22nd January, 2023
Me and my two friends had an amazing day exploring nature, spotting birds, and snapping photos on our motorbikes. We headed to an area near the Sadiq Ganj canals in South Punjab, where marshes had formed from canal water. Local folks even had fish farms there. It was a perfect spot for bird-watching. Interestingly, nearby villages, Minchianabad and McLeod Ganj were named after British officers.
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| Marshy Area between Head Sulmenki Canals |
False Villager Knowledge: During our trip, we met a local who shared some wild beliefs. He asked if we knew about a peculiar cure for Hepatitis C involving female pigeons. We shook our heads, confused. Then, he confidently told us that villagers believed rubbing the patient's tummy with a female pigeon until it took away the "heat" and died could cure the disease. We were left baffled by the odd beliefs some folks had.
Dinner with a Hunter: After our bird-watching adventure, we were invited to dinner at a hunter friend's house. Over the meal, he shared some fascinating, albeit questionable, stories with us. He mentioned how hunters in McLeod Ganj considered anything they shot as fair game, including parakeets and mynas. It was quite surprising for me to hear about their unconventional eating habits.
As we left McLeod Ganj, another strange encounter awaited us on the road to Heaveli Lakha. Despite the chill, we embarked on our bikes towards our destinations. Along the dark Head Sulemenki Road, close to the border between Pakistan and India, we encountered a mysterious figure seeking a lift. Although we declined, our third friend behind us offered the stranger a ride. Little did we know, this decision would lead to an unexpected encounter at an army checkpoint. The stranger, it turned out, was carrying various drugs, landing him in custody. While we escaped with a warning, the incident left us pondering the strange events of the day and the risks of impulsive decisions.
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| lights on Indian side from Head Sulmenki road |
