Exploring the Pakistani Himalayas by bike

This week on the Sunday ride I'll be traveling from the city of Gweda to the north of Pakistan where I first have to follow some safety precautions but then I'll be ready to cycle into the Himalayas. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. A very good morning from the parking lot from the Bloomstar hotel in Kata and it's a new week and that means new adventures. And this week is very unclear to me what it's going to be. I'm ready here with my bicycle but I'm still waiting for the police. I hopefully am allowed to cycle to Lahore but I'm really not sure. The police rather has me on a bus all the way to Lahore but I'm gonna fight to cycle because I really don't want to go 12 hours in a bus and skip the whole, actually all of Pakistan. So I'm waiting for the police to come. Let's find out what it's gonna be. Hello mister. Goodbye. Ready, let's go. You are ready? Ready. You are very happy. Are you ready? All right that was actually much easier than expected. Within a minute we were on our way so going towards Sukkur first is the name of the next big city and then towards Lahore. So navigating our way out of Lahore with a lot of potholes so I have to be careful. And in case you didn't notice, here in Pakistan they drive on the left-hand side so another thing to be careful about. All right, eyes on the road. All right, first change of cars from that car to that car. Many more to come. Let's go. Well, well, well. They tricked me. I thought we were off to Lahore but we weren't. They guided me back to the security office without me knowing it and before I knew I was in the office. And again they told me you cannot cycle to Lahore. I even had to go to some big boss with an office that looked like a presidential office. He also told me you cannot go unless the Home Department changes something. So I'm back to the Home Department and the Home Department, they were closing and they didn't want to talk to me anyway. I have to be careful here because it's very busy. So I'm left with zero choice and we're going to the bus terminal now so I can take a 12-hour bus ride to, I think I'm gonna be going to Islamabad instead of Lahore because I don't want to spend two or three weeks waiting for nothing in Lahore. Just do some sightseeing. Last minute decisions, last minute changes. I'm not happy at all. To be honest, like this Pakistan is not off to a good start but yeah, let's go. All right, so I'm here at the bus terminal now. This is my bus, it's going to be Islamabad in the end. It's going to be a 15-hour ride, not ideal but it is what it is. Let's explore the north of Pakistan. Is one of you coming with me? Yeah. You coming with me? Yeah. You coming with me? Islamabad? Yes. No, I am. Okay, I guess it's travel alone. Good morning, early morning I should say and it's the next day. I spent the yesterday night to think of what I'm going to do here in Islamabad. Am I going to go directly to Lahore or am I going to go around and it is going to be pretty tight on schedule but I decided to explore the north of Pakistan which is supposedly very beautiful. A lot of mountains, a lot of nature so I'm very excited about that. I'm ready for it. I hope my legs are ready for it as well. It's going to be a lot of climbing so let's find out. So as I'm making my way out of Islamabad, immediately I find myself in this amazing green area. It's been a while since I cycled through some green, some greenery. North of Iran was the last time a couple months ago. So it's nice to be back, nice to be back in between the trees, the bushes and I can also notice it's much more humid out here. I think it's only about 30 degrees but I feel sticky, sweaty already and I just left. Oh squirrel, hello squirrel. All right, now the mountains are starting. Lots of climbing to do. Oh man, what did I get myself into? Only 200 meters of elevation done. I'm already sweating like a pig. The humidity, the heat, uphill, steep. It's gonna be a long, long ride. So I think I found my camp spot for tonight here in the midst of all the steep, steep mountains. I think this was the only flat piece of land that I've seen for the past 10 kilometers or so. But hey, we're in the greenery, we're back in nature. I really, really miss this. It's been a long time ago so I'm not complaining. Today has been a really tough day, especially the first half. The roads were extremely steep, often over 12, 13 percent. Sometimes up to 20 or even more, 25. I had to hike my bike way too much, way more than I would like to. But I survived. I'm gonna regain some energy, make a meal, set up camp and then continue into the mountains tomorrow. So basically all day I've been cycling through the urban areas of I don't even remember. Anyway, it's very, very busy here, very crowded, chaotic. And there's a lot of things to see, obviously, but also not so much at the same time because I went up north for nature, not for this urban area. So just making my way through and look for a hotel tonight. up with birds and grasshoppers and all kinds of animals around you. It's been a long time ago that I've been in such a green area after Iran. So really enjoying this. And today I actually start cycling on the Karakam Highway, which used to be part of the famous Silk Road and stretches all the way to China. So I'm gonna do only part of it up until Chitral and then I'll close the loop back to Lahore. And it's gonna be a lot of high beautiful mountains, a lot of great nature. So let's explore. So I reached the top of this morning climb now. It's only 11 o'clock and already more than 700 meters of elevation gain done. Good progress. Making my way down to Batakram now, get some lunch and continue my way into the valleys. These mountains just keep on giving. It's truly unbelievable how beautiful it is around here. Wow, the views. It's just one after another every corner you turn. It's just breathtaking. Pakistan, you're making up for your beginning, definitely. Well, the mountains are getting higher, the roads are getting steeper. I'm gonna look for a place to sleep tonight. Camping is not possible around here. It's way too steep and too crowded. So I'm gonna look for a hotel again, I guess. Hello, sir. Yes, and then there's a lot, a lot more beauty yet to come. Next week I visit a local school and experience major technical issues on the road and I challenge myself with the biggest climb of my entire life. But that's it for this week and I'll see you in the next one. Hi there, thank you for watching this video up until the end and did you like this video? Don't forget to like and subscribe down there or click on my face right there. It really helps me a lot, so thank you. I would also like to remind you that I am making this trip in order to raise money to build a school in Africa. For more information or donations, click on the school right next to my face. And while you're at it, don't forget to follow me on social media as well. Links down in the description below. See you next week.