afghanistan is occupied by the modern Kabul-Jalalabad-Peshawar Highway. However the highway does not completely follow the ancient route and instead, from Jalalabad onward it zigzags over the mountains and reaches Peshawar via Torkham and Landi Kotal through the legendry Khyber Pass. There is not much vehicle traffic through the river gorge; however the river itself is navigable by flat bottom boats or rafts and is considerably used for two-way commerce between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The gorge is narrow and deep and could easily lend itself as a site for a hydroelectric project but unfortunately neither one of the two countries has considered any such project yet.
In Pakistan the first head works on Kabul River is the Warsak Dam placed near Michni Fort. From this point various canals are developed in order to irrigate Peshawar Valley; these canals have significantly contributed towards the prosperity of the Charsadda district. Bara River flowing in from the Khyber Agency in the southwest is the first tributary to the Kabul River in Pakistan. These days Kabul River Canal originating from the Warsak Dam, after joining with Bara River provides waters to the Peshawar area and then travels further east to ultimately fall back into the Kabul River near the city of Nowshera.
Another and a major contributor to the Kabul River in Pakistan is the Swat River. It rises in the northern Swat near the city of Kalam and after traveling southward for about 70 miles gets joined by the Panjkora River near the town of Kalan Gai in Malakand District. The Panjkora River itself, just like Swat River, rises near Shiren gai in Dir and travels south to meet its counterpart. Together these two rivers continue to travel southward as Swat River and after passing through the Mahmond Agency fall into the Kabul River near Charsadda. The total length of Swat River is about 140 miles. Saidu Sharif is the most important and a capital city along the banks of River Swat. In the historic times these river routes were used both in war and peace. However with the opening of Jalalabad-Peshawar Highway and the Karakarom Highway to the further east, these ancient river routes even though now equipped with modern highways have lost their international significance and presently are used for the local traffic only.
British by 1895 under the leadership of Sir Robert Low had subjugated the Yousafzai clan of Swat, established a fort near the Malakand Pass and then brought rail line from Nowshera to Dar gai. They had also connected Swat with Malakand by tunnels thus further minimizing the importance of the ancient route via Swat River. Not only that, the Swat River itself was partially diverted at Malakand hydroelectric project as some of the river waters are forced to go through three mile long man made tunnels to a fall of 350 feet.
At present there are two power houses at Malakand Khas and Dar gai respectively and a third one is in the planning. At the bottom end of the tunnels the river waters are channeled through the Upper and the Lower Swat Canals. The Lower Swat Canal after passing through Mardan and Rasalpur areas falls into Kabul River near Nowshera. The Upper Swat Canal falls into the Kabul River just above the town of Jahangira named after Emperor Jahangir, the only son of Emperor Akbar. Jahangira is located on the right bank of the Indus River at its confluence with River Kabul. The rail line and the famous Grand Trunk, commonly known as G. T. Road, from Nowshera to Attock travels through the Lower Kabul River Valley along the banks of the River Kabul.
The journey of the Kabul River that starts from the Sanglakh Hills just west of the Kabul city in Afghanistan finally ends at the Indus River just north of Attock in Pakistan. The confluence area is a known sanctuary for the migratory birds flying between Siberia and Indus River delta in southern Pakistan along the Arabian Sea. The total run of the Kabul River and its tributary rivers adds up to be more than one thousand miles. All together from seven to ten significant tributary rivers and their picturesque valleys belong to the overall Kabul River system.
The thousands of square mile area of the Kabul River watershed, which is separate from the Upper Indus River watershed in Northern Areas of Pakistan, is stretched from Gazna to Panjshir Valley in northeast Afghanistan and from Khyber Agency to Chitral, Dir and Swat in northwest Pakistan. Today even though the ancient river routes of the Kabul River tributaries have lost their original significance, the new potentials for commerce, tourism industry and the river water developments are considerably significant. In the best interest of their people, the governments of neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan need to minimize their political differences and cooperate mutually to fully realize the potentials of their joint Kabul River system stretched from Gazna to Kalam and from Kabul city to Attock City.
Labels: Attok, Kabul, Khyber, NWFP
posted @ 8:00 AM,
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Desert Landscape
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The way of life is also about to change. The women folk in drab landscape of desert wearing nath (nosegay), katmala (necklace), kangan (big bangles), pazeb (worn on toes), bright color, and vivid pattern lehngas of 20 yards and high cholis may one day become part of history. Maybe not so in near future! Sofi poet Khawaja Ghulam Farid, who spent 18 years of his life wandering about in Cholistan, admiring its beauty and people wrote, "But what tongue shall tell the glory of it, the perpetual strength of it, and sublimity of its lonely desolation! And who shall paint the splendor of its light." The poet was passionately found of desert milieus that are hard, dry and at first repulsive. His fascination for Cholistan was so rich that his poetry has woven melodious aura all around Rohi -- as the desert is called in a local dialect. He has set the standards for desert wanderers. I can tell you something of what I have seen during my intermittent stay - from 1977 till 2000 - in the desert, but I cannot tell you the grander of the desert, nor the glory of colors that wrap the burning sand. The awesome vistas and richness of the desert are beyond description. Cholistan is a land of legends, myths, velour, romance, folk melodies and regal elegance.
At the tail of monsoon region, Cholistan stands as if petitioning the sky for rain. It very seldom falls. And whenever the prayers are answered, the water is stored for human being as well as animals in reservoirs known as `kunds'. Average rainfall in the area is 3 to 5 inches a year. Nomadic Holystones are constantly moving in search of water that is scarce, lies very deep, and is brackish. The lack of fresh water for drinking and irrigation controls the lives of the people of the region. A Saraiki poet once wrote, "Men tassel, merry dart tarsi, tee tarsi Rohi jai, melon ankh an pan dryad." It seems as if Cholistan is still mourning for the demise of the River Hacra. Cholistan is one of the fantasy regions for local as well foreign tourists, geologists, historians, archaeologists and naturalists.
A part of Rajisthan desert called `marusthali' (region of death); Cholistan is an extraordinary place. The word Cholistan has got its origin from the Turkish word `chilistan' which means desert. As per the local lore, the name has been derived from choli worn by women of the area. When you get down to dust and sand, the desert is a place of striking contrasts, of ruggedness, of delicacy, of big noise and long silence. The best way to see Cholistan is on dirt roads and trails, either in hiking boots or on something with four wheels or four hoofs drive with lot of water in the backpack.
Botanically divers Cholistan comprises of dry, wet, and green lands. Southern portion is called greater Cholistan with sand dunes rising high unto 100 feet. Even in dry tract there are hundreds of species of plants as Kandi, Ak, Wild Carper, Qatran, Ber and Khar with well-established root system in the environment. The loamy soil with lot of vegetation in northwestern portion is known as lesser Cholistan. Green areas are intensively cultivated with thriving plantation.
Wildlife in Cholistan (95 per cent of that has already been destroyed, though officially protected) has to blend rather than hide. On several occasions I nearly bumped into a flock of deer that was hiding into bushes as I approached. At night I once saw startled fawn gazing right into the headlights of my jeep. Many a times I came across feathers of Tiloor (Houbara Bustard) killed by poachers, though could not see one flying. Houbara Foundation International is trying hard to save the guest bird that is at the verge of extinction due to reckless hunting by 'royal dignitaries' who come in Cholistan every year. A renowned naturalist Jamal Hamid writes, "This desert is a particularly promising venue for the study of animals." Cholistan attracts not only the highest number but also the highest variety of wildlife that is not found anywhere else in Pakistan. Most of the 'honored guests' come from north. Most famous variety of local wildlife (Parha (hog deer), Neel Gaee (blue bull), and Black Buck) are still available in the areas near border. Majority of these creatures is nocturnal and shy, so watching of these requires endurance and good pair of binocular. Wild cat, jackal, wolf, mangoes, squirrel, field rat, over 200 types of insects and as much as sixty varieties of snakes are found in 10400 square miles of this rain less tract.
Those who take their first chance on by train to Feroza, a small Railways Station on main track, find multiple tracks that originate from Feroza (more of a military railway station) and interlace the expanses of Cholistan. One has to muscle his way along these tracks lined with army camps: army personnel come to Cholistan for practice firing of heavy caliber weapons.
Cholistan has some fifty sites and forts of Harappan demeanor. Derawer (also known as Dera Rawal, Deogarh, Dilawer, and Derawat) is situated in a dry bed of lost river Hacra. Sir Aural Stein during survey of Cholistan described it as "a place where occupation continued beyond pre historic times." It was once the centre of Aryan culture. In 1759, it was taken over by Abbasi Amirs and remained capital of Bahawalpur State. The city of bazaars, schools, madrassas, mosques and a headquarters of Bahawalpur Transport Camel Corps, in its hay days, lost its importance when it ceased to be the state capital. Now this place of antiquity is famous for the relics of the largest and most imposing of the Cholistani forts. Derawer Fort was built by Deoraj, a prince of Jaisalmir.
The lofty and rolling battlements of the fort are visible from a long distance. The fort has 40 battlements made of thin red bricks. There are two old vintage guns mounted on pedestals in the dusty courtyard of the fort. The Abbasi Amirs and Nawabs are buried in a hall with engraved doors. On the western side are old dungeons and under ground rooms now infested with bats and rats. As per the myth the secret to change metal into gold was told to Prince Deoraj by his mentor jogi and there still is a treasure hidden somewhere in the fort. In 1825, Nawab Bahawal Khan constructed a mosque with cupolas and domes of exquisite marble. The mosque is a living glory of the place.
The inevitable tide of human change - education, communication, and opportunities elsewhere - has yet to reach this part of the world. These elements are following the water as, when and where it reaches. During my visits and stay through out the active service, I have spoken with a few people who live in semi permanent settlements and watered nooks the desert provides here and about in greater Cholistan. An old man living near the Derawer Fort says, "All sorts of people (geologists, naturalists, archaeologists, travelers and hunters) are welcome here but nobody brings dams, roads, power lines, televisions and schools for our children from the mainland.
Recently, Cholistan had an unusually long spell of dry seasons and its signs are still there. Cholistan Development Authority could think of piped water for drinking (and irrigation) on the lines as it is being used in Saudi Arabia or lift canal system as employed by Americans in California. These systems are less expensive than canals and will expedite the process.
There is a large difference between rhetoric and realities in Cholistan. It is a tranquil, pollution free and quite destination. Visiting such a place is very simple and plenty of fun. The enjoyment increases exponentially with the level of interest. But, what of those who are living there. It seems pretty hard!
posted @ 10:28 AM,
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Zenni Optical on FOX News
When a popular consumer advocate program like The Clark Howard Show recommends some product, it means that the product is worth a try. Zenni - an online store for prescription eyeglasses - was recommended recently. The best thing is Zenni’s low prices. They offer Great Eyeglasses For Less. That is why I recommend Zenni. If you are using eyeglasses, you should start at Zenni Optical. Explore the neatly laid out and users’ friendly site and see Variable Dimension Frames From Zenni and why was Zenni Optical was on FOX news! Better still, try them.
posted @ 10:21 AM,
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What is Doodh Patti?
Tea is taken in Pakistan more than any other drink. You get a cup of tea made by boiling tealeaf (patti) in water and mixed with lots of milk (doodh) and sugar anywhere. Those who prefer more milk boil tea leafs in milk instead of water.
Doodhpatti is taken so frequently that even foreigners traveling to Pakistan know this and its taste (and ask for it). Hence the name of this blog that is showcase for some of my travel articles.
This is my cup of tea.
Pakistan
Pakistan is one of the best travel destinations in the world – desert expanses in Thar and Cholistan, Lush green plains in Punjab, mighty mountains in Northern Pakistan and Chitral, and many just to yourself places, what else. Start of the world history can still be traced down to Pakistan – Indus Civilization. Pakistan has a lot to offer to every one; not only to travelers, hard core adventurers, mountaineers, rural tourists, and vacationers but also to anthropologists, archeologists, and researchers?
