A Trip to Sindh

A trip to Sindh, in Pakistan, sounds dangerous. In fact a trip to anywhere in Pakistan sounds dangerous, and in some instances it certainly may be. Some parts of Pakistan are relatively safe though as I've come to find out. Rural Sindh is a poor farming region where the landlords are rich but the farmers and general population are very poor.

Of late, there has been a sprouting of tours arranged by individuals who know of safe places to take people to. Some do it in arrangement with the local populace or landlords, whichever works. Facebook has given them a way of creating and advertising the event and a place to market it. Social media at its best.

I was forwarded one such link by a friend to attend a star gazing event at Mirpur Sakro, a farming area about 100 KM from Karachi. I was apprehensive at first, but contacted the organisers about safety, facilities e.t.c.

I decided that I would not go alone, so I contacted a few friends and when one agreed to join the trip, I decided to go. Rather than ride the vans provided, I opted to take my own car. For one thing, I hate the way van drivers here drive as I normally end up dizzy and with a headache.

So we loaded up and joined the group at the planetarium in Karachi which was the meeting point. About 4 hours llater and after having stopped for a long lunch, we reached the farm, which had a small hut with 3 rooms and a toilet which was reservered for the ladies. Gents go out to the fields :)

The trip was arranged by the Karachi Astronomers society, and once we had setup on site, we all gathered, went through the introductions,and then as dusk fell upon us and the stars appeared, they proceeded to explain the stars, constellations and galaxies in the night sky to all the newbies.

As we understood, what's what in the night sky, things started getting more interesting. The milky way started to reveal its self as it went down in the west.

We then spent the night taking photos, identifying different objects, looking at htem through the telescopes, and having humourous discussions, mostly about why the zodiacs were thought to make the shapes they were defined as and not something else. Some on managed to see a dog and someone a girrafe - well!!

As the night passed, it got colder and almost everyone got their warm cloths on. The dogs started barking in the fields, no doubt disturbed by our lasers and flashes. In the wee hours, most people slept, thouse who stayed up enjoyed sweet tea or coffee and cooks also prepared sweet potatoes baked in an open wood fire.

The night sky is a wonderful thing to behold and hard to get tired off, more so, because it is no longer visible from our cities. I try not to miss an opportunity to experience such an event and hope that I will be able to attend more of these events in the future.