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ahead of its neighbour to the south. It ' s an area David disagrees with and feels that the image is not as bad as suggested.
" Road conditions, even the unsealed ones were nothing like as bad as I had expected," he said. " There ' s ever improving infrastructure with investment from the Chinese."
He also added that everything felt quite safe, " despite the close proximity of Afghanistan there wasn’ t any feeling of threat or fear. It felt like you could have wandered up to a border post, offered them a cigarette, have a chat and wandered away again."
Pakistan, on the other hand, is often given a worse impression by international media and travel advisories that Tajikistan and yet ranks five places higher. This central Asian nation scores midfield for things like culture, infrastructure, and image yet seems to be let down by the perceptions of safety and health, areas that David Coulthard of M8 Moto suggests might not always be accurate.
" No one would come to Pakistan unless you want to get blown up, shot, or maybe even kidnapped," David says of how the media report on one of his favourite nations. " Whilst the press and the government ' s view does have validity, it is important to note that these risks are very much location-specific, particularly in the southwest of Baluchistan and along the border with Afghanistan.
" The reality on the ground is very much a different story, where we ride," David continues. " In the northeast in the Gilgit-Baltistan area and surrounds, these risks are virtually non-existent, you are probably at a higher risk walking through any European or American City than up here in the Mountains."
David does agree that the safety related to infrastructure can often be a problem however, for the adventurous this can often be a draw.
As for health David also has views relating to how Pakistan scores.
" When you do have an issue, medical care for minor ailments is usually not far away, there is often a pharmacy in every little village or town and it is easy to get over-the-counter medicines that the west considers prescription only( antibiotics etc)," he continues. " The pharmacy staff and local doctors are experienced and used to dealing with stomach upsets and managing the health of the locals with western medicines.
" For more serious issues, there are hospitals and hospitals, when it comes to things like fractures, it is best to head to what is called a combined hospital, these are hospitals run by the military, but also take civilians, and their level of care is good, but you do need to pay, so travel / medical insurance is a necessity."
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