Feb. 14 - Lala Musa, Pakistan
Tuesday, February 14 :: Lala Musa, Pakistan :: 128km today / 4397km total
OK now before everyone starts emailing me all sorts of dire warnings, yes i know there was a cartoon protest in Lahore today, and I think some people were hurt and/or killed. It also so happens that Pakistan lost to India in cricket yesterday, to fall behind 2-1 in a best-of-5 series. Guess where the match was played? Guess. Clue: its a city WITHOUT a Danish embassy, a city thats known in Pakistan for being progressive. Give up? Lahore! If you don't think the 2 events are linked, you don't know much about the way that this cricket series has a hold on the 2 countries involved, and the pride that's at stake.
Regarding my safety: To start, newspapers in Canada seem to have a better grip on the difference between "can" and "should" than some European newspapers, thankfully. Also, there is no Western country better respected here in Pakistan than Canada (man I love my country). There are Canadian flags everywhere, mostly as part of advertisements for calling-abroad packages, but sometimes on billboards for joint development projects, emigration help, etc. Whenever a Pakistani finds out I'm Canadian, they always beam a big smile, "Canadaaaa, very good!". I've always found Muslims to be very in tune with world events, and Pakistanis are no different - they know the difference between Canadians and Americans, or Canadians and Danes. In fact they are far less ignorant, on average, than most peoples I know. I know the formal Islamic greetings, in Arabic, and mostly, I'm not Danish or European. As far as I know no Westerner has been harmed anywhere in the world by these protests, not even a Dane, and I am an extremely unlikely candidate to be the first.
Back to today. A relatively uneventful ride, detouring to Sialkot, the birthplace of a very good friend of mine. After some pictures and brief shopping I rode back towards the Grand Trunk Road, unfortunately encountering about 30km of roadwork that left me blanketed in dust and dirt. Back on the wide, beautiful Grand Trunk Road I sped North, halting at Lala Musa for the night.
Now that I've put in over 200km on Pakistan's roads, I have a good feel for the traffic here. Firstly, they don't honk like madmen in Pakistan! Most Asian drivers honk incessantly, I don't bother talking about it, because it's par for the course, I come to Asian countries expecting to lose a bit of hearing. But for some reason here in Pakistan they don't - they only honk when necessary, the roads are QUIET, and it's FANTASTIC. Secondly, I've only been forced off the road once in 200km so far, the driving continues to be relatively good and the police continue to be present. Thirdly, I haven't seen any mangled vehicles yet, any accidents of any kind. I really hope all of this continues, if it does, Pakistan will be one of the best Asian countries I've ever ridden and I would actually be able to recommend it as a cycling destination.
OK now before everyone starts emailing me all sorts of dire warnings, yes i know there was a cartoon protest in Lahore today, and I think some people were hurt and/or killed. It also so happens that Pakistan lost to India in cricket yesterday, to fall behind 2-1 in a best-of-5 series. Guess where the match was played? Guess. Clue: its a city WITHOUT a Danish embassy, a city thats known in Pakistan for being progressive. Give up? Lahore! If you don't think the 2 events are linked, you don't know much about the way that this cricket series has a hold on the 2 countries involved, and the pride that's at stake.
Regarding my safety: To start, newspapers in Canada seem to have a better grip on the difference between "can" and "should" than some European newspapers, thankfully. Also, there is no Western country better respected here in Pakistan than Canada (man I love my country). There are Canadian flags everywhere, mostly as part of advertisements for calling-abroad packages, but sometimes on billboards for joint development projects, emigration help, etc. Whenever a Pakistani finds out I'm Canadian, they always beam a big smile, "Canadaaaa, very good!". I've always found Muslims to be very in tune with world events, and Pakistanis are no different - they know the difference between Canadians and Americans, or Canadians and Danes. In fact they are far less ignorant, on average, than most peoples I know. I know the formal Islamic greetings, in Arabic, and mostly, I'm not Danish or European. As far as I know no Westerner has been harmed anywhere in the world by these protests, not even a Dane, and I am an extremely unlikely candidate to be the first.
Back to today. A relatively uneventful ride, detouring to Sialkot, the birthplace of a very good friend of mine. After some pictures and brief shopping I rode back towards the Grand Trunk Road, unfortunately encountering about 30km of roadwork that left me blanketed in dust and dirt. Back on the wide, beautiful Grand Trunk Road I sped North, halting at Lala Musa for the night.
Now that I've put in over 200km on Pakistan's roads, I have a good feel for the traffic here. Firstly, they don't honk like madmen in Pakistan! Most Asian drivers honk incessantly, I don't bother talking about it, because it's par for the course, I come to Asian countries expecting to lose a bit of hearing. But for some reason here in Pakistan they don't - they only honk when necessary, the roads are QUIET, and it's FANTASTIC. Secondly, I've only been forced off the road once in 200km so far, the driving continues to be relatively good and the police continue to be present. Thirdly, I haven't seen any mangled vehicles yet, any accidents of any kind. I really hope all of this continues, if it does, Pakistan will be one of the best Asian countries I've ever ridden and I would actually be able to recommend it as a cycling destination.
posted by Graham Durrant at 5:57 AM
3 Comments:
re food - have you ever tried montoo (I don't know how to spell it by say it mon - 2) My favourite. I am pretty sure you can find it in Pakistan, it is very common in Afghanistan. Imagine a steamed Chinese dumpling, but filled with beef, and served in a yogurt and lentil sauce....very yummy. There are some regional differences in terms of herbs, but it remains relatively the same, and is anot spicy at all. There is a beef biryani substitute, too, if you can find it. Keep an eye out for green chillis...there are some really hot ones used which may not be too kind on your tummy these days.
i'll have to look for it! i'm being very conservative on food, now, as you can imagine. being sick here is TERRIBLE!
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