Checking out of Iran I was escorted by two mopeds with armed pillions , which made me feel special and a bit uneasy at the same time . In front of the gate , I had to wait and caught the curiosity of the border personnel . They took photos of my motorcycle and me with their smartphones , which looked like an act of personal entertainment rather than an official one . As I pulled my phone to do the same , they said “ no photo , please ”. Fair enough .
Then escorted across the gate to small house to get the entry formalities sorted , all pen and paper . It went smoothly .
“ Tonight , you sleep in the police station ,” said the border guard . “ Tomorrow , escort towards Quetta .”
Quetta is the capital of Balochistan , a poorer part of Pakistan that stretches along the Afghanistan border . This is where I needed to get a “ Non-objection certificate ” certifying that I ’ m traveling out of personal rather than political motivation .
At the police station , I found a motorcycle traveller from Denmark who had arrived at the border on the same day . Simon , travelling on a KTM . It was a nice coincidence as it meant having some company for the next few days that were going to be slow going .
Some years back , a few cases of kidnappings had occurred in the region meaning the government had introduced a rather dense escort and checkpoint system . It meant we were only allowed to travel in a convoy with the local police or Levies , a para-military group . Vehicles would take turns
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