Pakistan Post - My Story

Last week I visited "Pakistan Post" after a long time. I used to go there 8-10 years back but only to submit utility bills. In my recent visit I went there to post a package from Karachi to Lahore. I was there for just 10 minutes and in that short time I become excited and concerned at the same time. My package is safely delivered to the destination location and I am happy for that but at the same time I feels a bit uneasy about the whole process.

-  Still old:
When I entered the "Pakistan Post" branch near Disco Bakery Gulshan-e-Iqbal, the whole setup refreshes the old memories and it's the same what I saw 10 years back. Old styled broken chairs and tables, not clean, some chairs are not broken but have "pan peek" on them etc. Anyway the good thing was that I didn't had to wait there as I was the only customer at that time.

+  The old guy:
The person who welcomes me is an old guy and through out the process he remains so polite. No artificial dialogs, straight forward and too the point.

-+ Clothed Bag:
The old guy starts putting my package items in a clothed bag. This is where I start thinking of why he is doing this. I thought he just want to weight the package by putting all the items in a clothed bag. But he started to adjust the items properly in the bag as this is how they will send the package. So I ask him about this and he said yes your package will be delivered in this bag. Since it was a clothed bag I got a bit worried as if the items will remain safe or not. The good thing about the clothed bag is the flexibility. The items that I want to deliver are not fitting in the basic carton box used by TCS. Even in a bigger TCS box they have to force fit the items, that's why I did not go with the TCS.

- Sewing:
The most interesting part of the whole process. The guy had to sew the clothed bag mouth with the needle and thread with his hands. There is no doubt that the old guy is so perfect in sewing but my concern is why he was doing it. Even if they have no other option than to sew the bag they can have a sewing machine to do it for them.

- Postal address:
They ask me to write a destination address and contact details on that clothed bag using a marker. I am not sure if they entered this address in there system or not but it was so weird for me.

+ Cost:
For the same package what was costing around 2000 PKR through TCS the Pakistan Post charged only 300 PKR. That's a serious difference.

+ Technology:
After the whole process is done they give me a payment receipt with a sticker on it having some serial number written on the sticker. The old guy told me that I can track my package from that serial number using there online portal and also using there mobile app. I was not expecting that but yes they have it and it was also showing the correct package details on there portal.

+ Promise:
They promise to deliver my parcel in 2 days and they fulfilled it. The package reached the destination safely in 2 days.

I really appreciate the services provided by Pakistan Post and will be using there services in the future. My suggestion to Pakistan post is to improve there premises and the process of initial customer interaction. I bet people will only use Pakistan Post if they feel comfortable going to there premises. Best of luck to them.

rizzz86

Me in Bahrain - Aldar Islands Resort

My last post on Bahrain is sometime back in year 2013 nearly 6 years back. A lot of Bahrain has been explored since then and it's been a joyful experience. In coming days I will be posting some more stuff and information about Bahrain and make them part of my blog.

In my previous post on Bahrain I have shared some renown buildings and architectures in Bahrain. Those includes Bab al Bahrain,  Financial Harbor Building, World Trade Center Building, Bahrain Circuit structure, Corniches, Bahrain Museum and some prominent Mosques. I will be sharing the detail information on some of those places also in my coming posts.

In this post I am starting with one of the Bahrain's natural beach resort named Aldar Islands Resort. Aldar island is 12 km away from the city of Sitra island (as shown in the map picture). A daily shuttle/boat is operated between city and the Aldar island for pick and drop off.

If you are planning to visit the Aldar island, you have to first visit the island's office located in Sitra. The timings are from 9 AM to 5 PM. In the office they will do the initial formalities and then direct you towards the shuttle service. One thing that is very important is to bring the original CPR/Passport with you (I have a bad experience as I did not take the CPR for one of my family members and I have to go back to home again come back). Following are some of the pics of the office area:

Once you are done with the official formalities you will be boarded to the boat that will take you to the Aldar island. The boats are fast and that ride on the boat itself is a fun. Check the video.

On the resort first thing to do is to book a hut. You can get a normal or VIP hut based on your requirement. Normal hut costs 10 BD for a day and private hut costs 25 BD for a day. They also have arrangement for big tents that can fit around 80 peoples. Chalets can also be booked for 4 to 22 family members.

My recommendation is to bring your food with you. Not much options are available to try on the resort.

The resort is well maintained, the water is clean and clear and the overall environment is to chill and ready to enjoy the visit. Different activities are available on the resort to make your trip more adventurous which includes Jet ski, boat trips to other small islands, dolphin watch, kids zone etc.

If you are living in Bahrain or visiting Bahrain and did not yet to this resort, I would say to go and experience it. It's not going to be a tiring visit. You can just visit there to relax, chill and enjoy your time. That's it for this blog. For more details of Aldar resort you can visit there website and you can also call them in case of any queries (there contact details are also on there website).

rizzz86