PAKGHAN SERIES, DAY 5 – 8
KARACHI – MULTAN
Pakistans 17 hour train, cricket & food poisoning. Today we had a full day in Karachi before leaving to Multan so we thought about attempting the trip to Gadani again to see the ship breaking.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHY MY 70 YEAR OLD FATHER AGREED TO GO ON THIS 17HR OVERNIGHT TRAIN
My local contact sent out his driver who was sure could get passed the checkpoint. Our previous guide was good but was always keen to keep within the lines – not why we are here!
WHERE IS KARACHI?
Karachi
GADANI
This time, we drove through the checkpoint, and no one even glanced at us. We entered Gadani in no time. The driver wasn’t just navigating checkpoints; he was getting us there at record speed.
After visiting several ship breakers, we finally found one that let us in. Gadani’s bay used to hold many ships, but today, there was only one. We got close—so close that we were warned to stay back. I wanted to go in, but the place looked like a death trap.
From above, we saw workers with no PPE in sight. The risks were obvious—exposure to toxic gases, PCBs, oils, and asbestos, all handled by hand. They had already started dismantling the ship’s front, revealing its massive size and scale.
Pakistans 17 hour train, cricket & food poisoning
THE YARD
They cut the boat into sections, bring it into the yard, and break it into smaller pieces. These pieces are melted down for rebar or transported across the country. Huge steel sheets, chains, and lifeboats sat in the yard, waiting to be taken away.
Pakistans 17 hour train, cricket & food poisoning
THE TRAIN
We collected our bags from the hotel and headed to the train station to begin our journey north to Multan. I originally considered economy class for meeting more locals but chose the cabin experience instead. My dad could have managed economy, but the train itself was already challenging enough.
I hadn’t figured out my dad’s thoughts yet (not always easy), but I felt excited for this journey.
Pakistans 17 hour train, cricket & food poisoning
MIZAR
As we set off, we started chatting with Mizar, a local from Multan who wanted us to have a great experience. He’s probably fussier about tea than my dad, so much so that I thought the waiter might throw it at him.
As night fell, I enjoyed the views outside the train. Like many South Asian trains, the doors stayed open. We passed through small towns where houses and shops lined the train tracks, offering a glimpse into daily life.
Pakistans 17 hour train, cricket & food poisoning
RELATED READ: THE TRAIN RIDE OF A LIFETIME PT1 ADAM’S PEAK
RESTAURANT CARRIAGE
To kill a little more time we headed to the restaurant carriage which looked more like something out of a western movie. Here dad’s was able to use one of the many teabags he brought with him and Mizar was able to get third time lucky on his own cup of tea.
We soon met some more locals who were able to give us a little sing song but thought twice about taking them up on the offer of their green ice drink.
FACTS ABOUT PAKISTAN:
- Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation operates the world’s largest volunteer ambulance service. Founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi, this humanitarian organization provides emergency services across the country.
- Pakistan is home to the Khewra Salt Mine, the second-largest salt mine on Earth. Located in the Punjab region, dating back over 2,000 years and still produces about 350,000 tons of salt annually.
- Karachi, Pakistan’s financial hub and one of the largest cities in the world, faces a bizarre and alarming phenomenon—its coastline is receding, making Karachi one of the few major cities at risk of disappearing underwater.
SLEEP
Aside from the toilet having a mixed smell of bleach and sh*t the cabin wasn’t bad. We had plenty of privacy but neither of us realised how cold it would be during the night, it seems you cannot turn the AC off on this train! i bare backed it and gave dad my silk sleeping liner but I doubt even that would have made any difference.
TOP TIP: Always bring a winter coat when visited Iceland.
DAY 6, ECONOMY
I can usually sleep through anything but on these trains once you are awake thats it, there is little chance of getting round again. So instead I took a dander around the train to look through the different classes. There are plenty of options; private/shared AC cabins, AC economy and non AC economy. Taking a walk through non AC economy almost gave me PTSD, I’m sure glad I didn’t go for this!
It was cool to get off at each stop and have a quick look around the platform, most of these towns had very little going on, we wondered what would Multan be like!
MULTAN
Arriving in Multan wasn’t as chaotic as one might expect but our friend Mizar was happy to take us to our hotel. We hadn’t actually booked anything at this stage but had been recommended Multan Continental, which might sound decent but was a dump. Look, it wasn’t bad for me but I couldn’t have my dad staying like this.
Again Mizar was happy to help and took us across the road to Sinbad which wasn’t much better but a slight improvement. The people here were wacky personalities but for sure had to be one of the most frustrating stays of my life. If you wish to go anywhere outside of the hotel you must get a police escort. This wouldn’t be so bad had there even been one facility in our hotel to keep us amused.
WHERE IS MULTAN?
Multan
LUNCH
Mizar decided it would be a good idea to have lunch at his home which just literally just across the road from our hotel. Even then we had to wait for an escort and once we arrived I got a call from the police station. Apparently as a tourist it wasn’t allowed to go to other peoples homes, which baffled me as the police escort took us here and were standing outside waiting until we were done. I understand the reason for this but if they wish to enforce it then they must have the resources to do it effectively.
FAMILY
Mizar was great, he had us meet him family one by one which was a great privilege and you can see how seriously people here take their education and get an idea of their priorities in life. But anyway we were getting calls from the police again so we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel.
The rest of the night was spent chilling, followed by a quick take away from the Shangri-la. That should give you an idea of how difficult it is here, that its less hassle to get food delivered than go to a restaurant.
DAY 7, FOOD POISONING
Today was meant to be the entire reason dad had come out to Pakistan but instead I woke to find him in a pretty bad way. I know exactly how it feels to have food poisoning and apart from the obvious, the worst thing is no one can do a thing for you. Apart from make sure you are still alive and have an endless amount of water its a case of letting it get through you.
Apart from a dose of the guilts I was fine so instead I let him rest it out while I got caught up on some work. It’s not a nice feeling seeing one of your parents ill in a place you encouraged them to visit. Fortunately he came round in the evening and we headed out to the Avari hotel, the same hotel we stayed at in Karachi.
DAY 8, FOOD POISONING CONTINUED
Today was my turn to feel like sh*t as I battled through it since 3am. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as dads and I was able to get myself up and make it to the cricket, with an extra roll of toilet paper. We were only here for two days of cricket so there was no way we could miss both.
CRICKET
There aren’t a huge number of fans at the cricket but each set again had to travel in a convoy to the match, which was slightly gutting as we couldn’t enjoy the walk up to the stadium, one of the best parts of a sporting event.
The English fans were all in one area and positioned fairly well at one end and the facilities were decent too. Clean toilet (which I would need), unlimited free water and tea along with a lunch box. I think it was expected that most of the fans would struggle with some sort of lunch so it was good to get handed something, even if I wasn’t interested in eating it.
The match was good, although English ended up losing the test we managed to see 16 wickets and both teams batting.
RAMADA
As our health improved we decided to head to the Ramada for dinner (after waiting another age for an escort). This was the hotel we tried to stay in but was fully booked from the off. It was on a completely different level to anything else in the city, everything from the entrance foyer to the food on offer was exactly what we needed to survive in Multan.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It wasn’t look good for a while but I’m just glad we got to see the cricket, even if it wasn’t only for a day. Multan however was a complete joke of a city to visit and I would seriously encourage anyone thinking about visiting here to reconsider. Don’t get me wrong the people, or those we were allowed to meet are as good as anywhere but the process of leaving the hotel was one of the most frustrating travel experiences I’ve had.
NEXT UP
The city of Lahore, Punjab!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
172/229
This post is part of the Pakghan Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To see more photos or videos of my trip head to my social channels; YouTube, Instagram & TikTok.
