Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Itwas an early start. Shamelessly, I didn't have much to pack apart from my camera equip-
ment. I have a professional packer and she is much better at that than I am. Packing was
done quite late and sleep was not much more than resting in anticipation for the early start.
My sons David and Phil took this opportunity to stay up all night to see me off.
On the morning of the 6
th
of July 2005 at 5.30 a.m., my Pashtun driver, Hakim was waiting
for me. He swung round to Peter's house and took us speedily and safely to Sharjah air-
port.
Hakim was one of my favourite drivers. He was from Isaak Humari in Karak province
near Kohat in the Pashtun area of Pakistan. He had been our driver for years and radiated
goodness and kindness. He was a tribal elder back home and one of the most highly re-
spected men in his community. He was devoutly religious, which meant that occasionally,
we would have to stop at a mosque if my travel time coincided with his prayer time. He
had thick glasses and was diabetic. He was working unofficially as a private taxi driver in
Dubai and the police and Road Transport Authority (RTA) had very high penalties for any
such unlicensed drivers. His son was an official taxi driver in Dubai and his brother had
a successful car and bus rental firm. He and his son were looking after around 40 family
members back in Pakistan from their meager earnings in Dubai, so they were not able to
afford many holidays (as it was, the taxi drivers worked 12 hour shifts, seven days a week,
365 days a year, so that was a moot point for his son). Hakim also organized the unofficial
life insurance scheme for his local, exile, Pashtun community in Dubai. This was managed
by collecting small monthly contributions from each member of the community and man-
aging payouts to people in misfortune. It was a very responsible role and one based on the
honour system of mutual self-help. Back home, Hakim was the head of his village and he
was a much loved and respected man. He was the same age as I was, but he looked much
older with his large black beard and his hard life of around 30 years in enforced economic
exile. As with all his countrymen, he would return home once a year for one to two months
to be with his extended family. Hakim, sadly had to return home to his family of 6 children
and around 40 family members when his health deteriorated a few years later and he passed
away unexpectedly in 2009. He was only 56.
The old Sharjah Airport was not too impressive compared to Dubai. It was undergoing ex-
pansion and renovation and would eventually be a very nice, modern, but still small, airport
by Dubai standards. One thing that surprised us was that the Duty Free Shop in Sharjah
sold alcohol. This was even stranger as it was in an Emirate where alcohol was banned. It
begged the question whether one could get into trouble for the possession of alcohol pur-
chased at the Duty Free Shop on arrival in Sharjah.
