Life in Islamabad - meet the miller

Australian Photographer in Pakistan

Instagram: @gaynor.shaw.photography

I have been very keen to learn to shop like a local. There are supermarkets and shops that look a lot like Australia but where is the fun in that?

A friend shops at a small place in Gulshan Market that sells flour, rice and pulses. She invited me to come along with her and was told to bring my camera as it is an interesting place. We went to buy a large bag of rice where first you pay for your purchase at a small window next to the store room and then you wait for your order to be filled and weighed.

Flour is milled at the shop to your requirements. Large or small amounts can be bought. The shop was filled with a fine dust that drifted down and the miller’s eyelashes, eyebrows and hands matched his naturally white beard and hair.

My visit to the shop coincided with increasing flour prices across the country. This is making life difficult for locals and many small businesses that need flour to make daily items such as chapati and naan.

Visit Atta Chakki Brothers, Gulshan Market, G7/3/2, Islamabad. Bring cash and camera.