Well, you know what they say, “The best laid plans of mice and men….” Whoever thinks riding the FN around the globe might be a challenge hasn’t traveled the Karakoram Highway on a bus for 30 + hours! It had been suggested the northern parts of Pakistan were very scenic and worth visiting, but I decided doing it on the FN wasn’t really feasible given gas might be hard...
Crossing the Wagah border was literally a sight for sore eyes, but in a nice way. With exhaust fumes of the past few weeks enough to make the eyes water and the throat raspy, it’s been nice to have a little less traffic to compete with. Roads have also improved. Streets are wider, cleaner and there are parks with trees & grass, something I haven’t seen in a while...
The crossing into Pakistan via the Grand Trunk Road went pretty smoothly despite taking several hours for all the paperwork to be completed. I’d been told the only road border between the two countries opened at 8.30am, though on this occasion the Indian side didn’t begin until 10am. A huge line of trucks bringing goods in from Pakistan delayed the proceedings...
Plotting the route has been fun. Lynne & I have pored over maps, working out distances and trying to gauge how far it is between towns & rest stops, It’s unlikely I’ll be able to book any accommodation in advance but I’m over taking my chances with just any dive & plan to sleep as comfortably as possible. Well that’s the plan, but...