My 2013 Trip to the Port of Keti Bandar, Pakistan

[Meengla]

I am finally getting around to publishing some photos and a brief travelogue of my trip to the port of Keti Bandar, Sindh, Pakistan from Karachi's North Nazimabad location. The trip was taken in mid-December 2013. The weather was beautiful! You can't beat the weather in and around Karachi during winters. The road was mostly good except for when passing through small towns in Thatta district. I didn't feel any security concerns during the trip--compared to almost all of Karachi. And the overall experience of visiting Keti Bandar was the best during my 17-day stay in Karachi.

Background info about Keti Bandar, from Wiki:

Keti Bandar (Urdu: کیٹی بندر) is a port on the Arabian Sea, in the Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. The port was built on the remains of the older seaport of Debal where Muhammad bin Qasim and his army arrived from Iraq.

Transportation/Costs:
I rented a car through: Affordable Rent a Car Service in Pakistan . The experience was mostly great; some minor surprises about costs/car options but, for only approx: $120 TOTAL,
1) I got a newer model of Toyota Corolla driven by the company's chauffeur-driven car from approx. 9 AM till about 7 pm for about $60
2) Gas/Petrol: $40
3) Food along the way /Boat Rental in Keti Bandar: $20

Who went:
Me, my cousin (you will probably see him in some pics), and the chauffeur (sorry, forgot his name!).

Here is the route taken by us--only the main highway(s) out of Karachi valid. (trip pics to follow later):

 

[Menace2Society]

Sounds awesome, I would like to do something like this!

 

[cyphercide]

You've posted those 2013 pictures already. I distinctly remember thanking them last time.

You have a cute but overweight cuz...

 

[Meengla]

@cyphercide ,
No, those were from my 2011 trip! I never posted any pic from my 2013 trip. And that cute overweight guy is actually my nephew; the cousin is a thickly bearded one. But he is harmless!

 

[cyphercide]

@cyphercide ,
No, those were from my 2011 trip! I never posted any pic from my 2013 trip. And that cute overweight guy is actually my nephew; the cousin is a thickly bearded one. But he is harmless!

So...is your nephew...like single or sumthing?


To clarify, I am fuckin kiddin you chut*****,

 

[Meengla]

Sounds awesome, I would like to do something like this!

Yes, renting a chauffeur driven car has several advantages over relatives' cars, if one can afford it. And, for expats, a full day for barely $100 is not much. In my case, I had to pay Rs. 1,000 more to the company because of out-of-town trip on some unpaved roads. Fair enough--$10 is peanuts! The company didn't provide any CNG vehicle--which would have much cheaper--so I had to pay for the petrol car AND pay for petrol, instead of CNG, which would mean the $40 (or approx. Rs. 4000) for the petrol. I didn't like the non-CNG option but decided not to press the case.

Oh, while we were still in Karachi when our car was pulled over by the police. Apparently, the driver didn't have some 'authority letter' from the company and so the police was going to confiscate the car. The police wanted Rs. 1,000 as 'fine'. The driver was refusing and so there were back and forth calls between him and his managers. Sensing that my trip was in danger, I quickly offered to pay the 'fine' which was settled for Rs. 300. So these $3 saved my trip!

You all just be aware of these things when renting through this or another company in Pakistan.

PS. Not putting down Pakistan at all: Just a few days ago I got nearly scammed by a company in San Diego while I was there for a conference. But that's another story!

So...is your nephew...like single or sumthing?


To clarify, I am fuckin kiddin you chut*****,

What's that?! I don't remember ever arguing with you in such language? Don't ruin this thread! Enjoy the thread if want to--not many people go to Keti Bandar which is a hidden gem of Pakistan because of its natural beauty and peace even if very poor/undeveloped.

 

[Dubious]

I dont see no pictures?

 

[Meengla]

I dont see no pictures?

They are coming up; sorry, taking some time...

 

[Dubious]

They are coming up; sorry, taking some time...

Ahh ok...thought I wasnt getting to see stuff

 

[cyphercide]

What's that?! I don't remember ever arguing with you in such language? Don't ruin this thread! Enjoy the thread if want to--not many people go to Keti Bandar which is a hidden gem of Pakistan because of its natural beauty and peace even if very poor/undeveloped.

My bad. Great photos, cheerios!!!

 

[Meengla]

They are coming up; sorry, taking some time...

First Stop: A Road-side Restaurant Barely Out of Karachi. Chai/Paan Break: A vehicle full of bakery items.

Same Road-side restaurant as above. Notice something on the backwall ?!!!

Saw Plenty of Sunflower and banana fields. The country-side was beautiful. This is still about half-way. I'd say the total duration was about 2.5 hours one-way.

Creeks meeting the sea--approaching Keti Bandar:

Close to the town of Keti Bandar--but not quite there yet. I think some of the photos have Lat/Long info in Exif.

 

[Meengla]

Still a few miles from the town of Keti Bandar. The driver on left and the cousin. If we stayed there will the sunset it would have been a glorious view with nothing on the beach; the beach is behind me.

Inside the town of Keti Bandar. We ended up renting this guy's boat for about Rs. 1200 ($12) for 'a few hours'. He was glad to see some new faces and get a chance to make some extra money.

What could be called the town of Keti Bandar. Very poor. Dirty. But, unlike in Karachi, we felt completely secure in that entire area. It also helps that there were military checkpoints and even permanent military installations on more than one location. The border to India is not that far away--with the Rann of Kutch hotspot--and so that explains the military presence.

Near the pier/dock--the 'floating pontoon'. There was a small room there as fish market. Several fishing boats/launches were docked there.

The small fish market/auction room:

Another view of the floating pontoon. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) flags were everywhere. I wonder what, if any, benefit the PPP gave to them, considering the abject poverty there

. Oh well, their choice.

 

[Meengla]

Another view of the floating dock/pontoon. Some people have their families live year-around on these boats. Everyone seemed excited to see us and were very curious about us. They gladly posed for photos when requested.

A managerial looking guy was showing us a lobster.

A big fishing boat. These people live on them all the time. I asked about how they send the kids to school and they laughed and said they do send kids to school. Hmmm.

This guy wanted me to take two pics of him--this is the second one. I think he wasn't satisfied with the first shot.

 

[Meengla]

The next few pics show our boat ride for about 1.5 hours or so. There was an almost complete silence except for the sounds of nature. The breeze was gentle, cooling, and relaxing. The sun was balmy. Not hot. We went in between some creeks and saw natural and man-made mangrove forests/plantations. There was a wetland/sanctuary nearby with lots of birds. Our boat driver said he doesn't like Karachi because of violence/noise and that he was happy in Keti Bandar. I don't blame him!

We didn't have enough time left to walk to the watch tower and see if we could climb up for some photos; the access was supposed to be restricted though.

Back to the downtown Keti Bandar. How poor and how much potential!

On our drive back in a road side restaurant: Freshly cooked Chicken with melt-in-your-mouth Naans! We three filled our tummies for barely Rs. 800 ($8)! It was really, really good!

 

[Meengla]

Again, the trip to Keti Bandar was the highlight of my 2013 trip. In my 2011 trip it was the trip to Abdullah Village (fishing) that was the highlight and I had posted pictures of that trip in this forum.

Some more thoughts about Keti Bandar:
The potential for tourism are immense! Daylong, even overnight trips can be easily taken via boats or cars from Karachi. Unlike large sections of Pakistan, interior Sindh is not yet affected by the radicalization and terrorism. Also, due to relative proximity to the Indian border (especially the Rann of Kutch), there is significant security presence. Make sure to take a copy of your ID cards in color--more likely you'be pulled over near Keti Bandar and politely asked about your plans. We were.

I also think that Keti Bandar and hundreds of miles of Sindh's coastline is more or less in pristine condition. Mangrove forests must be preserved and extended. Tourism policies must not be rampant and plundering of land and people. With careful planning and management that area could be transformed as a major tourism hub of Pakistan.

If I had the money to invest I'd start looking at that area as investment opportunity for tourism. The 'Farm House' tourism has taken off in Karachi. And a guy is successfully managing 'Huts at Karachi Beach' enterprise. The rental car company is very busy and making some serious dough. Similarly, I believe boat trips from Karachi to KB are waiting for investors!!