Pleasant change: Cool breeze brings out residents

Vendors have a field day as beach floods with visitors

KARACHI: Nida Nayab, 9, was really excited about taking a camel ride with her mother and younger brother at Sea View. "Since tomorrow is also a holiday I asked my parents to take us to the beach. I am having a lot of fun today," she told The Express Tribune as her father captured the moment on his video camera.

Another visitor, Preetam Das, accompanied by four friends, also decided to come to the beach owing to the 'cool, breezy weather'.

Sea View beach was crowded on Sunday afternoon due to the pleasant weather, with a number of people coming out to enjoy the long weekend [owing to a provincial holiday in respect of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's death anniversary on Monday] and others busy making ends meet.



"Today there is an unusual number of people at the beach. I'm sure I'll make more than Rs800," said a delighted Abdul Aziz, who usually makes Rs150 to Rs200 otherwise by selling sweet water bottles for feet washing after a dip in the water.

Mushtaq Ahmed, a kulfi vendor, was glad about the high number of visitors on Sunday, and hoped the weather continues to be kind on him. "Today the beach is crowded. I have sold half of my stock in just an hour and half," he said.

Alam Sher, who was accompanied by his wife, sisters and children, said the cool breeze and cloudy weather drew him out of his house, which is otherwise an impossible scenarios being a Sunday. Sher said Sea View is one of his family's favourite picnic spots in the city and he was glad they are making the most of it.



Obaid, another visitor who hails from Punjab was busy playing with his companions in the seawater. "I feel cold if I come out of the water, that's why I'm going to stay immersed till the clouds part and some sunshine comes this way," he said hopefully.

He added that visiting the beach is the first thing he does whenever he comes to the metropolis since there's no such thing where he comes from.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th,  2016.