Pakistan vehicles part VI - sneaky street shot, from the hip (more or less)
Some of you have been asking me if people or cargo was placed on the roof of the decorated buses, I found this photo which answers that question. This one is a bit older than the bus I posted a few days ago. This was taken at Taxila.
Taxila is about 35km from Islamabad and just off the Grand Trunk Road. I have always thought Grand Trunk Road (or GT as we called it) sounded marvellous an exotic. There are interesting Buddhist and Hindu ruins there and quite a good museum. Because it was located at the congruence of several major trade routes Persians, Greeks (Alexander's mob), Hindus and Buddhists have all left their mark on the area. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1989.
One of the curators at the museum must have taken a fancy to us, as my friends and I had him follow us around explaining the exhibits in almost incomprehensible English. We ensured we made appropriate oohs and aahs of awe. He seemed satisfied.
At the sites of the ruins little men would pop up from behind a rock and carefully unwrap a fabric wrapped chunk of carving. They would sidle up to us and cajole us to buy a genuine piece of the ruins. I would always ask if it was a copy and they'd insist it was genuine. I then responded I would not buy genuine treasures like that, only copies. Sure enough it suddenly became a copy.
I hope you are not becoming bored by Pakistan vehicles, I have a few more that I'd like to share over coming days.
Yes - Keep 'em coming! :)
What glorious colours - you'd think it was ready for a parade, not just for picking up fares! Did they drive slowly and carefully? I think I know the answer already and am cringing in anticipation...!
i'm not tired of them either, it's good to look at something different and enjoy the stories that go with them!! i like your style telling them you would only by copies, i will have to remember that one, lol!!
@filsie65 there was no parade, it was just an everyday bus, I don't think they ever drive slowly and carefully ....not that I ever saw anyway. They didn't always come to a complete stop for passengers, most difficult for female passnegers
@bobfoto@trude as my favourite colour is purple and I generally wear a lot of it, in markets trying to sell me clothing I can claim I only buy purple .... chances are they won't have purple and if they do I want it
I did end up buying a few copies of various carvings ...paying copy prices
Not tired of them AT ALL! Where else could I see them so wonderfully presented, like this one. LOVE the ancedote about the "genuine", oops, copied treasures. Take good care, Les x
What glorious colours - you'd think it was ready for a parade, not just for picking up fares! Did they drive slowly and carefully? I think I know the answer already and am cringing in anticipation...!
I did end up buying a few copies of various carvings ...paying copy prices