Pakistan پاکِستان

Canada et پاکستان

Ok, so tonight I'll let myself get carried away: I'll post this second pair of covers.

This first cover, my second or third from Pakistan, gives us a glimpse of Pakistan. The block of four, as you can see, has the theme Visit Pakistan 2006 and shows a series of mountain-lake landscapes, which are among the most scenic areas of the country. Clockwise from the upper left that are Henna Lake, Lake Payee, Lake Dudi Pat Sar, and Lake Saiful Maluk.

Henna Lake nestles in the hills, ten kilometres (six miles) east of Quetta, a startling turquoise pool within bare brown surroundings. There is a lakeside restaurant with picnic tables shaded by pine trees. At one end, the irrigation dam rises out of the depths like battlements of a fort. It is very attractive for holidaymakers, and is crowded with hikers and campers on holidays. You can hire a boat and paddle on the lake and around the island in the middle.

Dudiptsar lake or Dudipat Lake is a beautiful lake encircled by snow clad peaks. The lake lies in the extreme north of Kaghan Valley and is about a four-hour drive from the chief town Naran. The word "dudi" means white and "sar" means lake. This name has been given to the lake because of the white color of snow at surrounding peaks.

Lake Saifal Maluk has water that is clear with a slight green tone. The clarity of the water comes from the multiple glaciers all around the high basin feeding the lake which provides a good scenery. It is speculated that an underground river empties into the lake; which is why its depth is unknown. A fairy tale called Saiful Muluk, written by the famous sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, is associated with the lake and discusses a prince who fell in love with a fairy princess. The impact of the lake beauty is of such extent that people believe that fairies come down to the lake whenever there is a full moon.

Lake Payee probably isn't that popular as much hasn't been said about it.

Moving on to the other two stamps, let's start with the lower one. It celebrates the Platinum Jubilee (or 75th year) of the Karachi City Council KMC Building. The Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) Building is one of the many historic buildings located at M. A. Jinnah road and has evolved an iconic status as one of the landmark structures of Karachi. The foundation stone for the KMC Building was laid in 1927, construction was completed in 1930, followed by the inauguration in 1932.

The City District Government of Karachi decided to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the building on 07 Jan 07. On this occasion, the building went through a massive renovation project which included repairing of the clock tower. Events are organized around the theme of "Hamara Karachi Festival 2007." They include Mushaira, Exhibitions, Cultural, and social activities.

The last stamp, the upper one, commemorates the 21st International Congress of Ophthalmologists held in Islamabad in 2007. Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, brain, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and eyelids.

The stamps were franked at Islamabad on 21 May 08 and, again, the "Registered" postmark was used.

Up next we have a home-made 2008 Olympics cover from Canada sent on 08.08.08, the first day of the Olympics, if you recall. The cover bears two of the single stamps that were issued by Canada Post in July. The stamp celebrates Canada's participation in the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and recognizes the more than 340 athletes who proudly represented Canada in Beijing. I find the design pretty neat, one of those contemporary pieces that give off a feeling of motion even though the picture is obviously not moving. I like the design very much, but I must say it took me a while to figure out that the athlete was holding up a Canadian flag.

This is the back of the cover, where we have some more stamps for additional postage. As you can see, the post office here in the Philippines ravaged the back of the cover again with those terrible pen scribbles! Why is the post office doing this? Can't they tell that the cover is for collection? It angers me when I see this scribbling on the covers I receive.

Also, I was just wondering about the postmark used. I was just wondering if it is a special personal postmark that the sender can use if he obtains a permit (just like in the States: "Mailer's Postmark")? I ask because I am used to postmarks that. although also large and rectangular, bear the Canada Post logo. This one does not. Does anyone have any information on this?

پاکستان

I believe this is my second cover from Pakistan; it is always nice to receive covers from these far-off places. Not that Pakistan is in some obscure corner of the world, it's just that you rarely find something from Pakistan when you open your mailbox.

Anyhoo, moving on, the five mushroom stamps are part of a se-tenant set of 10 issued 01 Oct 05. As I do not think that many readers would be interested in reading 15 or so paragraphs about mushrooms, I won't discuss them anymore, but for those interested, Pakistan Post does offer an extensive report on them here.

The two medicinal plant stamps on the lower right depicting Chamomile and Aloe Vera, were issued 28 Oct 06.

More on chamomile:

The name Chamomile (from Greek χαμαίμηλον - chamaimēlon) means "earth-apple", (from χαμαί - chamai: "on the ground" + μήλον - mēlon: "apple"), because of the applelike scent of the plant. It can refer to any of several distinct species in the sunflower family. The Chamomile flower is most often consumed in the form of a bitter herb tea infusion. Taken internally, the infusion's effects include calming of the digestive tract, and easing of the spasms of irritable bowel syndrome, nocturnal cramps and period pains. It's a relaxant and sedative, so it is often taken against insomnia or anxiety.

And on Aloe Vera:

Aloe vera, also known as the Medicinal Aloe, is a species of succulent plant that probably originated in northern Africa. The species does not have any naturally occurring populations, although closely related Aloes do occur in northern Africa. The species is frequently cited as being used in herbal medicine since the beginning of the first century CE, however, it is unclear whether the aloes described in those accounts are derived from A. vera. Extracts from A. vera are widely used in the cosmetics and alternative medicine industries, being marketed as variously having rejuvenating, healing or soothing properties. There is, however, little scientific evidence of the effectiveness or safety of A. vera extracts for either cosmetic or medicinal purposes, and what positive evidence is available is frequently contradicted by other studies. Despite these limitations, there is some preliminary evidence that A. vera extracts may be useful in the treatment of diabetes and elevated blood lipids in humans.

The last stamp, which depicts the Yellow Dwarf Cichlid, is part of a 5v set issued 09 Oct 04.

On the Yellow Dwarf Cichlid:

A laterally compressed cichlid that has a stockier, less elongated body than agassizi, another type of cichlid. The caudal fin is fan-shaped within the male, the dorsal and anal fins meet at a point. The head and the area just behind the gill cover are golden yellow. The belly and the very top of the back may also be golden-yellow in color. The middle area of the body is pale blue as are the dorsal, pelvic, and front parts of the anal fins. The dorsal and pelvic fins are gold-tipped. The caudal fin and most of the anal fin is golden-yellow. Often a red area develops on the caudal penuncle. When a fish is excited, several transverse marking develop on the sides of the fish. A short, black stripeextends through the eye and to the snout.The males can grow to reach 2.8" (7 cm) and the females to 2" (5 cm). These fish are found in shallow swampy regions along rivers. South America; the Rio Paraguay and the Pantanal (matto Grosso).

A funny thing to notice is that all the stamps on this cover were issued in October 2004, 2005, and 2006!

The stamps were tied at the General Post Office at Islamabad, the capital city, on 10 Jul 08. I find it quite odd that the postmark used indicates that the mail article is registered ("Regd.") when it is not. Perhaps they also have the same problems with the lack of postmark stampers that they have here in the Philippines?