Benjamin van der Spek Photography
The Brains
No. 10 The Brains
My travels through Pakistan were such an eye opener to me. Even though I had spent a couple of months in India, this country was something completely different. Our journey took us from the hustle and bustle of Quetta to quiet Islamabad and from there in a classic green Jeep to silk road city Peshawar and on north to Chitral and the valleys of the Kalash right in between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Every turn on every mile is an adventure in this amazing country. We crossed dilapidated bridges so small and fragile, we did not dare to stay in the Jeep, but rather walked across. We passed ruins of ancient fortresses on the banks of the Indus river, that made me think of the campaigns by Alexander the Great in 326 bc.
I remember the orange sky over the city as we drove into Peshawar. Sunlight was trying to peer through the dense smoke, produced by small brick furnaces outside the city, well known for its location on the historic silk road and its beautiful lapis lazuli gems. I felt like something between time traveller and Indiana Jones. Overhanging the streets of the inner city a meandering web of power lines connected buildings of bygone eras. Not many tourists dared to venture in this city ruled by local warlords and ripped by tribal strife. Even now, in 2021, the Pakistan ministry of defence classifies Peshawar as the second most dangerous city in the world. Right after Barquisimeto in Venezuela.
Local merchants looked amazed as a westerner, wearing a turban, took photos of the wares they offered on wooden planks. Pink goats brains and yellow mangoes.
The Brains
No. 10 The Brains
My travels through Pakistan were such an eye opener to me. Even though I had spent a couple of months in India, this country was something completely different. Our journey took us from the hustle and bustle of Quetta to quiet Islamabad and from there in a classic green Jeep to silk road city Peshawar and on north to Chitral and the valleys of the Kalash right in between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Every turn on every mile is an adventure in this amazing country. We crossed dilapidated bridges so small and fragile, we did not dare to stay in the Jeep, but rather walked across. We passed ruins of ancient fortresses on the banks of the Indus river, that made me think of the campaigns by Alexander the Great in 326 bc.
I remember the orange sky over the city as we drove into Peshawar. Sunlight was trying to peer through the dense smoke, produced by small brick furnaces outside the city, well known for its location on the historic silk road and its beautiful lapis lazuli gems. I felt like something between time traveller and Indiana Jones. Overhanging the streets of the inner city a meandering web of power lines connected buildings of bygone eras. Not many tourists dared to venture in this city ruled by local warlords and ripped by tribal strife. Even now, in 2021, the Pakistan ministry of defence classifies Peshawar as the second most dangerous city in the world. Right after Barquisimeto in Venezuela.
Local merchants looked amazed as a westerner, wearing a turban, took photos of the wares they offered on wooden planks. Pink goats brains and yellow mangoes.