(Daniel) We got up early again this morning to try again for DG Khan.  The trailer repaired and feeling confident, we drove back along the same road, and stopped in the village that we passed through yesterday.  Almost immediately a huge crowd formed around us, and Rowan got into a conversation with a man asking the same questions about Muslims and people's opinions of Pakistan.  He was trying hard to get away, but the longer he stayed the more people formed around him.  It looked as though there could be trouble, but he managed to get away, and we walked off down the road, taking photos.  The place was amazing, with horses and donkeys pulling carts, tractors all over the place and people selling everything from fruit to car oil.

We walked around for about ten minutes, but the crowd followed us, and soon we were a 50 string walking down the street, we decided that it was best to leave, and jumped back in the car as the crowd formed around us.  I drove away, and we agreed that this was something that we would have to be weary of.  As we drove we spotted the turning that we missed yesterday and turned off the road towards D G Khan.  There were some boys selling pastries at the side of the road so we stopped and wound the window down.  Again, the crowds formed, and we had to move quickly to buy some food and leave.  As I reached for some money a hand shot in and tried to grab the money from my pocket, I stopped the boy and shouted at him, but he just smiled and tried again.  I got pretty angry, but just paid the pastry seller and drove off quickly.

As we drove on we came to a checkpoint and asked if we were on the right road, he said yes, but directed us down another way saying that this was the correct road for DG Khan, so we went off in that direction, again driving very close to the Afghan border and then up into the mountains. The roads were very bad, but the scenery was amazing, similar to Switzerland with the mountains and snow we drove through these for several hours before dropping back down and arriving at a town called Loralai.  When we arrived we decided to grab something to eat, and drove through the streets to find a restaurant.  We hadn’t got very far when a police car pulled up and asked us to come with him to the police station.  We pulled up outside, and walked in, several policemen came and sat us down in a room, then they asked us to fill in forms with our passport details etc.  This all seemed very normal, and they asked how long we intended to stay in Loralai, we explained that we were passing through and just wanted to take a look around and then eat.  They asked us to wait, and then told us that we would be accompanied by an armed guard whilst we were in the town, and that he would take us where we wanted to go.  After this mornings crowd trouble we were actually quite grateful and accepted. 

The Policeman seemed very nice, he had a machine gun slung over his shoulder, and walked with us.  When he realised that we didn’t really know where we were going, he obviously decided to give us the tour of the town, and took us down several streets and into a market to see lots of old stereos, he made us take photos, and was generally quite funny!  After the tour we sat down in a restaurant and ate some local food, a stew with lamb peas and chilli oil.  I drank the water, but only because they said that it was spring water!  After eating we told the guard that we wanted to go back, and he took us to a Rickshaw.  The rickshaw started off heading in the right direction, but just before the police station it failed to turn off and instead took us to the other side of town, to a big complex where it stopped.

The policeman got out and motioned us to do the same.  We jumped out wondering what was happening, when a man walked over and welcomed us to the Radio Station, Radio Loralai.  We had obviously been brought here as it was the best thing that the town has to offer and it was very flattering, however we had to get back on the road if we were to have any chance of getting to DG Khan today, so we accepted the offer to have a look, but tried to explain that we were in a hurry.

After a short tour of the radio station, we were about to be taken into the studio, but we declined and tried hard to get away, but the policeman said that it was time for him to pray, and so we would have to wait.  We were starting to feel as if this was a conspiracy, and I began to worry about the vehicle.  We waited while the policeman prayed, and meanwhile the Radio station guide showed us the antenna building.  He gave me a cup and said that it was a present so that we would always remember them.  The other policeman who was guarding the station asked for several of my things in return for this.  After gently refusing (he had a gun too!)

We turned to see if our Guard had finished.  He was sitting down doing something with his hands, so we walked over to see what this new delay was.  It turned out that he was rolling a joint, and that he was going to smoke it now.  He did this much to our amusement, I even took a photo!  And then sat and smoked it with the other policeman.  Whilst he sat we made it very clear that we now had to go, and he eventually agreed, getting up and walking with us down the hill again.  It was obvious that he didn’t want to go back to work, and now in his inebriated state probably couldn’t go back.  At first he started to walk back, but eventually got a rickshaw. 

On the way back, he gave his machine gun to me to look after, and got out several times, I have no idea why!  Rowan took some photos of me in the Rickshaw with the Machine gun.  When we got back to the car, someone had stolen my blindspot mirror again, and had tried to steal the antenna and the shovel from the bonnet.  This was right outside the police station!  Luckily the padlock had held on the shovel, and the antenna had not been pulled through.  This put me in a pretty bad mood, so I just wanted to leave.  But the Police came back and asked us to go back inside again.  We tried to refuse but they insisted, so we went back and sat down in the dark room again.  They asked for our passports again, we asked why, as they had already taken the details form them, they couldn’t elobarate, and alarms started to ring.

After about ten minutes, three more police came into the room.  A man was with them, he was secret police, (I heard another man saying that he was coming before he walked in.)  He was dressed in plain clothes, but spoke very good English.  “What are your intentions?”  He asked without emotion.  My heart missed a beat, I could see it all now, they kept us waiting while this guy turned up from another area, the policeman smoking the drugs, it all fell into place.  We were about to be turned over, probably for money, possibly for the truck.  I could see that Rowan and Gabby were panicking also and tried hard to stay very calm.  “We are tourists heading for DG Khan.”  He was very smarmy, and almost lay on the table while he talked, are you married he asked?  I replied that I wasn’t and tried to keep the conversation light, talking about how many police we had met since we arrived here, and complaining that they all drive too slow.  This seemed to lift the mood a little.  I think that he was testing us, to see how easily we would crack, and if we were worth the effort.  We all managed to stay calm, and I explained that I had left the car open, so I must go out and lock it.  He let me out, and when I returned, he told us that we could go.

There are so many reasons why this guy could have been talking to us, but I was there and I know that this was not good.  We left and were given a police escort to the edge of town.  In the car we discussed how scary the whole ordeal was, and how we would not let ourselves in for that again.  What had been supposed to be a short lunch break had become a three hour ordeal, ending in a serious questioning by the secret police.  This was truly the stuff of nightmares.  None of us could relax, as we all thought that we would be stopped again.  I was certain that the car had been tampered with, perhaps someone had planted something underneath, and that the secret police were just around the corner waiting for us.  I was driving very fast trying to get away from that town and their jurisdiction.

As we drove a man pulled us over, he looked like a policeman at first, but when we stopped I realised that instead of Police he had the word Levies on his jacket, I asked him if he was police and he hesitated. “No, well yes, levies, I need lift to my station.” “Sorry!” I called as I drove off in a cloud of smoke! As we drove on I started to feel very bad about the man at the side of the road, but safety tells us that as tourists we do not pick up strangers, especially if it isn’t a policeman, and I thought that Levy was a tax or something!  I kept on driving fast, past a checkpoint where no-one stopped us and towards DG Khan overtaking lorries and trucks as I went.  A few times I noticed a blue pickup behind, but he wasn’t fast enough to overtake so I ignored him. It was only after ten minutes more that I realised that this was a police vehicle, and that he had been trying to pull us over.

I stopped and a man jumped out, he walked back towards us and took out his badge, “Levies force”  You are driving very fast.  “I’m sorry, I have an appointment with the Police in DG Khan I said, still thinking that this was a tax man of some kind.  It is too dangerous to drive this road at night, and it is dark soon.  You should come with me, and stay in our station.  It began to dawn on me that these were a police force of kinds, and the others decided to take a look.  We turned around and followed them back to the checkpoint that we passed earlier.  As we pulled in, who is standing there, but the man which I left at the side of the road, and he wasn’t happy!  The first thing that I did was apologise to him, and as a simple man, he didn’t seem to mind too much, he just kept telling the story in his language to other people as if he still couldn’t believe it!

The man who had stopped us explained that the Levies are the rural and tribal police and have jurisdiction out here in the desert.  He also said that even though it was only 220kms, the road ahead was unmade and that we would have spent a good 6-8 hours in daylight negotiating it, let alone in the dark.  We thanked him for stopping us, and sat down for tea.  The Levies are a far cry form the Police, they are very relaxed and friendly, they made us feel very welcome.

After tea, the officer showed us his quarters, and a magazine that he used to be a reporter for before joining the Levies force. He explained that these people were Pashdu, and are another tribe that live in the area onwards from Quetta, they are originally from Afghansitan, but settled here a few hundred years ago.  After this he took us to a hot spring that was behind the police station, we took some photos and watched the sunset here.

After this we returned to the Levies station, where a group of men were waiting for the officer.  These were two parties in an accident, and needed the officer to resolve the dispute.  He sat down and allowed us to watch as he mediated between the two parties.  It was a very interesting experience.  Afterwards the men shook our hands as well as each others and left.  We sat down then for dinner, a similar stew to the one which we had eaten in Loralai earlier on for lunch.  After dinner we talked and again he gave me his gun to look after, I don’t know why people keep doing this, perhaps it is a sign of trust, but it is a strange feeling for someone who has never been around guns to have such a powerful tool in his hands.  We set up the rooftent then, and went to bed, after a long and exhausting emotional day!  

Distance driven 450kms

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