Yesterday, while wandering around the night market on Koh Pangan (Thailand), I met Kasia. At first glance, Kasia looked like a classic Polish woman on an exotic vacation, accompanied by her husband, with two blond boys hiding behind her legs. But a moment later I heard from her that she had come with a Pakistani truck from Quetta to Poland 12 years ago. And at that moment, I felt turbo-respect and I was envious that it wasn’t me who had that best idea in the world. Because you have to know that trucks, and the art associated with them, are one of the things I truly love about Pakistan. Seems like this post had to wait to be unpublished so long, to be dedicated to Kasia.
When I went to India for the first time in 2014, I fell in love with these colorful, painted trucks. When I saw them this year, after leaving Pakistan, the same trucks seemed gray and boring. ‘Can’t they get a bit more creative than words “blow horn”? There is no flair, finesse and hundreds of bells!’, I thought. Because ladies and gentlemen, Pakistan is an unsurpassed ideal, a Mecca for those who love decorated vehicles. Bells, tassels, plaques shaped into various forms, subtly hand-cut stickers (no prints!), paintings, windmills, colorful rods, flags … What is not there, on these trucks? Actually, I know – there is absolutely no free, unadorned space. And the interior is nothing worse! Of course, not every Pakistani has a truck, but this does not prevent him from showing some love to his vehicle. There were similarly decorated busses, tuk-tuks, tractors … This is something that no words can describe. Fortunately, there are photos…
Text and photos by Zofia (http://facebook.com/justajourneyblog)
