Gilgit Trip: Monday – On the Road (Pursuit of my Ticket)

My flight to Gilgit was cancelled on Monday, July 07, 2008. But that was not the end. I hadn’t given up. I had to try once again. So I bit later in the day I set out with my mother to get my seat reconfirmed for the next day, i.e. Tuesday. We left around 10 am for the PIA office on The Mall Road, near Saddar. We reached there in no time.

Then there was this agony of no available parking spaces. We passed in front of the building once, looking for parking, but failed. Then we passed in front of it again and still no success. Due to this ‘snail-paced’ driving, my clutch leg (left) was already hurting. So I suggested that I would let my Mum out in front of the building. She would get things done and then I would come back and pick her on my now third round. She agreed and I dropped her off. As planned when I passed in front of that building the third time, work was done. I took my mother and we headed home.

It was really hot and the traffic was too much. The whole experience on the road was tantalizing. I “tried” to keep my cool. I lost it all when I reached Ammar Chowk (very near my house) and saw the traffic stopping. There was once again a “route”. I cursed, abused and maybe even thought of swear words for the army official for whom traffic was blocked. Off course I didn’t utter a word out loud because my mother was sitting beside me. She would have freaked out on seeing me use such language.

Those were painful 20 minutes, waiting in the hot and humid weather. I managed to survive, somehow. When the traffic started after that, it was like a cool breeze. I tried to hurry home but a kind of jam had formed due to all those vehicles rushing to their destinations all at once. I was stuck in it but Thanks to Allah, not for long.

So just to go to the PIA office and get my ticket reconfirmed, it had taken more than 90 of my minutes. That too in the car, either driving, idling or waiting.

That was my adventure of the day. More than an hour spent on the roads, amidst heavy rains, trying to get to the airport. And then 90 minutes on the road in scorching heat topped with humidity, to make arrangements of my journey for the next day.

I was still hopeful and full of energy for the next day’s journey. Life brings such immense miseries and setbacks to one’s life. Compared to those, this was nothing. I could take this, definitely. :-)