The second night I spent at the shabby Tulip Hotel in Jhelum. Nice view of the Jhelum, and the promise of 2 beers (“one not enough”) that never materialized. G.T. Road, straight and flat but the heat was just brutal.
Next day to Rawalpindi/Islamabad and I noticed a Shelton Hotel, as I had stayed at in Lahore and liked located there.
The next day was quite a long ride around the outskirts of Islamabad. The wide beautiful roads for about the first 30 kms. were a cyclist’s dream. It was then back on to GT road and chaotic traffic around the city of Wah. Stopping for juice I realized I had missed my turn off from GT road, so added on an extra 12 kms. on an exhausting 142 km. day.
After Wah came a police checkpost that marked the crossing from Punjab to K.P. (Khyber Pakhtoonwa). From what I gather the people in this part of KP are Hazara Pashtoons and speak a language called Hindko.
A very nice shopkeeper seriously asked me if I was Chinese. Bizarre, but I also heard a few “ni haos” shouted in my direction along the way- meaning hello in Chinese.
It turned out to be a long hot day with a lot of climbing on the way to Abbottabad. I was tempted when en route a tempo offered me a lift. I guess even from behind I looked shagged. Eventually I got a second wind and kept my wits about me in the chaotic traffic of this quite big city.
