Bitten by the bug to explore nature and spend sometime outdoors, we hatched a plan for camp out. I would in the very start give credit to the members who said "Labaik" for this awesome outing.
Initially We had confirmation by 16 people
But then as it happens, through the process of elimination the boys were sorted from the men. Someone remembered they had business meetings, someone remembered they only had a meeting. In short 3 people who came to be called DESERTERS backed off at the last moment. So finally the Brave Men who braved their wives and their bosses and managed to keep their commitment to the group were:
Kamal Bhai?s effort is commendable, since he braved the terrain, the stress of the walk and a bunch of 8 other buffoons despite massive cervical pain and having had his physiotherapy the very morning. And Hamid who was with us, despite his own daughter?s birthday the same day. So guys with all due respect excuses will only be excuses.
Anyways the plan went underway on 3pm. Four of us left our homes on the designated time and the rest were to join us enroute to Mubarak. However due to massive traffic jam we had to change routes and head to Mubarak from HUB, instead of Hawksbay.
The whole group finally assembled at Mubarak at mama?s parking lot. Mama is a local senior who is very respected at Mubarak and a very accomplished fisherman. Though he is a fisherman by profession, he chooses to use handlines, tarus and rods for fishing and is a lobbies very strictly against use of wire nets.
The group finally assembled at the launch point around 7:30pm. By then we had a mix of opinion. Even the bravest quiver at times. Some of us wanted to avoid the long hike and camp at shore considering darkness. However the majority concluded that we head on to the main point that had been decided. As we reached the spot the signals of the cell phones disappeared hence there was a complete cutoff from the world and there was no electricity as well.
Now a small description of the place. Cape Monze is a small hill approximately 400 ? 500 from sea level. The terrain is very uneven and the natural path is very narrow. Sharp rocks on one side and rocky cliffs ready to welcome and unwary hiker. On high tide Cape Monze is practically cut off from main land.
Well we started off. We had some locals to help us, courtesy of PR with the locals. However we had about 120kgs amongst us. This was limited very much thanks to Fahad, since he had forgotten about 10 kgs worth of stuff that would have been useful. More on that later.
With the weight divided we began the hike. By this time it was all dark. The night was cloudy and the only light we had was from the torches and headlamps that we were carrying. The hike was extremely long, slow and slippery. With approximately 8-10 kgs on the shoulders we started the approximately 3 mile hike over uneven terrain to CM. This gave us an opportunity to bond on a higher level. Everyone was taking care of the person ahead of him or behind him. Stopping every now and then to share weight, to give a pulling hand, offer light and above all giving moral support. This team effort made the walk very much bearable.
Reaching our designated spot, we set up camp, rested our legs. Owais and Kamal bhai jumped right down to action. The started off with bottom fishing. Owais opened his account on the very first cast with a tropical fish, which was released.
Owais Baged 2 Red Snappers and 1 Captain while doing bottom fishing using Prawns as bait through bottom.
The others while setting up camp realized something very amusing. While setting up the base camp we came to know the Fahad had forgotten the floor mats (dariyan). So it would be soft buttocks on sharp rocks all night, however the locals had some sheets which saved the night and butts.
Our Base Camp as it looked during day time.
The hike had already ticked off the mice in the stomach so then started the preparation for food. Again Fahad dropped a huge bomb by announcing that he had forgotten the veggies also. But all thank to Allah we had a wizard in our midst. Hamid stepped upto the task. He with the help of a magic pateela (only courtesy of Fahad) prepared what he called ?PATHAN GOSHT?. Now I don?t know if that is really what the name of the dish is but it was the tastiest thing I have had in years.
This outing really taught us how to get through without stuff. To make a long story short, here is a list of things which Fahad forgot to bring:
1) Floor Mats 2) a smaller pateela for tea, 3) a strainer, 4) veggies.
Now the making of tea is in itself a whole story. First as Fahad have mentioned I forgot the pateela. But we had a very determined Hamid and a small bar of vim. Hamid against all odds washed the huge pateela and got it clean enuff for tea. But after everything was done, we found out we had weasel amongst us. The tea mystically disappeared. Uffff. Luckily for a while everyone forgot about me. Everything was searched, researched and reresearched. Finally after about an hour the tea was found in one of most unlikely places. However where it was found is a mystery since a few things that happen at Monze stay at Monze. After tea we started talking, sharing jokes while the VIM WIZARD Hamid fell asleep.
At about 3 am we had some excitement. Since the point we were at, our view extended about 2-3 miles downshore. We were all busy talking when we noticed 3 flashlights heading in our direction. They were being very dubious. They would stop, turn off, then turn on, flash lights in our direction, backtrack a bit, then start moving forward. Finally they started to move towards us at a uniform speed. As I said this outing was a great bonding time for us. Everyone except the wizard who kept sleeping (maybe he was planning on playing dead) was on guard. The lights at the camp were turned off, the guys took up positions around the path flash lights and pistols ready. The visitors turned out to be locals, heading to the opposite direction carrying rods, to catch the early cast. But I was happy the group was comprised of brave guys, each ready to take action if needed. Good on you guys.
In the wee hours of morning Naveed lead the hike upto the mouth of Monze. Where Naveed and Owais and Hammer began casting right away. By then we were joined by 14-15 other fishermen, trying their luck on the early cast. Since the cliff was getting crowded 5 brave men decided to brave the peak. Four of us started climbing the peaks narrow wall. Again there was a split. OLDER BOYS again got separated from the men. We decided to stop quarter of the way while the other three went way up to the peak to witness a beautiful sunrise.
Nothing comes close witnessing a sunrise from a hilltop after a stressful climb. It was nature at its best and I am thankful we were there to witness it.
Back on ground they had caught 3 GTs on casting.
Kamal bhai also tried hard and was the only who was not willing to hit the camp without a catch.
A few other fishermen had some luck also but Owais got way with the biggest catch of the day. It was caught on a spoon with a 60lb mono line using 15 foot 30lb rod. Though we dint weigh it, it must be around 3-4 kgs. Owais and Kamal bhai are very dedicated when it comes to fishing.
On the way back we met Taju mama and his famous hospitality. We had a discussion with him about the growing use of wire nets, the effects it was having and a history of Karachi.
In the end I would like to again thank everyone for joining.. Hamid for his patience with us, his talents as a cook and his cleanliness (VIM soap people should make him their model, no-one could have used VIM as well as he can). Rest of you, all I can say, if I had missed the trip I would have missed one night I could never have replaced. You all were awesome company. Those who missed out or deserted us guys all I can say is you guys missed out big time. The night was an all out home entertainment experience. It had horror, action, suspense comedy everything in one package. Thank you for a memorable experience guys. I would take a trip with you guys to the middle of nowhere than anywhere else anytime.
Some Random Pictures
Optimus tried his luck but...
Naveed teaching some basic techniques to yours truly
A Panoramic View of the whole scenery as captured by cell phone:
Who Dares Win.
