My last evening in Islamabad is one of reunion and fun. With Sébastien and Alexia from France and Simon and Elya from Belgium I go to the famous Montana restaurant where we enjoy the view over the city and a delicious Pakistani buffet. Afterwards we are asked to record something for a promotional video and of course we all have our picture taken. What a pleasant evening and definitely worth staying an extra day in the city.
It feels like my trip has been put on hold during the two weeks I had to wait for the Visa for India and I am really looking forward to riding a motorcycle again. I leave immediately after breakfast and things quickly get going. The road is very bad in many places, which reduces the average speed considerably. During the 270 km that I drive today it is almost nowhere nice and quiet to enjoy. The sky is white with smog and I have my eyes constantly on traffic and asphalt to avoid potholes and road users.
The closer I get to the big city of Lahore, the busier it gets. In the city itself it is chaos, with more mopeds and tuk-tuks than cars. It is almost miraculous that no one touches each other, because every hole in the crowd is used. Fortunately, I arrive at my hotel without any problems and well before dark. When I walk in a busy shopping street at night, I easily keep up with the traffic; everything moves at a walking pace or stands honking at a standstill.
In the morning there is relatively little traffic, but I still take a tuk-tuk to the other side of the city, where I visit Hazuri Bagh. A huge park with a fortress, a mosque and lots and lots of visitors. Especially many pupils and students who apparently all make an excursion to this place on this Saturday. Young people have no hesitation at all to approach me and I shake hands today and often take pictures. Very nice and well-intentioned, but now I prefer to avoid the groups of young people to be left alone.
At the end of the day, my tuk-tuk taxi deftly navigates through the crowds and brings me safely back to the quiet hotel. Take a breather.
