I never knew that mango varieties exists in “hundreds”. Just look at the images in the slide show and you will be surprised to see so many varieties. From mangoes as small in size of a walnut to as big as that of a melon. It was a wonderful experience to attend the annual mango festival. We also went to the Fruit Wholesale Market and bought “Sindhri” Mangoes at a rate of PKR 280 per “Paitee”. Where each “paitee” holds approximately 11KG of mangoes. This means almost PKR 25 per KG. Amazing price for such a treat !
We left Karachi soon after fajir prayers, at dawn, around 6:00 am. We were at Hyderabad at 9:00 am. Yes it took us more time than usual because we were “out of control” as per the allegations from our Amir-e-Jamat (group leader) and honestly we can not deny this completely, provided he have the following as a proof:
The road network from Hyderabad to Tando Jam, Tando Jam to Tando Allahyar and Tando Allahyar to Mirpurkhas is under active construction. And, from the looks of the work being done, it seems to be a quality work. Hopefully, once completed, it will reduce the travel time and inconvenience a lot.
Another unique experience was a famous local drink, “Thaadal”. Very cool and refreshing taste, made from “Khashkhash, Saunf, Illaichi, Kali Mirch, Badaam, Char Maghz and Arq-e-Gulab”.
We reach Expo Center of the Horticulture Research Center Mirpurkhas at around 12:30pm. After visiting the Annual Mango Festival for an hour and half, we left for Fruit Wholesale Market, struck a deal and were ready to leave Mirpurkhas by 4:00pm. We travelled back, all the way to Hala Naka at Hyderabad exit and stayed here to experience the famous “Karhai”. It was 10:00pm when we left Hala Naka for Karachi and by 12:30pm we were back in Karachi.
Click on the image below to open slideshow in a new window:
