2 Days in Karachi, the Istanbul of Pakistan

Karachi/Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan and is located on the Indian Ocean coast as a commercial and industrial centre. Due to its location by the sea, it has a noticeable humid weather at all times. Especially during the monsoon period (May-September), the temperature of 30-35 degrees even at midnight is an issue that those who want to come here should take into account. In the densely populated city, air pollution and haze/smoke make the newcomers feel themselves seriously, especially at night. You can feel this hot and humid air immediately after leaving the terminal. For this reason, it is important to choose clothes suitable for the period of your travel here. It is a must-have rule for the Monsoon period that the noon hours of the day are seriously rainy. In the evening hours, you usually do not encounter rain.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Jinnah), the founder of the country of Pakistan, after whom an important street in Ankara is named, is also the name of the airport in Karachi. In the airport, which is of considerable size, especially Customs activities involve many bureaucratic procedures and long waiting queues. I would like to remind you that all kinds of materials on you (money, cigarettes, mobile phones, laptops, ipads, etc. with their brands) must be declared and they are very insistent on this issue. Unlike in India, the customs officials here wear blue uniforms and are extremely helpful to the arrivals. Another thing that will attract your attention is that the majority of the customs officers you can see have long beards. It is not possible to see female officials here. Even when you leave the terminal area, it should not seem strange to you that all your belongings are repeatedly passed through x-ray devices. You have to endure these procedures many times even when entering and leaving the hotel where you will stay. I guess it is an interesting country whose security measures are always like this.

It will be useful for you to arrange your transfer for the hotel you will stay before you arrive here in terms of the time you will lose. Otherwise, the difficulty of finding a taxi in a very crowded environment will be waiting for you. In Karachi, which does not have any public transport or rail system, you can choose the motorbikes called tuk-tuk if you wish. However, I would like to emphasise that I would not recommend it in very humid and hot weather, especially during the most dangerous sunrise and sunset hours in terms of mosquitoes that cause malaria. The quality of the hotels is generally appropriate depending on their prices. You can stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel for around 150 dollars. Hotel entrances and exits are controlled by very strict security measures. It is possible to reach the city centre from the airport in 30 minutes. Karachi traffic has a considerable density in the country where traffic is applied from the left. The horn, which is the traditional practice here, is an integral part of the traffic.

Many buildings to visit in the city centre are waiting for you. The building called "Mezar-ı Kaid", which was built for the founder of the country, known as the great leader, is one of them. Another interesting building is a Neo Classical building called "Frere Hall", which is used as a library today. You can come across all kinds of products in the "Empress Market" area, which is close to here and is the largest market in the city. You can buy the products you desire by bargaining again at very reasonable prices. Especially mango fruit can be seen everywhere as the most popular and preferred product here. On the 1-2 km coastline called "Port Grand", all kinds of restaurants and places for eating and drinking activities are waiting for you. Although the beach in the city centre is not very popular in summer due to the heat, especially in spring, you can come across people walking on the beach with camels and horses, and you can take beautiful sunset photos. Of course, you may regret if you go without buying wood embroidery while you are here. Wood embroidery can really seduce you with extraordinary works. In the same way, although handmade carpets will immediately attract your attention, they will usually disappoint you with their very high prices.

In parks and other recreational areas, you can come across people of all age groups playing "CRICKET", which has become their national sport. You can also witness that this game is very important for people who play cricket everywhere with their daily clothes. In these places where English language is used by almost everyone, you may regret if you return without buying spices.

Unlike the country where security problems are experienced from time to time, the city of Karachi has a generally safe environment. In addition to the many museums you can visit in the city, there is also a zoo that may be of interest to young children. If you are a meticulous person about hygiene, you may not be very comfortable here. The colour of the running water in the hotels can sometimes be light yellow, so I recommend you to leave the taps open for a while before bathing. It is also highly recommended to use water in a closed bottle for brushing your teeth.

If you are not used to the food, it may be a little difficult for people. Generally, meat products are served as hot and juicy dishes. Rice is usually made from Jasmin rice and usually includes vegetables and chicken pieces. You can also come across the soup types you know here. Although it is located by the sea, the opportunities for seafood are quite limited for some reason. In the city centre, there are many opportunities especially for Steak House and Japanese cuisine, and fast food chains are also waiting for you as an alternative. The average price of 4-5 dollars for a meal with meat is affordable for this place. An average of 2 days is enough to visit this city. There are airline companies that fly here every day from our country.

I wish you a pleasant trip.