The Big Ship (English)

First of all. We are not writing this to make you worry about us. Thank God we are blessed with good sense and a saint decision making. Up-to-now, nothing in our lives - not in Lisanne, or mine - has brought us back to basics this far and relied on our relationship and true friendship. And I must say. Lisanne is the true one for me. It's amazing how quickly and affirmative we make our decisions. This is an experience on its own.

In that sense I believe we are an incredibly strong couple.

Now our travelling has started a new phase. I dearly wanted to post my experiences with the Clearing process of our motorbikes, which will soon be posted after this quick message.

I am sitting right now in a convenient lounge of the Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi. A place I can recommend to anyone. If you want to have a relaxed time, with a breezy subtropical atmosphere: this is your place. Overlooking the mangroves, gazing at the nighthawks who flander about just over your head; it's just a good place to be really.

Although the reason that we're at the 'Beach' is triggered due to we like the place THAT much and wish to stay longer and longer, and perhaps another night.. ..just because we love it that much.

No.

Our reason for being here is simply because we are moving on motorbikes in a country that is in transition. Although we don't know where this transition brings us. Nobody knows.

We learn that a transition is characterized, or at least introduced by a flux. A sudden up-and-down movement that bridges the incremental growth (or decay) to a state of exponential growth, or tranformation. The impetus of this flux in Pakistan is (read) 'by-no-means' unidirectional. A lot of forces hit this country. And they hit hard.

I recall my visit to Nepal in 2001. The country was in flux until the president's son was killed and nearly the complete royal family was whiped out; massacred. We were there just months before this near-end-stage flux took place. The tourist places in Tamel (Kathmandu) were flooded with guards and electricity broke down every once in a while. Nothing to matter really. As happy-camping tourist you were safe and no harm will come to you as you're protected by a virtual $dollar-bag around you; the economic lifeline (tourism) of the country.

In Pakistan that's different right now. You're talking about an approximate 165 million person's country. That's a top-6 position worldwide btw. In addition, the country just celebrated its 53rd birthday. In other words: compared to souvereign states in Europe and America, it's a very young country.

Without getting too much into detail about the various political, tribal, religious forces - the alleged predominant forces fueled by capital and unequal distribution of that same capital - this country is like a Big Ship.

A very elegant ship with excellent hosts, rich history, a strong etiquette and a strong engine. However, it's a ship without a rudder - without steering. Unlike a small vessel like Nepal, Pakistan is a gallion. A gallion with lots of rowers; its propulsion. It cannot break away easily from its course and is basically trapped by its all greatness by the larger greatness of mass and intertia of influencing states, like India, the US and Iran. Just to name a few. Perhaps China should be in that list. Not exactly. China will presumably be the Goliath pulling Pakistan away from all other encumbent vessel and pave a way to a new Pakistan. Only the future can prove me wrong. But if you can't predict (which you never actually can), than be prepared.

Back to today. Today, Lisanne and I were taking our bikes to Belochistan. Belochistan is one of the most rural provinces of Pakistan. With full confidence we were driving a good highway until we reached our first village, Hub/Jamili. Our strategy was to drink chai (tea) with the police officers, hoping to get their escort to Quetta.

We did not want to venture this trip without at least a sense of security given by an escort. Surely we found excellent people on our way again and we drank chai. Surely the police officers wanted to guard us with their lives, but today I realized: that's not the point. By just driving on like we intended to - two stubborn dutch happycampers - we would put ourselves and other lives in danger. The road we chose was hit by small riots from Bela to Khudzar. Forget about those places (like I try to do.. ..my stubborn nature is still strungling at this moment. Still) the message we had coming to us was a very clear one: it's simply not very safe in Pakistan now. Instability from the North (NWFP, Peshawar, Lahore) is steadfastly (b)reaching in the South.

Just taking the bikes would be a scilly thing to do. And so we don't. We simply don't. After consulting our dearest friends in Pakistan - and above-all: Laiq - we decided not to drive the bikes through Pakistan. Even though due to the same Dutch bullheadedness had achieved a full escort from Karachi to Quetta (at least), we made the decision not to pull through. We take our primary means of transport thus far: the train. Seeing our bikes, riding our bikes and enjoying our bikes this decision comes in hard. But we do not forget that we're not in a picnic-situation here; we must protect ourselves and our Maslow pyramid of needs is definitely focused at the base: security and health.

We feel not to have visited Pakistan on the wrong time. Not across-the-board. We have met incredible people, whom otherwise would not have enriched our lives. We've undoubtedly supported Pakistan, and the future of Pakistan - the children - on the right time. At a time its very hard for local charities to get funding from external NGO's, or even their own government..
But without question we choose the worst possible timing to travel through the country driving bikes. A truck, car, or any four-wheeled vehicle is okay. But bikes.

You figure it out.

It's just a different story. Especially if your wife is on sitting on the other bike. The person you want to start a family with after this bigtrip.

So again. I feel like taking the rescue boat and feel like taking the right decision. It's nothing fancy. It's nothing cool. But we don't care. We care about life and about what life can bring. Life is majestic metaphore for time spent on this great planet. And we want spent our time in good health, good condition and good company and that's you - our dear reader.