fading like a distant memory.. leaving streaks on my mind...

Its been less than 24 hours since I left karachi for the relatively serene calm of Doha, yet it feels like it has been months since I was in Karachi. The moment you step into that airport, everythign starts to fade around you like a distant memory. You still catch glimpses of Pakistan, but they are only fleeting reminders of where you are; shopsellers hawking out to you to uy shawls just like in the city, cricket matches being watched intently on screens where a congregation is huddled in oud argument, samosas and pakoras being sold fresh... but these are momentary glances, they dissappear fast amidst the noveau riche background, girls in tanks tops, uber rich businessmen talking about buying thousands of shares and dumping them instantly- this is the Paskistan you rarely see in most of Karachi, but here, at the airport you're closer to somewhere else than you are to Karachi.

I landed in Doha and passed through the airport with no problems, got into my car and was whom in 15 minutes. I saw all my family together for the first time in 7 months yesterday. I didn't realise it at the time, but it just clicked in. They were probably all anxious to see what I got them from Pakistan, bastards.

So, the Karachi experiment is over. I had a good time. People started to get on my tits near the end so i became selective in whom I hung out with. Its cool, it was bound to happen. I'm just glad I established a crew I clicked with near the end of my trip. Some good old boys that I was friends with back in the day are still good guyd to chill with and we had a good time for the last week at the Pak vs. India test match in Karachi and during a trip west of karachi further down the coastline. I'll post a few pictures later of that trip to the beach (in one word yes, beach.. but really, it was so much more).

I don't know how to end this post. Karachi was good. It was more than good. I discovered a lot about myself.. say myself overcoming some reservations and growing loser to my family in some ways. In other ways, it was also alrming, it raised question in my mind, it challenged me to meet expectation and above al, it laid out various scenarios of how my life could turn out if I made certain choices. Its given me a lot to think about. I have challenging choices to make in the next few years and my time in karacahi has shown me that I need to get my head around many of them soon, or it might turn out to be too late. Too late for what, you ask? Thats a post for another rainy day I'm afraid.