MinnesotaMel

Exploring Lahore Fort, Hyperstar and the markets

In the afternoon, Tim and I went on a tour of Lahore. Kenny was our driver and our first stop was the Lahore Fort. There we were met by a tour guide who showed us around to the various museums and buildings of the fort. The UN is doing a lot of restoration in the fort compound, but one can still imagine the extravagance that it would have been long ago for so many hundreds of years under the Moghuls and Singhs and Brits. Tim took a bunch of photos of the crew of Police bodyguards that followed around me. I look forward to seeing the photos, because it was surreal to have an entourage and be treated like a VIP.

The tour was hot, hot, hot. I have to remember to plan things for later in the day when the sun is lower and less warm. I am looking forward to the fall arriving. We got some water from a vendor and went next to the clothing market. It felt like being back in Nepal, all of the shalwar chemises sets in super bright colors and all of the wonderful fabrics. The first task was to find a shawl to wear over my black dress. I found one at the first shop- it was one long piece of cloth and had a leaf patterns that swirled many deep rich colors, including reds, blues and yellows. It was stunning and not terribly expensive at 1000 rupees ($12.50). The shop owner cut it in half, so that I actually ended up with two shawls, one of which I will probably have made into a shirt. The normal shalwar chemise set has three pieces, a top, a pair of pants and a shawl. The three pieces usually have similar colors and patterns, but are not identical. Usually one buys the fabric sets and then pays to have them cut and tailored to fit your body. They are incredibly comfortable, much like wearing pajamas to the office. Tim was a great companion, but was not the right person to help me choose shalwar sets that are appropriate for me. First, he is a boy, second he is a westerner. I will need to enlist one of the Pakistani women at the office to help me choose both a vendor and sets that are the correct quality and fabric. Despite the fact that I know that I need some local help, there were still two sets that I decided I had to have. Both have a base of dark blue, and are quite conservative. They are a silk or poly fabric that is light and flowy, which was always good for my body shape in Nepal. The market was overwhelming- an entire block of small shops, lots of people and overwhelming colors and textures. It will be fun to explore further in the future.

The first person we met at the shop was a nice kid who was visiting his uncle who had the shop. He is studying to be an astronaut, and seemed very smart and motivated. Tim exchanged contact info with him. Tim is such a nice person, always striking up conversations with everyone. I really appreciate his good humor and kindness. He is married, and his wife is back in San Antonio. She has kids who are grown.

Next we went in search of a table cloth for Tim. The astronaut guy suggested a location, and wrote it down for Tim. Kenny, our driver, did not really understand what the kid had written down, and took us to an amazing shop where they do sell table cloths and all kinds of high end housewares, but it was not the kind of place that Tim was looking for. After further consultation with the sales guy there, we think we finally figured out what the first guy had written down (maybe he was not so smart after all, because he did not transcribe the Urdu very well.)

Tim and I stopped at Hyperstar on our way home. Hyperstar is an amazing store. Because we were pressed for time I was unable to really spend time exploring, but it seemed to have everything I could ever need, including a cheese and cold cuts deli area, a bakery, and a meat counter. The second floor is like a Target, with everything from clothes to home improvement goods to electronics. I am going to need to stay away from there if I am going to manage to stay on a budget.

posted by MinnesotaMel @ 4:41 AM