“The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only a page.” —St Augustine For those acclimated to level plains and the smooth feel of plantations and knolls, the scraggy mountains of Balochistan is an extreme change of scenery. But, in this same extremity, lies its exquisite appeal; a merciless excellence that is most obviously manifested through the spring in the middle of a sandy desert, the water spouting out of an infertile mountain and the dark blue ocean which brushes the pebbled shores. Most individuals are charmed by greenery, but some are inverse and find themselves pulled towards harsher landscapes. I am no different. I chose to visit Balochistan to explore the rocky, sandy terrain that is the Hingol National Park. Everyone on my friends list cautioned me against going there alone. 'It's not safe!' I did manage to find three travelling buddies, and almost immediately, the four of us headed towards the Makran Coastal Highway.
As soon as we crossed Sindh, the sights drastically changed. Miles and miles of sand stretched out on both sides of the road. We journeyed for 80km with no sight of a building, not one! Then, mountains began to show up, and how! We halted at different places to take pictures. At one place, there was this burrow-looking hollow at the highest point of a mountain. We decided to trek to the top. The stones on these mountains turned out to be pretty slippery. At the top of the mountain, we were welcomed by a lovely man-made pass. While I was clicking away, somebody from, what appeared to be inside the mountain, began to holler at us: "This is not an excursion spot, we are living here with our families." We apologised and hurriedly left.As soon as we crossed Sindh, the sights drastically changed. Miles and miles of sand stretched out on both sides of the road. We journeyed for 80km with no sight of a building, not one! Then, mountains began to show up, and how! We halted at different places to take pictures. At one place, there was this burrow-looking hollow at the highest point of a mountain. We decided to trek to the top. The stones on these mountains turned out to be pretty slippery. At the top of the mountain, we were welcomed by a lovely man-made pass. While I was clicking away, somebody from, what appeared to be inside the mountain, began to holler at us: "This is not an excursion spot, we are living here with our families." We apologised and hurriedly left.
Awestruck in Balochistan
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