In Pakistan, you will always get a police escort, but we had already read on forums that it’s usually not very comforting. This is also the case with us: Two old blokes on a bike. On 50 km/h through the hot desert, we already know we won’t reach our goal for today, Dalbandin. Eventually we spend the night at the police station in Nok Kundi. This is all in all not too bad. The policemen are very friendly and welcoming. A bit glad though we took our comfortable air mattress.

Nok Kundi Police Station

The next morning, at half past seven, there are already two old policemen standing by to escort us. Again at 50 km/h through the dangerous desert.

A Pakistani Truck

Hilarious is that the man with the gun behind on the scooter almost constantly is falling asleep and that the driver slowed to 30 km/h every time when passing a bush or a hill. After half an hour we have enough of it and we drive off, after thanking them for the help and hospitality of the previous night. We prefer speed because it seems much safer. Two checkpoints later we are stopped again and we have to wait for a new escort, this time a pickup to Baldandin. Here we arrive at half past ten in the morning and we join an escort with an Italian on his motorbike and a Turk, without own transport.

On the Road

With a joint escort we are now heading towards Quetta. This escort is somehow different. A pickup with five heavily armed men in the back. We immediately feel a lot safer now. However we have to wait for the change of the escort because of which we are losing a lot of time. For the last hundred kilometres, another bus full of pilgrims joins the escort which reduces the pace even more. Eventually, we enter Quetta by night which is, according to the many forums we have red, is never done. In Quetta we are accompanied by a tank and multiple pickups. What happens next really takes the cake: we are dumped in the city centre and have to look for a hotel ourselves. Fortunately, the Italian has a GPS where the hotel is located in. The Turk takes a rickshaw and together we go to the Bloom Star Hotel. Unbelievable, Quetta is the most dangerous city in Pakistan and is a like a city under siege. Everywhere soldiers, tanks, barricades and barbed wire. At the hotel we have a nice meal and immediately go to sleep.

Bloom Star Hotel in Quetta

The next day, Kevin, along with Italian and Turk, go out to get the N.O.C., this time under police escort. Four hours later, Kevin is back at the hotel with the NOC in his pockets.

Getting the N.O.C.

It turned out that we were very lucky because everything is closed for the rest of the week due to some religious days. So if we had arrived a day later we would have been stuck in Quetta for a week. After a delicious meal we enjoy a moment of rest in the hotel, and go to sleep shortly thereafter.

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