Pakistan > Bus ride to Islamabad

The alarm goes off at quarter to four. It was noisy last night in the courtyard. Other guests didn’t have to go to bed early, of course, and gathered in the courtyard. Still, I slept reasonably well. I take a shower and pack my luggage. The hotel couldn’t provide breakfast packages but said they would serve breakfast starting at four o’clock. When I arrive at the restaurant at quarter past four, everyone is still waiting. There is only local tea with milk. I am one of the few in the group who appreciates this tea—here in Pakistan, that is. Slowly, pitchers of hot water arrive, along with a plate of bread and some jam. When the bus arrives, the luggage is loaded onto the roof, and I prepare myself for a long journey to Islamabad. It’s about six hundred kilometers to drive. It’s still dark when we leave Gulgit. I rest my jacket against the window and try to get some more sleep. After two hours and one hundred and forty kilometers, we make the first stop. It has become light by now. Willem has arranged tea. He has a large thermos, specially purchased for this purpose, filled with hot water. At Chilas, we reach a fork in the road. The route to Islamabad via the Karakoram Highway is about one hundred kilometers longer. The turnoff via the N15 goes over the 4,173-meter-high Babusar mountain pass. Yassir explains that the mountain pass route is the fastest, which means we must climb almost three kilometers in altitude. The bus driver turns off the air conditioning to save energy for the engine. Slowly, we wind up hairpin turn after hairpin turn. Halfway up, he stops the bus. The driver takes a garden hose and cools the engine with water. I doubt whether this cold water is good for the hot engine. When we arrive at the top of Babusar Pass, it looks like a sort of fair. Stalls are set up everywhere, and you can try the zipline here. A few Pakistani men ask if they may take a photo with me. Of course. I also take a photo with my camera.

Pakistan - Pausing on the way to the mountain pass

On the other side of the pass, we descend again. Driving through the mountains is slow. Only around half past eleven, when we arrive in Naran for lunch, have we traveled another one hundred and forty kilometers. We’re still not halfway. We lunch at the Moon restaurant—a large place clearly prepared for many guests. We are still too early for lunch; only breakfast is being served. I choose a fried egg with toast. For less than a euro, I can’t resist. In the afternoon, we continue driving through the valley. The road mainly goes downhill. Because of the bends and traffic, frequent braking is necessary. Our driver drives well. It doesn’t matter much if he overtakes in a curve. He honks to announce his passing, and oncoming drivers move aside a little. It’s actually amazing how often it goes well in Pakistani traffic.

Pakistan - The Babusar mountain pass is 4173 meters high

I’ve only seen one accident, and aside from scratches on cars, you don’t often see dents. Also, unlike some countries, you don’t see wrecked cars by the roadside that were involved in accidents. Still, I’m glad I’m not sitting all the way in front and don’t have to see everything that happens. Herds of sheep and goats are led across the road, children walk along the roadside after school, and cars we pass are stacked high with all sorts of things. It also seems normal to have four people sitting on the roof rack of a car. A creative form of carpooling. In the afternoon, we take another tea stop. It’s nice to stretch the legs, but I’m getting tired of the bus ride. It looks like we’re going to exceed the estimated eleven hours of driving.

Pakistan - Pakistanis want to take photos with me

From the rest stop by the river, there are still 194 kilometers to go. Yassir estimates it will take another three hours. Shortly after five, we leave the valley. We reach Abbottabad, the place where Osama bin Laden was eliminated by American soldiers. Here also begins the Expressway, a highway toward Islamabad. The driver speeds up. Unfortunately, there is a police checkpoint right after the tunnel. We were speeding. Apparently, the driver must pay 1,000 rupees (three euros). As we approach Islamabad, it’s become dark. The driver signals with his lights to indicate to other drivers that he wants to pass. On the highway, there are also mopeds without any lights. The exits are poorly lit. You have to watch carefully. At half past seven, we arrive at the Hillview hotel in Islamabad. This is the same hotel where we started the trip. We’ve been traveling for almost 15 hours today. I found it tiring already, let alone how challenging it must have been for the driver. With a small group, I go to eat at the Kabul restaurant at the end of the street. We order chicken and meat skewers. The waiter warns we might be ordering too much for four people. We’ll see. The food tastes good, and indeed, we have some leftovers. At nine o’clock, I’m back in the hotel room. I take a shower, set the alarm for quarter to two, and quickly get into bed. I can only get four hours of sleep.

Pakistan - The last dinner in Pakistan