Tom in Egypt // توم في مصر

So, after Michael's latest extended bumper edition I'm going to try and keep it brief and succinct. More about my first few days in Karachi when I get back there on Friday (update due on Saturday), for now it's going to be about Lahore.

What a city. We arrived this morning on the 8 o'clock flight and checked into the luxury of the Pearl Continental (Google it, you'll see what I mean. No more 10 quid hostels for me!) before heading out with our driver and guide to see the sights of this former Mughal capital. I'll say it again, what a city. I had no idea what to expect from Lahore apart from what I'd heard of some Mughal buildings and that there was more evidence of the British Raj here than I'd seen in Karachi. I'd completely underestimated things. On the drive from the hotel into the city, The Mall - as the main road is called - is lined with beautiful colonial architecture, converted into courts, universities, museums and post offices. It's lined with trees on both sides, and if it weren't for the mad Pakistani traffic, it wouldn't seem out of place next to Whitehall. Pushing further into the city, the traffic gets progressively crazier, with brightly coloured rickshaws and motorbikes darting in and out of lanes of badly organised cars and buses. Our first stop was at the Lahore fort, directly opposite the Badshahi mosque. Without wanting to seem ignorant, I simply had no idea that buildings like that existed outside of the Taj Mahal. The fort is wonderfully palacial and has been excellently preserved since it's construction and development over the 16th and 17th centuries by the Mughals and Sikhs, with huge elephant steps leading up to a "palace of mirrors" built by Shah Jehan (of Taj Mahal fame) for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. There are many wonderful stories associated with various parts of the fort, my favourite of which is of the British using the palacial quadrant gardens as colonial tennis courts.

Leaving the fort you are left standing in front of the breathtaking Badshahi mosque, built in 1674 by the Mughal emporer Aurangzeb. The complex is awe-inspiringly massive, it can hold up to 60,000 worshippers at any one time, and is immaculately decorated with floral and Qurranic murals. I've taken more photos than I know what to do with, so when I have my camera and my laptop at hand I will definitely, definitely upload some, although this is the kind of building that photos simply will not do justice to. It also has stunning and bizarre acoustic properties, leaving any visitor in no doubt of the exquisite skill of the architects at a time when we were such a long way behind.

The afternoon was spent wandering round "old" Lahore, the inside of the walled city that reminded me a lot of Islamic Cairo, except with motorbikes, no tourists, and no plastic pyramids or dancing stuffed camels. And it was soo much bigger. The whole place had a feeling of authenticity about it, a feeling like it hadn't really changed much over the last 400 years. It was dirty, smelly, fly covered, teeming with people and with open sewers running down the sides of the street. It was wonderful. It's the kind of atmosphere I love, the kind of place I could spend hours and hours wandering around. Brilliant.

Tomorrow we're off to Shalimar gardens, of which I now expect great things, and then to the Indian border at Wagha to see the closing ceremony. Muchos photos and perhaps even a video (whooo, aahah) will be added when I'm back in Karachi, power willing.

Love to all, txxxx