March 04

Rise up at 0620 into the dawning sky. Twinkling lights of town dancing in the narrow river. ...
We are now flying on a level with rugged 9000 ft. range. 1000 - we pass over the shore on the west side of the gulf and below is the town of Shargah, with its 80,000 souls packed like lice under its sandy roofs, between its mud -colored walls. Water along the foreshore, bottle green, with milky flaws - the sea beyond deep cobalt. Dhows with white sails moving slowly - many made fast to shore. We circle twice getting good view and land at 1020, Step out on Arabian sand, white and hot at British Airways port.

DHOWS: Culture of the Graceful dhow fades into History

THE DURABLE DHOW

Take off at 1115. Cut over barren sand climbing up over the completely desolate, absolutely naked mountains of sharply wedged shape, colored in brown and violets. Fly high out over the deep blue sea again, the line of white breakers ringing the mountain's dry feet. ...
Pass over the sea to land again, the land of India! Over Karachi and an airport on to an American field and land at 1545. Get out stiff and blinking in the hot, bright Indian sun.

The observant might notice that Karachi is not in India, but Pakistan. Karachi was part if India until the breakup of the British India empire in 1947 when Pakistan was split off and became a Muslim state.

Partition and independence