1 Getting There

Adventures in the Sub-Continent

How could a newly-wed couple living in almost-paradise in Colorado Springs end up in Karachi, Pakistan a few months later? Rich was an Air Force captain teaching Aeronautical Engineering at the Air Force Academy. Lois was using her Med Tech degree working in a local hospital. We went skiing every winter and camped in the mountains when the weather got warmer.

Shirley, the emeritus secretary who really ran the Aeronautical Engineering Department, came into the prof’s cubicles in May 1976 and asked if anyone wanted to teach at the Pakistan Air Force College of Aeronautical Engineering (PAFCAE). Many of us professors knew that the Department Head, Col. Daley, had started PAFCAE about 10 years previously, and that Academy Aero professors volunteered to go there on a 2-year assignment. 

Rich told Shirley he was interested, but needed to talk with Lois. When we talked that evening, Lois said it sounded like an exciting adventure. This is one reason why we make such a great couple – we both love travel. Lois had just recently done a 2-month solo adventure around Europe, so her travel bug was primed.

We left our van with Rich’s mother with instructions to start it every now and then to keep the motor in good shape. Then we took our car, a Volkswagen Rabbit, and drove to New York to put it on a boat for Karachi. It was nice that we would have the Rabbit to use even though we also had a car and driver assigned to us.

On the way to Pakistan, we stopped in London for a delayed honeymoon. We had a good time, although the cool, rainy weather was off-putting. Canterbury was one of our favorite places, and a casino trip to France was also nice. Riding the tour bus to the coast of England, the Brits could tell we were Yanks. They asked where we were headed next, and we said Pakistan. “Ahh, the Pakkis, or blackies”. This was an eye-opener for us – it’s not just people in the US who are prejudiced. 

After five days of English weather, we were bored, and decided to go to Pakistan three days early. We sent a telegram to Rich’s department chair, letting him know that we were coming early. The telegram arrived a couple of days after we did! We arrived at about two o'clock in the morning, tired and jet lagged. The airport was all lit up and very busy, and there was no one to pick us up. 

There were hundreds of Pakistanis hanging out, milling around, enjoying camping in the airport. Fortunately, Rich had had a tour in Viet Nam, so he was used to life in third-world countries, so we didn’t let the chaos overwhelm us. The local dress was something we’d have to get used to, though. Men wore a shalwar-kurta and many women wore veils. Much more on this later.

We looked for a cab to take us to Korangi Creek, just outside of Karachi, where PAFCAE was located. Before we got into the cab, a policeman thankfully admonished the driver to make sure he knew where we wanted to go and not to overcharge us. When we got to the PAF base gate at 3 am, the PAF wouldn’t allow us to enter, so ended up going to a hotel in Karachi for the rest of the night. 

The next morning, after several calls, we found the address of our house (the PAF rented us a huge house in Karachi) and went there. It was a two-story, four-bedroom house that had 8-foot walls all around it. We initially felt like ugly Americans (the seminal book was published just prior to 1960), living behind walls, isolated from the people. Later we came to understand that a bit of isolation is necessary to preserve our health and sanity.