TRAVEL: FROM GWADAR TO KHUNJERAB
While having lunch at a mud-built, thatched-roofed hotel, at the crossing point of Hoshab (the road junction where N-85 and M-8 of CPEC meet), en route to Gwadar, a friend said, “The hotel owner might appear to be poor today but one day, when the CPEC road will become fully functional, his lot will certainly change.”
It has been speculated that when the road becomes functional, a long trail of vehicles will stop here en route to Gwadar or Khunjerab and further on to Kashgar, as parts of this route are already under construction. Upon hearing my friend’s comment, I decided to embark on a solo journey on this 2,463-km road to see the route that has drawn much media attention.
In Gwadar, from atop the Koh-i-Batil (a protruded steep ridge with a height of 449 feet) the view of Gwadar town and sky-blue waters of the Arabian Sea is surreal. In the distance, one can see fleets of fishermen boats buoyant in the water while, towards the north, the neighbourhoods below are a conglomerate of mud and concrete houses with narrow lanes. On the western bay, the newly-constructed road looks appealing while the deep sea port lies on the east bay. A myriad of signboards of developers and builders can be seen everywhere as plots are being marked at a fast pace.
Travelling from Gwadar to Turbat on the 180 km-long M-8 is now safe, thanks to intermittent check-posts. Turbat (Kech) is the historic, second-largest city of Balochistan, famous for its dates as well as the fort of Meer-i-Kalat — a relic of Sassi-Punnu’s legendary love story at the Kechkor riverbed.
Intrigued by the hype one man traverses the 2,463km western CPEC route to see what the fuss is all about
From Turbat, we continued our journey towards Hoshab on the M-8 motorway. Both sides of the road are barren and stony, punctuated with splashes of beautiful greenery and date-groves where there are settlements. The houses here are mostly built with stones and mud (mediaeval with a touch of modern facilities). Travelling in this belt a few years back was a herculean task.