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Hi all,
I'm heading back to Lahore for a couple of months on a consultancy job. I was to leave tomorrow, but there's a big demonstration planned there on Monday so I've been delayed a week.
Two questions; does anyone remember the name and address of the hotel we used to stay at there?
And secondly, I see that Sundowners have a trip that goes to India and to China called "Central Asia and the Silk Road". Does anyone know anything about that? I've been up to Skardu on the Karakoram Highway, but that's as far as one could go back in the days. If I can organise it I might try to follow a similar itinerary after my consultancy finishes. I understand that these days it's difficult or impossible to get a visa in Pakistan to go to India, which is a shame as I wanted to sneak into one of Eugene Pram's tours and do a dead ant when he said "that word is genius", but the China etc part of the itinerary might still be a goer.
Any ideas?
Mike
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One of the hotels I used was Zonobi's Hotel and the address from memory was 25 E Market, Gulberg. This was vary ordinary, even by Pakistan standards and I don't think many used it. I tried to find the other hotel Colin mentioned on Google Earth but just like my own backyard the place has changed. I remember the hotel, I think called the "International". It was off to the left and then on the left, as we came into Lahore on the G.T. Road. The parking was at the front and towards the back, on the left, was a welcomed swimming pool.
On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 1:59 PM, Mike McDermott [via sundownersadventures] <[hidden email]> wrote:
Hi all,
I'm heading back to Lahore for a couple of months on a consultancy job. I was to leave tomorrow, but there's a big demonstration planned there on Monday so I've been delayed a week.
Two questions; does anyone remember the name and address of the hotel we used to stay at there?
And secondly, I see that Sundowners have a trip that goes to India and to China called "Central Asia and the Silk Road". Does anyone know anything about that? I've been up to Skardu on the Karakoram Highway, but that's as far as one could go back in the days. If I can organise it I might try to follow a similar itinerary after my consultancy finishes. I understand that these days it's difficult or impossible to get a visa in Pakistan to go to India, which is a shame as I wanted to sneak into one of Eugene Pram's tours and do a dead ant when he said "that word is genius", but the China etc part of the itinerary might still be a goer.
Any ideas?
Mike
Vicar
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Sorry that should have read 25 E Main Market, Gulberg.
Vicar
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I Googled it and the colour of the swimming pool is as I remembered it but that is where my recall finishes. On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 3:36 PM, Colin Davidson [via sundownersadventures] <[hidden email]> wrote:
Just Googled it and this what I got,
International Hotel - Shahrah-e-quaid-e-azam - Lahore Pakistan
Vicar
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Thanks Colin and Vicar,
Yes, the International rings a bell.
I didn't know that Akram had died.
Thanks, guys; I'll check it out and let you know.
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we used to use a mechanic called mr lee, i think. a pom or a scot. probably gone as well.
take a look at the border if you get time. i recently saw some pictures of the indian side (attari rd), and they have grandstands to allow for the people watching the changing of the guard.
wasnt likt that then, for sure.
have a good trip
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Mike you will remember the International when you see it. The lawn on the left (snake show etc)as you drive in will still probably be patchy.
At the basement level there is a large airconditioned auditorium where on one trip we had to camp as "The Courier" forgot to book the hotel rooms.???
Stay safe Mike, serious shit happens there very day now!
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Hi Mike
Greg Paul was at our reunion and now runs various trans continental tours .In 2013 he is planning a SILK ROAD tour.He would be most likely to be up to date with any information requirements.
Google RALLY TOURS NEW ZEALAND for contact details
Good luck
Rocky
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Here is a link to the changing of the guard at the border, that was referred to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSM4Cw_1V9EMy! how times have changed. I can remember it used to take this long to process just 1 passenger through the border.
F#*@! If it were left up to me I would just walk up with a key and unlock the gate. Then that is just me.
Vicar
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Wow. So I may have to revise my dead ant strategy if I meet Eugene Pram again. He would be quite unimpressed. Clearly, things have since developed in the region.
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Hi Simon,
Yes, I remember that auditorium. Apparently you, Phil and me put on quite a performance for the punters that night at about 0200, but the reviews the next morning weren't all that positive. Great talents, obviously; pearls before swine.
I say "apparently" because I don't remember a thing about it. The last thing I remember about that night was having a skulling race with Phil of a large full glass of whisky. If I won, we were to go off to bed. If Phil won, we were to carry on drinking. I don't remember even finishing the glass, but I gather Phil won; hence our performance.
>Mike you will remember the International when you see it.
Yes, I am sure I will remember it all right, and your astonishing feat of survival in baking on that front lawn the whole next morning while Phil, Akram and I took the punters around town. It was then that I decided that you must be indestructible.
>Stay safe Mike, serious shit happens there very day now!
Thanks, Simon. You are right about that. Although you may well be indestructible, I know that I am not; and as a father it would be irresponsible of me to either place myself in jeopardy or not to go there.
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Hi Rocky,
Greg Paul! Well, good on him. I will Google that now.
Many thanks for the tip,
Mike
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>Stay safe Mike, serious shit happens there very day now!
Simon, after posting my earlier reply to you I checked my email and found this link, sent to me by my landlady here:
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Drop-BearWhile quite funny, there's also a point to be drawn from it: that danger can come when we least expect it, and not when we most do.
I reckon I'll be OK. At least I'll be away from the habitat of the dreaded drop bears. Not to mention real things like crocodiles on my beach walks, box jellyfishes in the sea, meliododsis here from just walking on the grass ...
Of course, people can be much more dangerous than even crocodiles, let alone drop bears. You may recall that incident that Carl and I had in the (real) Khyber Pass. That all turned out well; the Afridis acted honourably. Clearly though, now there are others in Pakistan who do not.
In'shallah.
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Hi all,
I arrive back in Lahore yesterday evening. First impression: a lot more smoggy than before. Maybe that's just temporary, but probably not.
I asked about the International Hotel at reception; he said that it shut down about a decade ago. Hubert tells me that Akram died long ago too. Lots of security precautions is another big change. Still, that goes for Australia as well. I went through my first body scanning machine at Darwin airport. I daren't even fart there any more, for fear of a SWAT team barging in saying "freeze, asshole".
Ah well,
Mike
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Hi All,
I just checked out the International Hotel. It's a bit closer to the road than I remembered it being; I guess they have widened it.
It was all a bit ghostly and sad. The old caretaker there said it closed about 16-17 years ago. I remember the long corridor down the back, but the breakfast room to the left is only kinda sorta coming back to me.
Simon, I went downstairs and back into the big room where our big chance for international stardom was snuffed out by poor reviews. It was very dark and I couldn't get my camera's flash to work, but the young caretaker had a torch so at least I could see it.
The old caretaker did not remember out trips coming there, but he did know people who had told him of our trips. There weren't any of our stickers still around.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Mike
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Is it sad?
Occasionally I wonder what it would be like to retrace our overland steps.
The cities and towns would probably still be there but what about the
changes? I don't know how I would go looking for hotels that are no longer
there or just ghosts of the past. When seeing some of these places I would
be drawn to remember the good and fun times we had there.
Am I better to hold onto the memories and romance with what I know?
Having said all that, please take pictures.
Vicar
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