… can we - covered in a cloud of fumes - read dozens of times on our way from Lahore to Islamabad on advertising boards, but only as long as we don’t have to close our tearing eyes because of the hot wind which blasts dust in our eyes. But the merciless sun already burned this slogan successfully in our sun-baked brains anyway. Great that I wear a scarf - otherwise my overheated brain might think that because of the traffic we are still in India.
If “Pakistan - The Beautiful” is related to the natural beauty of the country then we find it finally on the Karakoram Highway which is also enjoyably traffic free. The heat is still astonishing here - especially because of the fact that we are cycling soon at more then 2000 meters above the sea level. But the desert-like high plateau, which is surrounded by snow-clad mountains - some of them more then 8.000 meters high - is fascinating. We also meet many friendly and helpful people, who want to give us places to stay, to eat and even money. Many folks speak a little English, therefore communicating is also much easier than in other countries.
Sadly we do not only have pleasant encounters. Especially Indus Kohistan has its negative reputation not without reason. From Vietnam, Tibet and Nepal we already know children who - out of boredom or because they are angry not to receive a present from us - threw stones at us. We used to turn around when the first stone was flying in our direction to chase after the kids who ran away frightened. But in Indus Kohistan they throw so many stones at us that turning around would be a pure waste of energy. Even when we stop, surrounded by adults, stones hit us with a surprising marksmanship. Not only the kids use us as a target but many adults who have great fun to throw their empty plastic bottles and other waste at us out of overtaking cars. The roadmen take delight in chasing after us with sticks or shovels, …
The worst for us are the many men who get sexual problems when they see a woman from the west although I am dressed like pakistani women with scarf and salwar kameez. I loose my trust in the men here totally and that in a country where we sometimes meet less than five women per day.
Therefore we do not feel sad to leave “Pakistan - The Beautiful” - even if we also had some really great experiences here. When we cross the Chinese boarder for the fifth and last time now we are not only looking forward to the tasty chinese food. I am really thrilled soon not to be the only woman in the street anymore, to talk to men again, look in their eyes and shake their hand without negative consequences and even to sit in the same room then the men in the restaurant!