Pakistan
 Delhi - Multan : April 25 to May 11, 2007
 Multan - Lahore : May 12 to 20, 2007
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Pakistan

Since Delhi, what an incredible adventure! We lived so many extraordinary experiences during this part of the journey. We have been welcomed by the Sikh people witch are living in the region of East-Punjab in India. They are very esthetic with their long beards and their multicolored turbans. We have also been welcomed often in the Gurdwara (Sikh temple). One offered us a Punjabi costume in a gift witch we wear in Pakistan.

When we approach to the border of Pakistan, happen with a lot of apprehension. All prejudices about the country were coming back into our mind. How they would be react face us, how should I be in public with men. We had also a lot of pressure because our family was really worried about us. Finally, we just been stress for nothing, people are of an incredible kindness. They are the most welcoming people since more of 16 months of the journey. They just suffering from negative publicity from the media and they know it. We also feel in security into the country. Pakistan is quite modern and there is a lot of security. I’m quite surprise about my place into the society. People respect me a lot and the men, in general, shake me the hand in public. Very surprising! 2 or 3 times per day, the police stop us on the road and inquire about us. Often, they invite us to drink a cold drink or to eat a small something. On occasion, it is also possible stay for a night or have a rest there during the day, when the temperature is raised too much. We also discovered an incredible hotel before our arrival in Multan. The owner of the hotel offers the lodging and the meal for free to all cyclists who visit him. Incredible, but true!! It is very pleasant after a long and hard day of cycle.

We also lived some very interesting cultural experiences, typical of this region of the world. My first shock was to have been completely separate from Ben during a whole evening when we were guest to some local friends. I and Ben had just not access to each other and the world around it. The men and women were living into 2 separates world. I was only able to see Benoit, when he was asking for me. It was quite fun in the night to exchange about our separate experience when we get back home. When visiting Pakistan, it is really important to be ready to change your system of reference.

Finally, this section of the journey will certainly be very interesting, but also will be a good physical and psychological challenge. The temperature will continue to climb up until more than 52 degrees in about a month. We will have to wake up early around 4:30 am. We also decided to stay on the motorway to heading to Quetta. It would be safer than going into remote area. If we do not feel safe along the road, it is possible to ask a free police escort until we reach our destination. I think it is very good!

Multan - Lahore : May 12 to 20, 2007

Multan is the second hottest city of Pakistan. The temperature can climb until 55 degree. In such conditions, doing bicycle becomes something extreme. It became impossible to cool down your body. To our departure of Multan, we have been advice wrongly on the itinerary we had to follow to join the Baluchistan. The direction, in which we have been directed, brought us into the countryside. It was indeed very interesting, because we saw a new face of Pakistan. The women were nearly all hidden under an immense sheet (Burka) and they could only watch through wire fencing. The villages were half desert and people lived in mud houses. For one instant, Genevieve took fear because images were associated to what she thought about this country. In a instant, all the prejudices came back to our mind. We regret to not have taken better pictures of these landscapes because it was indeed different from everything that we had explored since the beginning of our adventure. On the other hand, people remained authentic and each of them tried to know our adventure in his own way!

Due to this small escapade into the country, we have been forced to accept a police escort armed as ever (5 policemen in a pickup, follows us to less than 10 meters of our bicycle). We were cut from all sources of liberties and they were going as far as, repulsing all people who wished to meet us. You know Genevieve?! How liberty is important for her! After one day and half, we put a term to all this silliness and we decided to go back on the same way by train and take a plane for Iran in order to escape from this abusive control. The temperature was more and more unpleasant; the landscape of this area was not so interesting and this escort was the horrible. They remove us the only source of pleasure we had, meeting people. The choice was not too difficult to do. In spite of what people think about this country, we assure you that we were in security and wish than you will, one day have the change to visit this unknown country. They are one of the friendliest people ever meet on the road. The main problem, only few tourist visit this country (especially into this area) and the police was uncomfortable with our presence into this sector. They did not know the result of the interaction tourist and local people.