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world . After a long fruitless search , noone had a clutch pack kit for my bike , no-one dealer had the individual components either , they were on backorder everywhere . With the help of friends , we managed to cobble together a full clutch plate kit from numerous suppliers and had all the parts shipped to my wife in the UK who then couriered the parts to me in Islamabad . This took a total of 2 weeks , by which time , we had been informed that our Indian visa had been issued .
I had the tools to be able to fit the new clutch plates , and with the help of a local garage we were able to get the new plates fitted , the new clutch cover gasket I had was broken in the post and would not seal , plus we found one of the bolt holes for the oil filter had been stripped . This would have taken days , or weeks in
the west to sort out , but here , both were repaired within an hour or two . I absolutely love countries like Pakistan in this regard .
With our Indian visa now issued , we had no real choice but to head there as the visa starts ticking from the moment it is issued . We went via a new friend ' s house in Faisalabad on our way to the Wagah border .
As I sat on the bike , weaving through the traffic and heat of the south , I reflected on our relatively short time in Pakistan . It had not started well , maybe that was a symptom of me and the high temperatures we had been riding through in Iran for the last few months , but I had also come to love Pakistan . It ’ s not about the stunning scenery and fantastic roads in the north , which we only had the smallest taste of . What amazed me most and changed my mind about Pakistan was at every place we stopped , we were invited to eat , everyone we met without exception was genuinely interested , generous , friendly , and truly grateful that we were there , in their country , as a traveller . The people of Pakistan know their country does not have the best reputation , it definitely has its problems , but it is well worth the visit for any adventure traveller .
As we crossed the Attari / Wagah border into India , I felt a pang of loss , but also excitement for a new country . I had a plan , and that was to return to Pakistan . What surprised me was just how quickly that happened , and how much this much misunderstood country of Pakistan became my favourite country to visit and ride , perhaps a story for another day . DC
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