I suppose I should mention, the weather had been pretty darn hot for the past two days. It was 116 in Islamabad the day we were there, and while I don't know how hot ti was in Skardu when we landed, it felt like it was in 90s. While lying under the ceiling fan in my room which was running at such a high speed I thought it might lift the roof, I wondered how I'd far riding all day in the heat.
Thankfully, when I woke up the next morning the weather had decided to give us a break as it was overcast and drizzling. While this would impact the views along the ride, I was happy to have the break in temps.
We all gathered in the dining hall for Chai and food. Eggs and curried chick peas for breakfast is definitely something I could get used to.
After a few more cups of Chai it was time to get ready and head out. Today's ride was to be a long one, as we were taking the Karakoram Highway all the way up to Passu, a distance of roughly 200 miles. While this sounds like a short ride, things take a little long on Pakistani roads, added to that a group of riders getting familiar with their bikes and these roads, we were looking at about 8 hours or so.
Ready to roll
We made our way through Skardu, with a quick stop outside of the city to a view of Indus river looking back towards the city.
The local riders have some pretty cool bikes and demonstrate that any bike is a touring bike.
Selfie and our fearless (and very patient) leader.
After this stop we took off with Moin leading and Jimmy sweeping (along with our support vehicle a ways further back). This meant that after a few photo stops I ended up riding mostly along for long stretches until the next regroup, which was great. One such photo stop in an attempt to capture the Indus. The river is incredibly powerful and the photo doesn't do it justice. Moin said at high flows there would be water splashing onto the roadway in places and I believe it.
Being a young, tall, heavily glaciated mountain range, erosion in the Karakoram range is a constant. The road had frequent spot where it had partially washed out, been covered by a landslide (sometimes cleared, sometimes not)or with pavement damaged by the elements or falling rocks. It was a blast to ride, but it definitely kept you on your toes.
Did I mention there were numerous check points? These made for good regroup spots as Moin would need to show paper work and we'd all need to pass through together. Turns out they have "tourist police" whose job is less about policing tourists and more about ensuring everyone stays safe.
At one point I was waved over by one of these tourist police and given a lecture on the roads and and driving style in Pakistan with the advice to slow down and be safe. I'm guessing earlier members of the group might have been blazing when they passed the guy. I just smiled and nodded until he was satisfied with his speech and sent me on my way.
At one of the regroup stops there was a few shops and residences, a good opportunity to get water and use the bathroom. Though we had to wait for the owner of the store to come down from his apartment..
I used their restroom (which was cleaner than many bars I've been to in SF) and procured an energy drink. I was then handed an Apricot as they were in season and took the risk of eating it.
Back at the bikes, there were a handful of folks who came over to pictures and to talk. I got a few selfies myself, seemed only fair.
Not everyone bothered with the indoor bathroom...
After this stop, and a few breaks to attempt to get more pictures of the Indus River (I'll spare ya those), I was thoroughly on my own, with the rest of the group either in front of behind me. Passing cars, navigating the road, and or lack thereof all by myself for what felt like a very long time. At one point I started to grow concerned that I had somehow missed the group. Eventually I pulled over figuring that the riders behind me would catch up, or, I could circle back. Two kids walked over and asked me were I was from. After that exchange they just kinda stood around staring at me for a while before wandering off. I suppose I shoulda been packing candy or something. Right as I was about to back track, a few folks behind me rolled by, and as I hopped on my bike to catch them I realized everyone had stopped to regroup about 100 yards past where I stopped. Opps.
We were probably about halfway at this point and it looked like the weather was gonna get better as we went north.
cont..
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