Above: Newspaper next day about the heatwave today.
Flight to Lahore
Our flight to Lahore departed at 1900. Our time at the airport didn’t drag on with time spent ticketing our domestic flight from Gilgit to Islamabad and then having a snack. The flight was an oldish 747-300 and we were placed in the nose (Row 2) which was very quiet. While the rest of the aircraft had PTVs, the nose section didn’t and appeared to be retro-fitted into perhaps a business class section. Somewhat of an after-thought to convert a longhaul aircraft to shorthaul.
They played the safety video before take off and announced for the crew to prepare for a manual safety demo but we proceeded to take-off. The manual demo occurred after take-off. A bit strange doing it after and also doing it in addition to the video.
While waiting for our luggage at Lahore airport, Telenor’s store manager rang to advise that he had fixed my connection; it was a petty error. The ride into town was good until we ran out of fuel. Once refueled, the driver felt like he had to make up time and gave us a thoroughly hair-raising ride weaving, blaring, flashing.
Into the oven
Lahore had been experiencing power cuts recently due to the heatwave (with resultant civil unrest). The staff at Lahore Backpackers (a fairly new outfit) oozed their welcome and had waited for us by the road for a while on Lahore’s Regal Chowk. The hostel was located up a long flight of stairs.
We had booked a twin room with shared facilities. However the room (actually Lahore itself) was like an oven; it was 39degC according to the arrival announcement on the plane. The concrete walls were hot to touch. We couldn’t sleep in it and opted for the rooftop.
Seems silly that we pay for the room but sleep in the dorm area. The room has become an oversized locker! For a short while I thought we should have gone slightly more upmarket but in a mid-range hotel, we’d have A/C but when the power goes off … it wouldn’t have a generator and we’d roast in a sealed room. I guess the only way to keep cool is to go to a 5-star place which has its own power supply.