La
Licorne
ON
to SWAT VALLEY
The following morning we flew to
Saidu Sharif. We checked into Swat Serena, a colonial style hotel, which Jens
adored from the first moment. With this he proved to have a good taste because service
and kitchen were excellent, as I had experienced on previous occasions. The
staff -whether young or old- were pleasantly servile and the cook delivered
proof of his ability in person by showing his impressive figure in the dining
hall after dinner.
|
|
The whole environment brought
Jens in high spirits. Filled with energy he dragged Rafique down to Malakand
and then all the way up to Kalam. Being a forester he exchanged interesting
views with his senior colleague, who is very knowledgeable in the management
of forest and rangeland. |
Mieke spent some time on shopping
in the bazaars of twin town Mingora. She does that with love and fervor, taking
time for both merchant and merchandise, and getting away with the best prices.
As on one occasions Jens had mentioned he wanted to buy something for his
children, one late afternoon she detached Jens from his work to give her
accompany. That evening he happily
returned from the shops with some carpets, richly decorated with animal
figures.
Jens was not the only one to take
a break, for I did the same. As it turned out in many a late afternoon I had to
wait for the others to come home. By the time the sun had reached the front of
my room, I would get myself seated in a chair, resting my head in a
pillow against one of the pillars surrounding the verandah. In that position I
would take a nap until the sun disappeared behind the mountain range.
In the evenings we took dinner
together and discussed the results of the day and the work ahead. When
Mehjabeen turned up in the camp Jens had lengthy discussions with her about the
need to ensure the participation of the villagers in the development.
read on about ADDRESS IN KOHISTAN