India-Pakistan-China

My road : Amritsar, Pakistan border, Lahore, Islamabad, Murree, Abbottabad, Chattar Plain, Besham, Dasu, Shatial, Chilas, Gilgit, Karimabad, Passu, Sost, Kunjerab pass (Chinese border), Tashkurgan, Kashgar, from 07-31 to 2005-08-31.

After a bend by Delhi for formality, I make return in Amritsar where cycle and equipment are of rest in Golden Temple. I take advantage of this last Indian stopping place to discover a building of a big magnificence, and where hundreds, rather thousands of believers Sikh move there. It is something of impressing, I have never seen it, but the most surprising is to meet itself to the canteen among all these people to receive a free meal. We are collected in an immense room, sitting down on the ground next to the others, without losing a place. Supplementary rows are even made to admit more peoples. In the floor superior, another room receives from it so much. I consider only foreign among all these people. Men circulating a bucket in the hand spend to be of use to us the meal made of dal, of rice and chapatis, these last ones being distributed in the first one, it is necessary to present hands in front of one to receive them. Of young boys also spend to serve water. The meal quickly take place, then it is necessary to release the place so that the others enter in turn. Between both, we quickly clean the ground, before doors open again. Before taking back the road, it is also necessary for me to prepare the cycle with equipments arrived from France.

On July 31st, I thus leave India having passed there 8 months, by having discovering multiple regions, gone through a country in thousand facets, tested a diverse cooking, met by admirable people, with sometimes other difficulies to understood or to supported, by having facing an even dangerous not evident traffic, but with memories which will remain fabulous from part my arrival to the cape Comorin and my crossing of Himachal Pradesh until Ladakh. Among my meetings, there are also the other travelers for whom I keep memory of which Anna with whom I was able to share one month of road and to reach Jaisalmer together.

My entry to Pakistan is made by Lahore. My destination is at the moment the North, the road of Karakorum and China. I have to make stop in Islamabad to obtain the Chinese visa, which blocks me 5 days. Of rest in the campsite, my time takes place again with meetings, 2 couples, a German, a Frenchman, and a young Polish with cycle which does not believe the free time that I can agree. Islamabad brings nothing to the traveler, furthermore in August, the heat and the humidity are for their height, becoming unbearable.

I leave the city with visa in my pocket towards a destination which is dear to me, Karakorum or KKH, a mythical road which goes away through Himalaya and allows to join China of the western North to Kashgar. In a feverish state, I leave towards Murree, a station of small mountain, but coming at by a good tremendously steep, just road to be made toil and suffer a cyclist. I have to even have appeal to the bus to finish it. Murree will not bring me of good memories, that must pay the extremely strong price to the accommodation, wondering if hotels are not by common consent to roll the tourists. The following morning, the rain does not prevent me from leaving, nothing retains me here. The road always remains very difficult, sometimes asking me for what I make above. Nevertheless I receive encouragement from people who rise by car, photographing me even through windows. The route takes me a long moment, not being able to make than to push my cycle. By arriving at the summit, I meet myself at once popular, people wondering why I arrived to there and where from I come. They take advantage of it to photograph me again with them. We come to offer me a drink. I also meet a Bolivian woman, who invites me to visit her. From there I go away then in a long descent towards Abbottabad, the stomach always empty, which could not swallow nothing. I arrive at the end of stage exhausted and feverish. A day of rest is necessary to me before continuing, especially that the continuation is a road of adventure. My next purpose is to reunite Gilgit to find me again in the heart of Himalaya. I reach there after 6 days, leading a solo road, not another present cyclist, and traffic which tends to disappear. I progress by an ardent temperature, on a road in constant climb, by following the valley of the Indus. I reach Gilgit at the end of strength, exhausted, that must have appeal to the hospital to know what arrives at me. A rest of 5 days is going to be necessary before being able to take back the cycle.
I continue towards the most magic portion of the KKH, by arriving in the valley of Hunza dominated by several neighbouring peaks 8000 metres. I make a stop in Karimabad, finding to live with sight on these last ones, the most imposing being Rakaposhi, the whole forming an extraordinary amphitheatre, without that ever eyes can grow tired of it. Of this road, I also keep the memory of an old man who accommodated me. By indicating him that I went away to have dinner, he made me sign remain sitting, making me understand that there was enough for together. After 2 other stages I reach Sost, and the last point allowable to Pakistan. From there it is necessary to make the formalities of exit and to go away towards China via the Khunjerab pass by bus. It is a long road on a high tray, and to arrive in Tashkurgan, the first city quibbles. China appears as another world to her alone, totally different from past countries, with inscriptions only in chinese and a population for whom english language is something stranger. An adaptation is going to be necessary. Another difficulty is going to get an exchange, becoming possible with a group of man where each comes to look in their pockets to bring me the just amount, a thing that I had still never lived.
I take back the road, about provisions in money-bags to reach Kashgar, a place where many travelers wish to pass. Of my decline of health, I take back strength and feel again well on my cycle, to go away by a road quite in works and necessarily bad. In the first day, I am almost going to affect the collar of Ulagrabat, to spend the night under the tent by a low temperature there, close to zero. But I am especially going to know a second degradation of my condition, so that the next day I have big miseries to be rolled. I reach the lake of Karakul, to stay with Kirghiz people. I am again at the end of strength and in a weak condition. My road for Kashgar is going to stop there, that must have appeal to a vehicle to finish the way.