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| Our Campsite at Karachi's Mubarak Village |
Mubarak is a
scenic coastal village situated westwards of Karachi. It is located almost at
the tip of the peninsula-like land which jets into the Arabian Sea. Facing
Charna Island, the beach provides a great outing opportunity with clear water, calm
surroundings, and openhearted dwellers.
Idea of
overnight camping at Mubarak did not need any afterthoughts and quickly turned
into reality over Ashura. This time the troupe consisted of 4 families,
including 10 children, and the plan was to camp somewhere along the beach and
closer to the nature.
We left
Karachi around noon and reached the campsite by 3 pm with a couple of stopovers
in between; one at Nasir Brohi Hotel for tea and the other at enroute village
to buy wood for the campfire. We took precooked food along – Qeema, Kulchay,
White Rice, etc. – for early dinner and a gas cylinder for tea and breakfast.
For lunch, we had sandwiches on the go.
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| Location of Mubarak Village on Google Maps |
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| We Bought the Fire Wood from this Enroute Village |
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| Smoke Spewing Hub Power Station Keeps Our ACs Running |
Luckily, we
found an elevated flat piece of rock right there on the beach; a perfect place
to setup camps and to enjoy the sumptuous sunset dinner. The far side of the
rock was naturally carved to serve as an open air loo with the help of a small
camp for privacy!
A couple of
days before that, I contacted Ghulam Mustafa, who accompanied us in the Astola
adventure and originally belongs to Mubarak village. Ghulam Mustafa was not
only very supportive but also came to meet us despite his busy schedule back
home.
Campfire started
after sunset which got livelier with the fresh GT fish (Giant Trevally) Ghulam
Mustafa kindly arranged for us. Finally, we had a cup of tea made on wood before
calling it a day. Some slept inside the cozy camps while others preferred to
lounge under the clear skies and soothing moonlight. Weather was nice with the
sea breeze only adding to the comfort. At no point in time we felt unsafe. Passing
hoards of picnickers, mostly on fishing trips, were the only, and uneventful,
distraction in the night.
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| This Rock on the Beach Perfectly Suited for the Campsite |
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| Far Side of the Rock was Actually Very Useful! |
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| The Other Location was 'Semi-Private' |
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| Charna Island in the Background; A Popular Hangout Among Snorkeling and Scuba Enthusiasts |
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| Thank You Ghulam Mustafa for the fresh Giant Trevally; ! |
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| Beach Picnic in Karachi is Incomplete without a Camel Ride |
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| Aashura Moon was Already Up |
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| Low-lying Hill on our Left - in White is Khizar's Musalla |
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| One of the 'Shikari' Picnickers Around |
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| Inhabitants of Mubarak Village Watch that Everyday! |
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| Campfire at Mubarak Village |
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| Live Fish on Wood Marinated with Salt and Pepper! |
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| We Were Over the Moon |
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| Borrowed Camp from a Friend! |
Next
morning, almost everyone woke-up around dawn. After having the breakfast, a
group left for trekking to explore the background hills, another raised their
kite and the rest just chilled. The weather was still pleasant for a swimming
session before we packed our camps and left around 11 am when it started
getting hot.
We wanted to
leave a bit earlier but had to wait for the tide to get lower and make way for
our cars!
One thing
which was noticeable on the otherwise clean beach was the presence of dead fish
and eel. I was curious to know whether it was natural or an effect of human intervention
and asked Ghulam Mustafa while stopping for goodbye at his village home. Sadly,
that was not due to some natural phenomenon and rather the lousiness of fishing
groups, mostly hobbyists, who throw away unwanted catch which gets trapped in
their cruel nets.
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| Sunrise at Mubarak Village! |
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| Morning Trek; Shariq Made it to the Top |
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| Locals Attribute this Place to Hazrat Khizar |
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| Making Our Way Back to the Campsite |
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| Not a Good Sight Especially When Caused by Human Intervention. Sad! |
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| Ecosystem at Work; Dead Eating Insects |