TRAVERSE 7
EDITORIAL
Pakistan often appears in international headlines for the wrong reasons— political instability, security concerns, and a reputation painted by decades of misreporting. To many outside observers, it’ s a place marked red on the map, a no-go zone where adventure borders on recklessness. But astride a motorcycle, rolling across its mountain passes and desert tracks, the reality is something very different.
The Pakistan I’ ve experienced is not defined by fear but by warmth. In the north, chai is poured before you can even introduce yourself, offered with a smile as if you’ ve been expected all along. Shopkeepers wave you over not to sell you something but to insist you share a cup of tea. There’ s an old saying here:“ Mehman Khuda ki rehmat hota hai”— a guest is a blessing from God. And that’ s exactly how you feel, welcomed not as a stranger, but as an unexpected gift.
Yes, the roads can be punishing— gnarled switchbacks, gravel descents, and hair-raising overtakes on the Karakoram Highway. But the people soften every hardship. When I ' d made one of my numerous stops to take in the beauty of the landscapes, I was often approached by strangers wanting to know if I was all right, if there was something they could help with. I thought how rare that would be in my own homeland. That moment reminded me of another proverb I ' d heard just a few days prior:“ Dost woh jo mushkil mein kaam aaye”— a true friend is one who helps in difficult times. In Pakistan, friendship and generosity arrive before introductions are even exchanged.
Even small gestures carry deep meaning. A shopkeeper in Skardu once refused payment for bread, smiling as he said,“ Achhi baat karna bhi sadqa hai”— speaking kindly is also a form of charity. That philosophy echoes everywhere you ride: in roadside Sufi shrines where caretakers beckon you in to share a meal, in family homes where food is piled high before you can protest, and in the countless cups of sweet, milk tea pressed into your hands with unshakable insistence.
This is the reality of Pakistan: a place where hospitality is not a slogan but a way of life, where every challenge on the road is met with an act of kindness. The world may paint Pakistan in shadows, but from the saddle of a motorcycle, it’ s nothing but bright, welcoming light, a place where misguided, preconceptions should be set aside to discover for ones self, and where the itch of a YouTube grabbing headline should be treated with a level of accuracy.
Pakistan is our feature destination this issue, so jump aboard and discover what this, and many other, unique destinations we have install for you and your bike. And, as the Pakistani ' s say, " a guest brings light to the home ", for in this wonderful land it is the people who bring light to every journey.
A GUEST BRINGS LIGHT TO THE HOME
Leigh
TRAVERSE 7