2nd October 2013 Taftan, Pakistan to Quetta Pakistan

2nd October Taftan, Pakistan to Quetta Pakistan

We left the compound at 7.20am….. Our escort, 2 Levies riding a Chinese 125cc motorcycle, that with God’s speed managed 40mph. After a very short while the Levies gestured for us to proceed ahead of them. We never saw them again. 

The road from Taftan to Quetta is approximately 380 miles long. It traverses all manner of desert and runs parallel to and at a distance of 10 to 20 miles from the Afghan border. The road is considered to be very dangerous. Yesterday the police had repeatedly told of its risks…. Taliban, Separatists, Dacoits. Today we are riding the very same road alone…. That is until we reached the first check-point. The road had 30 or so checkpoints along its length. At each checkpoint you have to fill out a logbook with hand written columns. Each log book has its own individual requirements… Name, fathers name, passport number, visa number, origin, destination and country… any combination of, some, or all of the above. I noted in several logbooks the column heading Cuntry.

Our next escort was a young guy carrying an AK47. He rode pillion on the back of Tomas’s bike.

Temperatures rose to 41 degrees and remained at this level for most of the day. The desert is populated by many camels and few people. Much of the desert is a completely flat stony wasteland. The road is very quiet. The stretch from Taftan to Nokundi is mixed with some fairly poor stretches. From Nokundi to Dalbandin to the road is excellent and we travelled very fast. Tomas’s bike suffered under the burden of 2 men and heavy panniers so I carried successive escorts for 200 miles or so. It is an odd feeling having a guy sat behind you at 80mph, carrying an AK47 across his thighs or in various other positions as he attempts to hang on.

At Dalbandin the police used the now, well worn phrase “Time out” we politely told them that we could reach Quetta with no problem before nightfall….. oh how very wrong we would prove to be. We were allowed to continue and the road worsened. Dalbandin to Nushki was really poor in parts. We arrived at Nushki at about 5.30. Only the most insistent persuasion allowed us to continue. As night fell we both hit a speed-breaker at…… speed! An aluminium pannier was ripped of Tomas’s bike and a rear wheel hugger of mine. Tomas’s pannier was re-attached with an English ratchet strap, I had to take my rear wheel off to unbolt the twisted metalwork that luckily did almost no damage. The final stretch of road approaching Quetta is in parts 4-5 miles from Afghanistan. There is no border as such. Removing your rear wheel at dusk on this road is something that you do briskly.

We finally arrived at the outskirts of Quetta at about 7.30pm, population, about 2,000,000. Quetta Is a very dangerous place. The police and army are very well organised and escort you using a series of coordinated mobile units to you chosen hotel. We requested the Gardenia Resort… which was full. We then headed for BloomStar Hotel. This is a backpacker / overlander favourite 1000PR. We finally arrived at about 9.00pm. A very lengthy, exhausting day.

Advice for the overlander…. Unless you you like very, very, long days spend the night in Dalbandin (just as the Levies Police suggest ;-) ……

The staff at BloomStar are the most gifted grifters I have ever met. They know every trick in the book. We asked for beer and were quoted 600PR a can …£4. I haggled down to 400PR. I neglected to ask about wifi when we checked in, it of course was then an additional service costing 250PR…… but the staff assured me faster then a bullet from an AK47.

BloomStar is a fair hotel… not worthy of any stars (I believe it awards itself 3) but none the less is a pleasant place to stay. They have a nice courtyard garden and are a mile or 2 from the city centre.

Today Thomas taught me some German.... "Das ist fuer den arsch" this translates to I find this situation completely unacceptable and interolerable. When a policeman asks you to write something on a scrap of newspaper for no good reason .... or when the hotel reception ask for 600PR for a beer ....Das ist fuer den arsch. 

Quetta mileometer 20944 (392 miles ridden..... too many miles!)