The first time I visited Deosai, I only got a chance to travel through half of it. At 4000m above the sea level, the Land of Giants is affiliated with the supernatural in local culture and literature, and to me, the plateau does seem like paradise. I’d been longing to see it again and recently, I was lucky enough to visit for the third time within two months.

Day 1

Travelling from the town of Astore on a 4x4 jeep towards Deosai National Park, I stopped at Gorikot for a lunch of red beans (daal lobia) and thick beef gravy. After this, the ride was so peaceful that I rested back in my seat and savoured the view. A bluish-green river was flowing on my right, and I remembered how upon first seeing it, I had been reminded of the Neelum River in Azad Kashmir. Some of this water is indeed being fed by the glaciers of Kashmir. Right before entering Deosai, one crosses the army check-post at Chillim, and one route from here takes you towards Burzil Top, Minimerg, Domail and Rainbow Lake in Kashmir, while the other ascending road takes you towards the Deosai National Park. A nominal fee is charged from all those visiting Deosai, which goes towards the park management fund.

As we drove up towards the Plains, I witnessed fewer and stunted trees because of the extreme altitude. The greenery, in the form of round bushes and small conical trees, struck me as a remarkable wonder of nature. Near the track and beyond in the meadows, I could see wild flowers blooming in shades of pink, red, yellow and blue. The park management informed me that more than 300 varieties of flowers sprout up here in the short spring season, but due to lesser snowfall this year, there was comparatively lesser flora. The park management also raised concerns about the pressures on the wildlife of Deosai, because of an increase in livestock grazing.

After roughly an hour-long jeep ride, we arrived at our first stop; the stunning Sheosar Lake, which lies at an altitude of 4142 meters. Surrounded by grassy land and green mountains, it is difficult to describe the colour of this lake, which changes quickly based on the changing environs. After a fifteen minute long trek up a cliff, I was able to capture the Sheosar Lake, and the track on the left which goes all the way to Skardu, my destination for the next day. That night, however, I would be camping at Kala Pani, which was still forty-five minutes away by jeep. Away from the noise of the jeep engine, I often heard the sound of the golden marmot. Vibrant birds that I’d never seen in cities were a joy to observe. In the unforgettable moments I spent here, I watched clouds drifting from my right to the left, the sunlight creating striking shades in the lake and on the land around it.

Upon reaching the campsite, the few locals who recognized me were delighted. There was nearly an hour left before it would be dark, so I decided to climb a hill and watch the sunset. As I made my way up, I came across the burrows of golden marmots, curiously watching me and perhaps whispering to other marmots in the colony about my arrival. At the hilltop, the evening wind was chilly and around me, pink flowers were dancing in the breeze, almost glowing at this golden hour. The view was very rewarding, as I was able to see the vastness of the Deosai Plains, both before and behind me. Watching the thick golden clouds drifting in the wind was a perfect end for an exhilarating climb.

Back at the campsite, I ordered Chicken Karahi and ate it while listening to my host’s stories about brown bears.

Day 2

When I woke up in the morning, the sun had already risen from behind the mountains. Around 7 am, I stepped out of my tent to find a layer of ice on my slippers and camp, from last night’s precipitation. Before leaving for Bara Pani and Skardu, I enjoyed the view of a herd of horses that had come to drink water from Kala Pani. Kala Pani’s strange name can be attributed to the black stones found in the stream bed.

In less than an hour, my local guides drove me to Bara Pani, which was also a water stream like Kala Pani. There was a larger camping site here, and tourists could order food as well. Bara Pani is the core zone of the brown bear habitat, and bears are spotted here more often than at Kala Pani. I wistfully hoped that I would also get to see the brown bear this time, but remained unlucky.

After this, there was a drastic change in the landscape because the mountains in Skardu are more barren, and landslides are more common on this side of Deosai than on the Astore side. In another hour’s time from Bara Pani, I was at the check-post leading towards Skardu, and the journey ahead consisted of some dangerous twists and turns. Nevertheless, I personally prefer the landscape between Bara Pani and the Skardu check-post, because the mountains are steeper and therefore, more majestic.

As we drove further away, I realized that I can now claim to have seen the entire Deosai Plateau, and yet I felt as if the Land of Giants would call me back soon. After all, I still have to see the brown bears, and I’m sure the plains will keep surprising me with their hidden wonders. Since going off track is not allowed in order to protect the wildlife, perhaps one day I can ride a horse in this wilderness and explore the lands beyond.

On February 3, 1839, the HMS Wellesley bombarded the Fort of Manora. Karachi was enveloped in a cloud of smoke, and within four days, a surrender agreement was signed between the Talpur government and Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland, Commander-in-Chief of her Brittanic Majesty’s naval forces in the East Indies. Under the terms of the surrender document, the British were to control Manora and had a right to station troops on the Karachi mainland as well. The civil administration of the city, however, was to remain in Talpur hands.

The first British camp was set up in the plain between the old city and an ancient garden in its outskirts, known as Rambagh. This garden is now known as Arambagh, and houses an important mosque, while the camp area subsequently came to be known as the Serai Quarter.

“Shortly after the setting up of the military camp, Saddar Bazaar, known administratively as Saddar Quarter, was laid out to serve the British cantonment. The British forced the Mirs to exempt all goods sold in the bazaar from transit duty, so as to encourage traders to open shops in Saddar. Though the Talpur government had to give in to British pressure on the question of transit duty, it effectively discouraged the locals from setting up trade or commerce in Saddar. So it was only after the British annexation of Sind in 1843 that Saddar became a viable commercial area where European ladies could shop in a not too unfamiliar environment and purchase “the latest things from home, weather fashions, in dress, Easter eggs or Christmas Cards, the newest sources, the most novel condiments and the best of Wines.” However, it was not until the late 1920s that Saddar became a competitor to the old town’s well entrenched business interests.

As Karachi grew, Saddar became the centre of the city, and by the 1940s boasted cinemas, restaurants, bars, billiard-rooms and bookshops, in addition to markets, churches, community halls and libraries. Its architecture, built of Gizri stone, was human in scale, in the Gothic and Renaissance revival styles. The masons who worked on Saddar’s buildings were from neighbouring Rajasthan.”[i]

After Partition, Saddar continued to be the social and cultural centre of the new capital. The wives of government officials and foreign diplomats went shopping for their provisions at Empress Market, and the Saddar tea houses and bookshops were the haunts of students, intellectuals and politicians. Today, Saddar houses in abundance a wide variety of consumer electronics, items of clothing, jewelry, and antiques. It is the busiest place in Karachi, always brimming with activity, and one that caters to the needs of people from all over the city. Say you need your watch repaired; the strap or bracelet is damaged, or you’d like to get the battery and seals replaced, perhaps. Take to Zaibunnisa Street and you’ll find an array of shops and kiosks set up for this very purpose. Within an hour, and for as low as Rs. 100, you will walk out with your timepiece serviced to perfection. The street is famous for having numerous branded watch, clock and jewelry shops, as well as shoe stores by the likes of General Boot House and Sputnik Footwear.

The Abdullah Haroon Road deserves an honorary mention whenever Saddar is the topic of discussion. It is bustling with shoppers interested in all types of consumer electronics, ranging from juicers and blenders to ACs and fridges. Pakistan’s largest mobile market is situated on this very road, offering an endless variety of mobile and corded phones. Also located here is the Cooperative Market, famous for hosting hundreds of stitched and unstitched gents’ clothes shops. Much to the convenience of shoppers, the market also has renowned tailor shops, some of which boast having stitched suits and jackets for Quaid-e-Azam, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, and a more recent client by the name of General Pervez Musharraf!

The Regal Chowk is another attraction for those looking to buy electronics. Regal Trade Centre was named after Regal Cinema, and has now been converted into a shopping centre, which is the place to be if you’re looking to buy camera equipment, sound systems, and loudspeakers used primarily in mosques, and for marches and parades. The area is also home to photography studios and is constantly buzzing with the chatter of families getting group photos to mark important events, and students and job candidates getting passport size photos for their various applications.

An account of Saddar is obviously incomplete without the mention of Zainab Market. It’s the place with the busiest traffic, the loudest car horns, and the most excited shoppers bustling in and out of shops, giddy with their purchases. There is chatter, laughter, and lots of bargaining. Pedestrians will find betel leaf stains smeared in alleys and pathways, fruit vendors with their stalls set at the very edge of the footpath, and clothes in dashing colors swinging from the shops’ ceilings. It truly is a sight to behold. Zainab Market is a one-stop solution to all your clothing needs, as it has something for everyone. There are branded shoes, shirts and jackets, as well as master copies of the same items available at much more affordable prices. The diversity of items on sale is such that you will find shops for sportswear alongside those for brides and grooms on the same street.