The senses become saturated with the scent of ancient traditions. Sufis step out of the dust and offer you a cup of tea, just because your paths have crossed and the teapot's already on the fire.
Men ride into town on camel-back, park and disappear down alleyways, into the shadows.
Sehwan Sharif challenges you to try and give it context. Qalandaris's belief system is founded on denying themselves the safety of normal social restraints, which they believe are a form of attachment to physical reality. The circle of men sitting around the dwindling embers breaks into a chorus of laughter and I have to endure a couple of stinging slaps on the back. Hazrat Ghulam Mustafa, the object of Ahmed's joke, smiles to himself and sets to work on another hash joint. Lucky for me these guys are more inclined to discuss the nature of ecstatic love than the value of my personal belongings.