"Come tour Pakistan with me" 2013

As Pakistan's image has been tarnished in the media over the years, people now associate Pakistan with terrorism, suicide attacks, kidnappings and such. I felt being a Pakistani its my duty to tell the world, Pakistan is not all that dangerous.

Since my last tour San Francisco, California to Lahore, Pakistan, I've made a lot of friends a round the world and so I invited a couple to come tour Pakistan with me. The tour went great without a single issue. If time allows ill take a month out of my life every year and invite more of you over.

We rode around 2200 miles in 19 days, visited a bunch of places some highlights were, Shadur Polo Festival (the highest polo ground in the world), Khunjerab pass (the highest international border in the world), DeoSai Plains (the second highest plains in the world).

The tour ended last week and my friends flew out 3 days ago. So here are the updates.

Bikes were Piaggio 125cc, perfect for the mountains here as they are light in weight and mechanics and parts available almost every few miles.
Are you ready to tour Pakistan in 2014 *

You can follow my adventures on facebook too, www.facebook.com/ADAmoin or just search ADifferentAgenda
ENJOY!!




Michael's words:
I feel extremely fortunate to have traveled through Northern Pakistan with Moin Khan and his project ADifferentAgenda. Because of the news of the murdered climbers I had misgivings about my safety by continuing on this ride, however I am glad I did it. All throughout Pakistan we were treated with extreme generosity and courtesy by local people and the police and military alike. At no time did I ever feel threatened or unsafe and for this I thank our hosts and the good people I met. That being said, I came to Pakistan in order to experience the beauty of the mountain ranges and unspoiled nature and this was delivered in splendid fashion, sights of low flat valleys flanked by impossibly high snowcapped peaks, pristine meadows and streams and roads with continuous views of rushing rivers that captivate and move the soul. Pakistan has treasures of history and natural beauty unlike anything I have seen in my travels around the world, and in time as these areas are developed for more trade and tourism I hope there is an effort to safeguard the integrity of these precious jewels. Some day when I return I hope to explore more deeply into the mountain areas and make more Pakistani friends!


Kyle's words:
Thank you, Pakistan

To most of the world, Pakistan is seen as a dangerous place. A place where the people do not like you. A place where it is dangerous to travel. These myths are so strong, that they are treated like truth. I put these things out of my mind and determined that I would go. As I waited for my flight, news of the tragic incident at Nanga Parbat broke and my heart sunk. Surely, this could not have happened! It elicited a fear in our group that caused many to turn back. Pakistan they surmised, was inhospitable and dangerous.

However, the exact opposite is true. I am very glad to have had the opportunity to visit your beautiful country, and spend a month with you, the generous, kind people of Pakistan. This trip has been living proof that your country is not dangerous. Wherever we would go, people would help us. I felt safer in Pakistan than I have traveling around my own country.

Pakistan is beautiful. The roads around pakistan were hard, but rewarded us with beautiful sights. We saw some of the highest mountains in the world. Pakistan is a jewel in the crown of the world. I am proud to say I have been there. I hope to return to Pakistan in the future, to visit some of the sights I was unable to see, to come and meet new friends and go on new adventures.




Leaving Chitral!!


And the scenery started to get better



but then..
Élan Ravipiaggio125 Panther Tyres. Ltd.(Official)



mud!!



and Kyle got stuck



Local support!!



Michael zoomed through!!

Élan Ravipiaggio125 Panther Tyres. Ltd.(Official)



Finally out



Money shot??



Wooaahh!!



kept getting better and better



getting lost in nature



stopped to chat up with some friendly locals



more mud



its always hard riding in such conditions but then this is what we live for




roads got better



a lot better



we came across a rainbow too



landslide!! waiting for it to be cleared and a few minutes later we got the green signal



and we went on!!



stopped to take some pictures







cruising!!



Finally got to Mastuj. Stopped at the Army check-post to register ourselves and this little one was too excited to see us

Off to the highest polo ground in the world!!

Mastuj is only fun because of this guy!!
Crazy hospitality.. Thank you Subhan!!


off we go



The road to Shandur...


The road to Shandur...



...keeps getting...



...better...



...and better.



EPIC?? or what??



I was scared crossing this bridge, the flimsiest of all!!



Amazing Pakistan!!



Stopped over to rest, hydrate ourselves and meet some locals. These two lovely little girls walked over with their father and we stole them for some pictures



getting there



The Team



Shandur's entrance!!!



into the wild sorta.



gorgeous eh?



imagine being there!!



Unbelievable



at the top



ADifferentAgenda for life!!!
[/QUOTE]


Pakistan!



Shandur needs to be in the 'Wonder of the World' list!!



Click



Shandur - The Highest polo ground in the world!!



The Army welcomes us with some warm chai, grilled trout and pakoras



camping?



yes please!



setting it up



too much wind



the first one up!!



Michael and Kyle's



second one almost done



Who wouldnt want to camp here? It was cold but sunny and totally worth it.



While everyone was working, Kyle was sleeping!!



we finally woke him up but then he went to sleep again.



Army folks got us some naan



and dinner was served



we spent a couple hours by the fire



A night here is to be experienced at least once.

This picture does not do justice to the amount of stars and beauty Shandur has at night.




More later.

What a gorgeous country. I love your cusine too!!!!!! But I find it hard not to believe that "some" may find the white eyes appealing for trade. Wish this wasn't the case, I can tell you with Honesty that that this would be a dream opportunity but the risks seem very elevated. Please share more of those wonderful pics.

Great pics + amazing scenery!



Thanks,

JM.

I tried making some chai for everyone with my little red stove. It wasnt the best chai ever
breakfast out in the open here at Shandur is quite an experience in itself.



Posing with the highest polo ground in the world at 3,700 meters

Didn't feel like leaving this gorgeous place


Two little kids came around on this little donkey, I flipped his cap and we said cheeezzz!!!



LIKE!!



We left Shandur and came across this spot.. Theres no road or path that leads you here.. Just a little off-road and you get to this gorgeous place. We made some very interesting videos here. Someone jumped in the water and then decided he didn't know how to swim, while some swam across. Videos coming soon!!



Phandur Lake near our hotel



Panorama!

Premumably the welcome depends on your gender:eek1:huh

thankyou, absolutely beautiful.

not at all. i know the world has a scary image of Pakistan in their heads. but unlike Saudi Arabia and other parts of the muslim world where women have less rights than men is not practiced in Pakistan. women drive here, they are free, nobody forces you to cover your head or face or wear a hijab or burka.

If it was unsafe for women I wouldnt extend an invitation

Wow, Pakistan looks great. I don't really see much about it except for the bad news. Thanks for posting this.

Great pictures Thanks for sharing.

So, I'm wondering... does Polo actally get played at Shandur?

Theres a 5 day Polo Festival here at Shandur every year in July. This year it was postponed due to Ramadhan (the fasting month) and will be held mid August.

Polo is big in Pakistan and they follow all the international rules. however in Shandur the rules are a little different.

No Ref. No rules. Cant change horses either. really damn hard core.

The land Shandur where this polo field is, is disputed land. Two cities Chitral and Gilgit get together every year at Shandur and whoever wins the final match rules over Shandur for a year.

hundreds of Gilgit and Chitral fans attend the event. When the Chitrali team scores, theres live Chitrali music and Chitrali dance and when Gilgit team scores theres live Gilgiti music and dance. Its quite a festival to attend :)

That is amazing. Simply amazing.
Hopefully in front of my eyes and under my wheels next year.

let me know if you need any help
ADifferentAgenda@gmail.com

Breath taking.

Absolutely breath-taking pictures of a gorgeous country. I would love to see Pakistan from the seat of my bike, but the security risks seem very high.

Yep, I'm a chicken.:huh

Fantastic photos. . Subscribed.

The landscapes look very similar to Ladakh. I love this part of the world and would like to visit the Karakoram on a bike or to do some trekking one day. I must admit to being slightly nervous at the prospect, so I'm looking forward to being convinced by the end of your RR

More please............

These are amazing. Definatly changes my mind on going across the pond.

I saw reference to an incident in Nanga Parbat in your intro. I had no idea what this was refferring to as I heard nothing in the media here.

Google found these references

http://steveswensonsblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/attack-on-climbers-in-pakistan.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/23/taliban-pakistan-killer-mountain?commentpage=2

I'm so sorry to hear this for all the decent people in Pakistan especially those in the mountains who rely on tourism for their income.

Pakistan attracted 1 milliion tourists last year. Odds of survival are pretty good.

Khan, great to see you posting over here!