Thundering Road

Eureka! The peacefully silent road of many months leading from Karachi all the way up to the border town Chaman in Balochistan and into Afghanistan is back to its purpose of carrying heavily loaded vans to supply the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) with urgently needed goods. As a Pakistani journalist commented: A woman picked up the phone and called another woman to say she was "sorry" and the magic word ended a seemingly hopeless blockade between the U.S. and Pakistan. Intense diplomacy preceded this carefully orchestrated call between the two Foreign Ministers Hillary Clinton and Hina Rabbani Khar - relief on all sides.
Relief also expressed by the Afghan Taliban, who lost a considerable source of income during this seven months period of suspended traffic... The government assured enhanced protection for the drivers and their cargo.

The first trucks crossed the border loaded with water the next day. An extremely valuable good during these summer months also for the people of Pakistan, facing the longest heat spell in its history.
Monsoon is eagerly awaited and last night's heavy thunderstorm and lightning with pouring rain gave a short relief and a drop in temperature of two degrees Celsius...

The long snake of trucks winding through the mountains consists of many painstakingly decorated vehicles, a Pakistani tradition and the pride of their owners. Drivers here are slim and slender and seem to harbor a playful spirit and poetic soul. Decorations include tiny bells, series of small clanking chains, fluttering fabric webs or hair tuft, the body of the truck colorful and meticulously painted or taped in all details all over.

But most surprising are the homespun philosophical writings on the lower front and back of these heavy vans:
"You will be the happiest person if you don't have wisdom, and if you have wisdom, all you do is thinking."
"Do not come in veil in front of me, because I am already drunk in love."
"A mother's prayer is a breeze from heaven."

A local staff member at the residence is getting ready for his leave to marry at his home town Chitral in the Northern part of the country. He chose his bride, a distant cousin. The wedding preparations have been in full swing for weeks, the women do the cooking and the men the tailoring - the groom does not have to stay behind in splendor and glory! A visit at the silk shop, followed by several more at the tailor and the specialist for embroideries, and a white silk coat with elaborate decorations stitched to match the taste of the aspiring husband is being accomplished - along with matching shoes and a turban. As this life changing day approaches, so does the excitement and the tension of the groom. The bride will wear first an orange and then a red silk dress, the celebrations will last for several days.

To complete the summer mood, the most delicious, plump and juicy black cherries from Hunza, a mountainous valley close to the Chinese border, reach Islamabad, adding more sweetness to the rich taste of mangoes from Sindh.