Today is the day we leave Islamabad and start a the riding portion of Scootistan 2016. 
Of concern this morning, the Pakistan army broke the ceasefire on the Kashmir border yesterday. https://www.google.com/amp/m.economictimes.com/news/defence/pakistan-violates-ceasefire-along-loc-in-poonch/amp_articleshow/54024370.cms?client=safari This happened in the Poonch region which is only about 177km (100 miles) from here. I’ve fortunately never been this close to war. And we are riding in the opposite direction today.
It will be a short day on back roads to Abottabad to get a feel for riding. Our fourth member Micheal Strauss’s flight from South Africa was delayed so he didn’t get in until 1am. I feel sorry for him having to turn around and ride today. Packing up gear, eating a little breakfast, checking out of the guest house and waiting for the driver to pick us up and take us to Moin’s grandparents house where the Vespas are getting their last minute adjustments by the mechanic after yesterday’s shakedown ride.
Not excited about riding in Islamabad traffic again!
We climbed up out of Islamabad for most of the day to a nice road of twisties through many little towns until we reached an 8000 ft peak and plunged down a lush green canyon to Abottabad. 
Highlights today included many many monkeys on the road! They seemed to hang out in the road near roadside stands and beg the customers for handouts.
I decided not to stop and take more pictures of the monkeys for fear they would climb onto my scooter and I wouldn’t be able to shooo them away.
I stopped to signal a turn for the other riders and some locals offered me cold drinks, when I refused the man took a pack of gum of of his pocket and offered it to me he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
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We stopped for chai at a roadside stand
We got Abottabad just as rush hour was happening and the streets were complete chaos. This was the craziest driving experience of my life. Complete white knuckle driving with cars, big truck, motorcycles and pedestrians flowing sometimes at a good clip and sometimes at a standstill. Horns blowing pedestrians walking everywhere utter mayhem! At one point I was unable to bridge a gap and got separated from the group. There I was alone in Pakistan!, lost, confused and highly stressed. Nothing to do but forge on and hope for the best.
After a while I was sure I had passed up the hotel so I stopped to get my bearings and along come the other three in the opposite direction. They had also gone too far. I turned around rejoined the group and within 5 minutes the stress melted away and we pulled into the Hotel DeManche compound where the support crew was waiting to greet us.
A
fter we checked into the hotel we ventured out for a late night dinner.
The Kabab was wonderful and we all got a lesson in using our hands and a piece of flatbread to eat rather than using silverware.
