Family outing - a walk to the corner shop

Al-Noor C-196

 Yay, we have finally made it! We are going to walk to the corner shop Time Medico.

It's about 4 pm in the afternoon so the heat of the sun has gone and the air is pretty fresh, not humid as it has been.

Its less than 5 minutes walk away but you would think it was the other side of town. Everyone was worried that my Mum shouldn't walk there but we have safety in numbers.

There are guards outside most of the houses and if you go frequently enough they give their salaam and they all watch out for you. They will have found out all about you, where you live, who you are related to etc, before you've got back home.

The cul-de-sac

Here come the crazy foreigners walking to the shop

 Its a lovely neighbourhood, very green and quiet in comparison with most of urban Karachi. The house is in a cul-de-sac which provides even more respite from the horrendous noise pollution.

Inside Time Medico its hectic as always. This place does a roaring trade. It started out as a pharmacy but has just grown and grown and you can get most imported foods here - Kellogs Frosties, filter coffee, a jar of olives.

We have parked Alessandro in the corner of the shop in his pushchair and he still gets the odd pinched cheek or one of the shop assistants trying to catch his attention and make him smile. They love kids here and Alessandro gets tons of attention, which he returns with a huge smile every time.