Dawood Ibrahim
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is known the world over for being a country rife with crime and terrorism. But for those of us who call it home, and for a particular Australian biker, Pakistan is more than what meets the eye.
Adamant on changing preconceived notions about Pakistan, an Australian biker who goes by the name Dutchie, penned a blog in which he narrates his journey through Pakistan in the most humourous way.
PHOTO: ATTHEHANDLEBARS
“By all the unglamorous artworks the armchair experts of the world were painting of Pakistan, I was in line for a beheading, a bombing or a kidnapping. It’s dangerous they said. Avoid travelling Pakistan they said. Sure, the driving here is total rubbish and you’d be lucky not to be sideswiped or rear ended at least once every five minutes, but that’s about as dangerous as it feels for me personally thus far,” reads one of the excerpts from Dutchie’s blog.
How three foreigners conquered Pakistan’s most unfriendly river
Reading the blog had us wanting for a deeper insight into Dutchie’s experience. So, when The Express Tribune got in touch with him, he was more than happy to talk us through his eventful journey in Pakistan.
PHOTO: ATTHEHANDLEBARS
The idea of visiting Pakistan came to Dutchie while sipping on a beer in Morocco. “In short, I didn’t really plan … I didn’t know anybody in Pakistan. However, I have discovered that when you decide that yes, I am going to go on an adventure, it’s almost as if the world conspires to help you,” he said about his travel plans. “As it so happened, I had the fortune of crossing paths with Kabir in Istanbul. He was the creator of a wonderful butterfly effect.”
PHOTO: ATTHEHANDLEBARS
Kabir encouraged Dutchie to visit Pakistan, insisting he would have a great time. “Taking his enthusiasm onboard, I arrived in Pakistan a few months later. Enter Lahore – where I met some very special people (you guys know who you are!) who greased the wheels of my stay without me even asking. All because I had taken the time to speak to one bloke who happened to be passionate about his country!”
Travelling to Pakistan doesn’t come without its reservations, of course. “Virtually everyone said I was crazy. People were actually trying to convince me to avoid visiting!” Dutchie said. “To be honest, I was feeling a little anxious before entering because 95% of people were so adamant about me not going. I levelled out my anxiety by remembering that everyone who was telling me not visit hadn’t even been to Pakistan! Listening to a bunch of people that had no firsthand experience about the country itself seemed like a very close-minded and stupid idea.”
On the contrary, he said, “everyone who had been through Pakistan told me that I’d regret not visiting. Who in their right mind wants to live out their days in regret? Seems mental if you ask me,” Dutchie said.
Five foreigners who took a chance on Pakistan
Dutchie’s primary mode of travel in Pakistan was with his beloved bike ‘Trumpet’. They crossed Balochistan from Taftan to Quetta, moving to Sukkur and then up to Lahore. “From Lahore, it was directly to Islamabad and finally into the northern areas, where I was lucky enough to spend two weeks on one of the most beautiful highways in the world,” Dutchie said.
When asked about the most memorable moment from his eventful journey, he said, “I think I’d have to say the most memorable moment was each and every friendship I made on the road. It’s due to those people that befriended me that turned the entire ride thus far, into one huge memorable moment.”
Adamant on changing preconceived notions about Pakistan, an Australian biker who goes by the name Dutchie, penned a blog in which he narrates his journey through Pakistan in the most humourous way.
PHOTO: ATTHEHANDLEBARS
“By all the unglamorous artworks the armchair experts of the world were painting of Pakistan, I was in line for a beheading, a bombing or a kidnapping. It’s dangerous they said. Avoid travelling Pakistan they said. Sure, the driving here is total rubbish and you’d be lucky not to be sideswiped or rear ended at least once every five minutes, but that’s about as dangerous as it feels for me personally thus far,” reads one of the excerpts from Dutchie’s blog.
How three foreigners conquered Pakistan’s most unfriendly river
Reading the blog had us wanting for a deeper insight into Dutchie’s experience. So, when The Express Tribune got in touch with him, he was more than happy to talk us through his eventful journey in Pakistan.
PHOTO: ATTHEHANDLEBARS
The idea of visiting Pakistan came to Dutchie while sipping on a beer in Morocco. “In short, I didn’t really plan … I didn’t know anybody in Pakistan. However, I have discovered that when you decide that yes, I am going to go on an adventure, it’s almost as if the world conspires to help you,” he said about his travel plans. “As it so happened, I had the fortune of crossing paths with Kabir in Istanbul. He was the creator of a wonderful butterfly effect.”
PHOTO: ATTHEHANDLEBARS
Kabir encouraged Dutchie to visit Pakistan, insisting he would have a great time. “Taking his enthusiasm onboard, I arrived in Pakistan a few months later. Enter Lahore – where I met some very special people (you guys know who you are!) who greased the wheels of my stay without me even asking. All because I had taken the time to speak to one bloke who happened to be passionate about his country!”
Travelling to Pakistan doesn’t come without its reservations, of course. “Virtually everyone said I was crazy. People were actually trying to convince me to avoid visiting!” Dutchie said. “To be honest, I was feeling a little anxious before entering because 95% of people were so adamant about me not going. I levelled out my anxiety by remembering that everyone who was telling me not visit hadn’t even been to Pakistan! Listening to a bunch of people that had no firsthand experience about the country itself seemed like a very close-minded and stupid idea.”
On the contrary, he said, “everyone who had been through Pakistan told me that I’d regret not visiting. Who in their right mind wants to live out their days in regret? Seems mental if you ask me,” Dutchie said.
Five foreigners who took a chance on Pakistan
Dutchie’s primary mode of travel in Pakistan was with his beloved bike ‘Trumpet’. They crossed Balochistan from Taftan to Quetta, moving to Sukkur and then up to Lahore. “From Lahore, it was directly to Islamabad and finally into the northern areas, where I was lucky enough to spend two weeks on one of the most beautiful highways in the world,” Dutchie said.
When asked about the most memorable moment from his eventful journey, he said, “I think I’d have to say the most memorable moment was each and every friendship I made on the road. It’s due to those people that befriended me that turned the entire ride thus far, into one huge memorable moment.”
