Heat and dust but service with a smile

Multan may boast of the best cricket stadium in Pakistan, but it does lack quality hotels. So for the giant traveling media circus, the focu...

Multan may boast of the best cricket stadium in Pakistan, but it does lack quality hotels. So for the giant traveling media circus, the focus of most discussions apart from Sehwag’s record breaking knock is the description of their hotel and its lack of facilities. It won’t be an exaggeration to say the heat and dust in Multan have added to their woes. But one must commend the hotel staff in their efforts to try and please the guests.

This writer’s hotel doesn’t have a 24-hour room service for food. But even at 2 am in the morning, when their kitchen was shut, the hotel staff went out of their way to provide sumptuous chicken curry with hot naans. On enquiry, the waiter revealed he had gone to a nearby dhaba to get the food. It was the best meal I’ve eaten since arriving in Multan.

SHOP TALK

A trip to Multan is incomplete without a visit to the Hussain Agahi Bazaar. Near the historic Qasim Bagh Fort in the old city, this bazaar conjures up images of what Multan must have been like as a trade centre in its early years. The main lane that leads into the bazaar is dominated by shops that sell women’s clothing and other accessories like bangles and artificial jewellry. Most of these shops sell intricately hand embroidered Shalwal Kameezes in an array of colours. Every 100 metres into the bazaar, there are several arterial bylanes that sell various items like spices and hardware at wholesale prices. The bazaar is crowded through the day so the best way to traverse through the narrow bylanes is on foot. And if one wants to see the bazaar properly it make take an entire day!

MULTANI MASTI

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The first Test match between Indian and Pakistan in almost 15 years has been disappointing in terms of the number of people who have turned up to watch the match. With the Indian batsmen dominating proceedings on the first two days, interest levels amongst the locals in Multan have dropped. It was amusing sitting with the few fans who had come to watch the match.

Overheard (Day 1): Looks like these two (Sachin and Sehwag) will play for the next four days.

Day 2: Haven’t they (Pakistani bowlers) had lunch? They look hungry for food, not wickets.

Some people outside the stadium: Both Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami need haircuts. It’ll help improve their pace!

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