Guns, weed but no booze: Pakistan on a GS (150..)

It wasn’t that close to the cliff in reality, I don’t think that'd be an issue but yeah, over here in our countries that’d be a big no-no.

this is a great report. excellent eye for photos. stunning to say the least.

Beautiful report. Thanks!

One of the best RR ever !!

Yes you got me with the cliffhanger....

Bagpipes are believed to have originated in the middle east. And it would have been the Scots who influenced if it was anyone. The British (English) tried to outlaw pipes during the time of Scotland's uprising.

Couple of links, for what they're worth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes, http://www.scotiapipers.co.uk/about-scotia-pipers/bagpipe-history

Thanks all for your comments. I'm trying to put some time in this, but as I'm leaving for a new expedition, this RR will stretch over the summer. But I'll get to the funny bits soon.

OK, so I've got this flimsy bridge in front of me, or the option to retrace my steps back for several hours. Then this guy comes out of nowhere and tells me (well, there's no English spoken here, just gestures) that he can help me get the bike to the other side, no big deal. I'd need to pay for this, but that's a pretty low sum. No tourism = no scam here. Try to do that in India or in Morocco...

I ponder the situation for a while. What's the risk? The worse would be the bike flipping and crashing into the river, maybe not to be recovered. As for myself, I could hurt myself a little but not drown or anything major. What if I'd come here overland with my 1200GS? for a start, the 1200 wouldn't be as easy to maneuver and probably impossible to get through. But more importantly, you're not going to lose 15k $ and stop your RTW trip because of a stupid move. As for me, I'd walk the bags with the camera and important stuff and if disaster strucks, I'll lose 500$ at most. But a small sum, but some 1200GSA owners spend more just to fix a leak on their bike...

Yeah, let's do it.



A powered ride isn't to my liking so I'll holding on the handle bar and he pushes to get over the big stones and uneven wooden branches. The thing is, I've got about 50 cm to walk next to the bike and the put my feet on the very edge of the planks, while the guy is pushing hard, so I have to moderate him unless I plunge first in the water. Hopefully the bike's 120 kg or so and manageable. Here's what it looks like walking it:



It takes a while but we do it, heart pounding and legs shaking, bike and rider unscathed. I try to put the luggage back on but the guy insists on carrying it and tells me to get back on the bike. I ride around the rock and.. another bridge!



Okaaay... in the mean time, two other guys arrive on another bike and come to see us. One of them speaks a little English so I explain to him what the hell I'm doing here and he can translate to the old guy.

Ok so for the 2nd leg. This one needs a little more lifting and shoving, so the other guys help out. I start on the bridge but this one is actually shaking left and right at every move one takes, putting off my balance. My legs are shaking and I'm advancing oen small step at a time, holding on the brakes so that the guys aren't pushing me overboard. They yell at me to go on, and I yell back to slow down... suddenly I have a brainlock and just can't move on. The guy behind realizes that and tells me to switch places. Right... we're on the bridge, shaking, there's only the breadth of a foot left on the side of the bike for me to not dive into the river and we need to switch places! but there's no other way, I can't do it. Somehow I manage to step in front of the bike while the guys hold onto it si that the new guy can take the lead. I get to the other side to not shake the bridge any more than necessary and I watch helplessly.





The guys make it through like champs, and they tell there's only one bridge left... ? whaaat ? actually there are 2 but one stream I can ford easily with the bike.

The last bridge is... interesting. A suspended bridge that was apparently recently built with scrap cables and wood to replace the previous one.



By that time we have a well-trained and proven team, so I sit with the bags and the camera while they transport the bike across.





We all make it through in one piece. All is left is a collapsed concrete bridge that I can easily ride and another wooden suspended brudge. Pfff... we take a couple pictures and part ways.



They're a great bunch of guys and very welcoming and helpful. Thanks dudes.

See, that's the kind of stuff you'd do on enduro bikes on a sunday with friends, knowing there's a tow truck a phone call away. But to do it in the thick of Himalaya with total strangers not speaking your language, that takes it to another level!

Here's the TL;DR video of the whole process (that took 20 min or so):

Awesome video. I was on the edge of my seat!

WOW, now we've got an adventure !!!

ok my blood pressure is already a bit high, watching that video did not help! Amazing, the guy in the Poncherello CHiPs sunglasses didn't even get a hair out of place

Epic RR, only bad thing (for us) is that you are going on a new expedition and post less often

It's amazing to see all te little places where you can get if you have the right transport (and the right attitude). Your RR is confirming my thoughts that if I want to travel outside Europe and turn as many small stones as possible, it's better to take something smaller than a 1200 GSA!

Is there any time you need to be back home?

and here I was thinking Vitim bridge is a challenge…

The only person I can imagine riding those Shigar bridges would be Toni Bou…

Another level, one of the very best chians ever. That trip is something I would love to attempt but I know I am not brave enough to try, time and money enough but I just do not have the gonads. Looking forward to the next post.

Don't tell that to a Scot.

Superb ride report. Best I have seen on here for long time.

Right on ! I knew I’d seen this guy before on TV ...

Yup, October... but I’ll manage to get some internet on the go.

In relation to the Shigar Fort where are those bridges? I'm planning to be in that area on my upcoming trip, looks like something I might like to check out.

Who are you using for travel insurance? I'm having a hard time finding a company that will cover me for Pakistan.

Keep up the great posts. Every one makes me more excited to go there myself. I wish I had the time that you have to dedicate to it, unfortunately I will only have 26 days.

The bridge is here:

https://goo.gl/maps/KMMUmRukcc5UVB8m8

Insurance ? For yourself or the bike ? I had none for the bike, obviously, that’s part of the adventure riding there: you take your chances.

Third party: you hope for the best, that a small bike isn’t going to do much harm, and keep some cash to solve issues in the spot.

As for myself, if things turned to the worse, my insurance would pay for medical evacuation. I kept a wad of dollars to get me as quickly as possible to Islamabad.

26 days is great. Lots of people spend less than that and just “do” KKH. Have fun !