This is an intersting travel log of a guy by the name of Jeff, who had the oppurtunity to travel through Pakistan! the part about Pakistan is very intersting, especailly wher ehe got held up on gun point in between Islamabad and Rawalpindi!
Jeff’s Little Ride(s)
Singapore (February 24, 2001): 192 days cycled, 17,990km, 347 days out of the gate… (from Cairo, Egypt)
Pakistan
I had a pretty rough go of it in Pakistan: first my bike was broken so I had to cycle down the KKH from China to Gilgit in 3 gears, then I was hassled and accused of being a spy by the Pakistani military when I was cycling in the Deosai Plains between Astor and Skardu in the summer of 1999 (something about the tension with India and being too close to the line of control - a pretty ridiculous situation, I have to say), I got sick with cholera/dysentery while riding from Gilgit to Chitral, was relieved of my money at some point in my delirium, and decided to call it quits when some guys held me up at midnight as I cycled from Rawalpindi to Islamabad. That said, I have fantastic memories of Pakistan: the mountains are unreal, the people are genuinely friendly, the trekking and climbing possibilities are seemingly unlimited, and the cities are truly kaleidoscopic and definitely are a world away from home (if you hail from a western country). The traffic is really light up in the mountains along the jeep roads up the Kagan valley, the Deosai Plains, the Gilgit-Chitral road, and most of the KKH above Abottabad. Some stretches are demanding, but in general, the going isn’t too rough in the northern areas and NW Frontier Province, with snacks aplenty, and no shortage of greasy generic Pakistani road food (dal and rice) to keep you going. Worth a go for sure, especially when I think back and remember that in the middle of all the bad luck there were loads of smiles, lots of chai, Afghan refugees that got me back to Islamabad, and the travel agent who sold me a ticket home at no markup and took me to the airport personally in a taxi…I’ll be back for sure.
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