Assalam-o-Alaikum,
Bohat days se Pakistan k mukhtalif jagahon k bare main information gather kar rha tha. Ghoomne phirne k liye Taqreeban tamaam log Northern Areas ka btate the. Is ki wajah shayad wahan ki security situation hai. Logon ko Phatanon pe aitimaad hai k woh kuch kharab nahi karte musaafirun k sath. Allahu Aalim.
Northern areas k safar main sab se bari rukawat yaih hoti hai k us k liye time alag se nikalna parhta hai. Aur resources bhi zyada amounts main chahye hoti hain. Q k woh Pakistan ka aik corner hai aur ham (i.e. mere friends jin k sath zyada tar ghoomne ka plan banta hai) Karachi main rehte hain woh aik corner hai. Phr dhoondte dhoondte mjhe Balochistan main Makran Coastal Highway mila. Phr Makran Coastal Highway ki information aur udhar ki complete information gather kari.
Makran Coastal Highway aur udhar rastte main milne wali jagahon ki information milne k bad bare days se wahan ghoomne ka plan banaya. Phr friends ko ready kya. Aur karte karte Last weekend (12th December 2015 - 13th December 2015) ham wahan se ghoom kar ae.
Plan
After the heavy research, the plan was put in place:
"Leave early morning or mid-night on Saturday, and reach Zero Point before or Exactly at Fajr prayers time. Then see a beautiful sunrise in uninterrupted landscape on MCH! Climb Mount Mehdi! Continue our journey to Kund Malir, stop for Lunch, if it's lunch time, else move ahead for Princess Hope, Sphinx, Great Canon of Pakistan, Buzzi Pass and all the way to Ormara. Night-Stay at Ormara with Bonfire and Bar B Que! Leave for Karachi the next morning."
Team and Resources
We initially could arrange only one car (which was my car) and so 5 persons were shortlisted. Later on one of my cousin also agreed to accompany us so the total number of people rose to 7.
Cars:
- Toyota Indus Corolla 94 (2006 Imported) Japanese 1.5cc
- Mitsubishi EK-Wagon 2006 (2012 Imported) Japanese 660cc
Preparations:
All cars were already in healthy conditions with no mechanical work required in our mechanic's opinion, but still Engine Oil, Air filter, Transmission Fluid, and Coolant were replaced. Axel, Jumps, Breaks and Coolant hoses and pipes were checked thoroughly.
First Aid Kit was also kept, Radial Tyre puncture kit and Car Tyre Air Compressor was bought for any untoward conditions. I already had T-Rods, and many other mechanical tools, Battery's touching wire, was also among things that was kept for our trip.
Finally for the trip itself we kept the following things:
- Camp for 8 persons was kept because we had to do a night-stay at beach not on any rest house.
- Tin Packed food for lunch and dinner.
- Taftaan as it can stay eatable after a long time as well.
- Frozen Marinated Chicken Chest and Leg pieces
- Some chips, biscuits and juices.
- 19ltr mineral water bottle.
- 15ltr High Octane fuel for my Corolla
- 2 * 12ltr bottle of normal fuel for EK Wagon
Trip Overview:
0KM - My Place (North Nazimabad, Karachi) - 3:10AM
15KM - Shershah - 3:51AM (Reach it late because we stopped before shershah at a friend's house for picking up a few things)
20KM - Northern Bypass Hub Chauki Rd. - 4:00AM
31KM - Northern Bypass Toll Plaza - 4:10AM
36.6KM - Hub - Syed Star Hotel - 4:20AM - Stopped for tea and late night snacks
36.6KM - Left Syed Star Hotel - 4:46AM
43KM - RCD Highway - 4:57AM
50KM - Last PSO Pump - 5:03AM (Stopped for refueling)
51KM - Crossed Gadani - 5:15AM
81KM - Winder City - 5:43AM
91KM - Winder Custom Checkpost - 5:53AM
112KM - Othal Check Post - 6:10AM
113KM - Zero Point - 6:11AM
113KM - Zero Point Toll Plaza - 6:43AM (Offered Fajr at Zero Point)
161KM - Extremely Huge Mud Volcano (aka Mount Mehdi) - 7:28AM (Started trekking in 4mits)
161KM - Left Mount Mehdi - 1:30PM
181KM - Phor Check Post - 1:52PM
183KM - Hingol National Park Limit Start - 1:55PM
227KM - Hingol River Bridge - 2:27PM
236KM - Kund Malir - 2:35PM
236KM - Kund Malir - 3:44PM (Had lunch and refreshed ourselves after a tiring trekking at Mount Mehdi)
265KM - Buzzi Pass - 5:00PM
346KM - Ormara - 6:06PM
--------------------------------SUNDAY Starts Now---------------------------------------------------
346KM - Left Ormara - 8:46AM
353KM - Ormara City Hotel (dhaaba) - 9:00AM (Had traditional but exceptionally tasty Breakfast, Anda Paratha)
353KM - Left Ormara City Hotel (dhaaba) - 9:42AM
358KM - Left Ormara - 9:52AM
435KM - Buzzi Top - 11:21AM
448KM - Virgin Beach (I don't know the name of this place, but it's the most awesome beach one can find in all of the MCH! I called it Virgin Beach due to the untouched look of it. Not many people has visited this place i think. Its just 15KM after Kund Malir, if you are going towards Ormara) - 11:50AM
448KM - Virgin Beach - 12:30PM (Had to stay for long, but due to a friends assignment we had to leave early)
464KM - Kund Malir Again - 12:57PM
588KM - Zero Point - 2:30PM
606KM - Stopped before Winder 5KM - 3:15PM
606KM - Left that stop - 4:15PM (Offered Prayers, had tea and biscuits)
619KM - Winder Exited - 4:23PM
659KM - Entered Hub - 5:04PM
669KM - Entered KHI - 5:24PM
694KM - Back at my HOME! - 6:35PM
Aftermath
Me and one other friend visiting Cafe Piyala and have a full body massage! Shower! and BED!
Total Expenditure on Trip
Total Cost of the trip was calculated to stand at: 13085
Fuel Cost and Average by Car
Corolla - 50ltr High Octane - 82.5 * 50 = 4125
EK Wagon - 50+ltr Supreme - ~3500 (Don't remember exactly since we refueled it quite a few times, first when we left Ormara, then after Zero Point with High Octane)
My Corolla gave around 16KM / ltr.
And EK Wagon gave around the same.
Trip Highlights
- Awesome experience of trekking the Mount Mehdi! Without any professional equipment or preparations. (But nevertheless, we did a lot of blunders, will advice you people in the thread onwards why you shouldn't do this our way)
- Awesome night stay at Ormara Beach along with Bonfire and BBQ!
- Felt how its like to live the 0-5C temperature!
Pics and other things will be uploaded soon, but I think most likely i will get time on next weekend now for that!