Solo In Pakistan’s Dodgiest Hood 🇵🇰

🇵🇰I have always wanted to travel to mysterious Kafiristan which is nestled in a couple of small valleys in the north of Pakistan. However to reach the northern mountains I would first need to pass through Balochistan, a region of the country that had been fought over for millennia but never quite conquered. In fact just the day before i arrived Iran bombed it. So let’s just say, things didn’t quite go as expected when I met the Pakistani military…Join me as we cruise the streets of Quetta.

Follow @SimonWilson12 and @BackpackerBen for their updates from Pakistan.

Edit: it seems Alexander the Great didn’t go through the Bolan Pass as I thought 😂 Ffs!

Asalam alaykum from the shores of the Arabian Sea stretching out northwards before me lies Pakistan the land of the pure and I’m now setting off on a journey across this Young Nation in search of a mountain dwelling tribe of infidels that are said to be descended from Alexander the Great Army are you

Ready for a wild adventure unlike anything you’ve seen before then join me so welcome back to the Indian subcontinent and it’s already kicking off as young camel Wala tries to charge me what okay the Hamas camel Waller tried to charge me an extra 500 but that’s okay you can’t blame

People because we’re in Pakistan which is one of Asia’s poorest Nation a nation that hasn’t quite managed to develop economically in the way it should have done post independence in 1947 anyway let’s explore the beach here almost 70 years old almost 70 70 yeah 70 they’re saying that this Cobra

Oh my God they’re saying it’s 70 years old I didn’t even know they love live that long oh you’re not afraid are you afraid is he your friend you don’t up right then let’s get out of here and begin our journey bye-bye everybody I’ve got a journey across Pakistan to begin change kind

Yeah he’s saying he doesn’t have change he does have change so I saw money in his pocket but it just so happens there’s a McDonald’s over here so I’m going to go get change of McDonald’s we can’t be scammed although it’s not for a lot of money to be

Fair in our first moments in Pakistan thank so you got to deal with the locals right let’s jump on a bus or some form of Transport head into Karachi absolute scammers otherway up whoa where you going up crazy traffic on the roads of baky Stan especially here in karach

Well we are in a real Pakistani taxi this is an old car I don’t know what it is but check it out all the old buns the original radio the original down there taxi meter fair look at that and here we have an actual clock what right Less Car reviewing and

More telling you about the place where we go in which is called arang Town Asia’s biggest slum oh I think we might have reached it already woohoo I think we’ve arrived what’s name where the hell am I and what am I going to do here bye-bye sir and I love your car oh

Hello where am I what a place let’s explore what is called arangi Town go and check it out everybody up ready not well this is arangi town which is the world’s largest slum according to Wikipedia it actually started off a refugee camp for Muslims escaping from the partition wars with India in the

Late 40s and early 50s and then his population swelled once again in the 1970s when Bangladesh gained independence Pakistan and many refugees came here to settle in arangi town let’s have a little walk through it see what we see holy are we back in Afghanistan like in the center of

Karachi where I was before people wore western clothes there was a McDonald’s here you really feel like hello sir I’m Janna Jello up Jello Salam alaykum sisters wow um you really do feel like you’re in deepest deepest great game country hello hello hello did you do it

Hello or you did an upside down one you coming with me let’s go for a stroll through town show me your city up show me your lovely Town these are boys a few words you want to take it you want to take control the soon is all I want

There you go wow you got a deep voice for uncle there you go we’re off up I’m very good how are you look here when you get married in Pakistan you put this on which is basically a necklace made of cash look this is Jina the founder of Pakistan yeah

Gina that fly over behind me that you can see in the distance was built to stop and put an end to into ethnic violence here in orangi there’s a barrier up on that Hill which isn’t orangi and the people from that barrier used have to pass through orangi on the

Way to Karachi to work each day and the Arians would attack them and kill them because they were from a different group or a different cast or whatever and so the government built the fly over so it’ be safe not having to come through the streets of orangi it’s pretty dodgy in

Orangi the Arians are known for a bit of um nefarious activities but they’ve been friendly to me well we’ve explored down in the bottom half of orangi town but Pi is already built the houses starting in the 1940s this is basically the barari of Karachi this actually feels quite dodgy which I didn’t expect to feel wow just all slamming as soon as I walk past faces hidden behind sheets and behind the maab the bur Okay g Wow Let’s carry on walking up along this Maze of houses that was built by people who had arrived after terrible

Journeys what they witness what the Muslims of India witnessed during the partition war is just ah disgusting and what the Hindus also has to be said leaving Pakistan for India also suffered was also terrible and many of them set here Alum oh jum hello do you speak English I’ve G crazy

Bash where are you from where are you from from England England where are you from saat saat yes so this family are from another part of Pakistan and they’ve moved here to this region they are PS and we’re going to meet a lot of pastunes on our journey north towards

The tribe in the um in the mountains wow interesting sir interesting bye-bye these little Alleyways and streets are home to a lot of interethnic violence because there are people people that came to this well what start off a refugee camp from all over India Bangladesh Pakistan Afghanistan in fact

And so that brought a lot of tension between different um ethnicities who decided to fight each other for superiority of the region basically and so harangi town really is known as a hot bed of violence of murder and of other terrible crimes that have been reading

About before I came up here but this is it and over there in the distance above the smell and the haze of burning plastic is Karachi City and we’re here in arangi town what up I’m going to have a look nice to meet you wow I don’t know what you’re saying

Maybe who saying listen mate if you go up there you’re going to get slaughtered as a whitey in our town but I don’t think so I think he’s probably just say going to have a look further up higher up in this the world’s largest slum my

God and it is a slum it gets worse the higher up you get I must look so these kids up here like an alien they’ve never seen something like me before a white man talking to himself with a stick asalam alaykum CH G D me all right let’s get out of here

Whoa safely and continue our journey out of Karachi and northwards towards the kalash Valley got M what got here chill CED let’s get out of here we’re going to go to the railway station cuz we’ve got a train to catch if you look up in the sky above arangi Town you’ll see lots of flags that look like Afghanistan Flags

Fluttering let me show you you see them here fluttering in the sky well they look like the Afghan flag because they represent pashun families the pashon people are the people from the Northwest Frontier Province from Afghanistan from parts of baluchistan and they represent see and they represent the huge numbers of paston

People that live here in the rangi town and that’s why you see flags for the political parties that represent the paston here in this area of Karachi look at them everywhere Afghan Flags kind of oh we’re out Ming oh he’s off already didn’t even stop to say goodbye

But an on his Taxi Driver W look at this man hello so I want to show you something before we go to the train station and that’s my hotel so there something interesting about it let’s Go so I brought you to my hotel which is a rather fancy hotel here in karach it’s called the Marriot but look at the security up wow V AK-47 wow Q security thank you for keeping us safe where are you I’m from England England England up England and so many of the expensive

Hotels and embassies have security like that and that is because well for a few reasons but mainly because Pakistan is a nation that is still divided not divided from India but divided internally between the hardliners the islamists and the more secular people and so means there’s a lot of terrorism here and

That’s why in our hotels we have a lot of um well stuff like this I’m about to be told off all up good evening sir good evening sir how are you manager yes they TR the movies not allow the working area ah no filming Pakistan Railways Karachi

C I didn’t choose the name let’s go and look for the train we’re going to catch now which is going to take us all the way to baluchistan overnight 24 hours on the band mail how exciting way up ban Mill is a platform number one but somebody told me it was

Platform number two no no no platform number one and uh late this 8 p.m. it’s late oh my God are you going to qua also yeah from number one number one qua band mail other side okay I’m going the other side are you making movie I’m making

Movie yeah for YouTube hey nice to meet you thank you thank you welcome thank you very much ah nice people here in Pakistan but I’m on the wrong platform the characters back there said I’m on the wrong platform let’s go and look if we look up here on the train

That just pulled in it tells you where it’s coming from and where it’s going up here in uru but I don’t understand Udu but trains here go such interesting places to baluchistan to the Northwest Frontier province up by Afghanistan to towns likei Islamabad laor but we’re waiting for the train to

Qua but where is it m you can go to towns like M and these are soldiers from the Pakistani army they’ll be going to um different towns along the frontier to protect the borders of Pakistan from nefarious people and nefarious Nations finally 2 hours late the band mail has Arrived yeah ah I like very much Pakistan is very friendly country very friendly people up it’s your daughter hello daughter how are you what is your your name handshake oh okay handshake very formal pleased to meet you I go now to qua have a nice Journey nice to meet you

My train is going bye-bye bye-bye guys time to jump on the ban mail bye-bye karach see you later right then let’s see what a sleeping compartment in Pakistan looks like oh I’m stuck let’s see if it’s anything like the Trans Siberian Express woo what the what are you doing here I’m

In Pakistan on holiday M Packa Ben in Pakistan on holiday I can’t believe it flipping egg right I’m going to go and look for my bed what the hell is it around here something what the what are you doing you doing here Simon Wilson I’m off to queta to try some amazing

Street food flipping EG good to see you mate Simon Wilson backpack of Ben on the qua band male let’s do it hi how are you nice join us join us hello c c we’ve got ourselves some armed guards dangerous here the train is dangerous yes why we are protected by your friends I

Think everything is safe on the train in inshah in food in the drink I fall asleep your mobes gone so don’t trust people don’t trust people anyone I just trust police okay I trust you so what we’re going to find on this trip around Pakistan as Ben has told me because he’s

Been here before traving round is that we’re going to have a lot of police following us and army following us and secret police and that’s not anything bad is to protect us they just worried that as tourists in their country something’s going to happen to and they

Don’t want that to happen so that’s why there’s guards all around us and police checking on us and making sure everything’s okay it is a cold Frosty morning in this little town in Pakistan here in the Indus Valley check it out good Morning Pakistan Salam Alum Salam Alaykum wow our first stop of the morning on a chilly morning here in rural Pakistan here actually in the Valley of the Indus River the Indus Valley was once was once home to an ancient civilization and 3,000 years before Christ believe it or not they had cities here with plumbing and drainage and

Intricate Street plans at the same time as us in Europe we’re living in caves I don’t know what happened to those cities because passing through what I just saw things have certainly gone down hill anyway here we are R Pakistan when the BR discovered the Kappa site where the Indus Valley river

Civilization was they broke all the old buildings and the old cities and used the bricks to build the railway line throughout Pakistan or what was then India anyway let’s jump back on that Railway head north towards qua oh I see someone that looks familiar MK Paca Ben mate good morning

Mate how’ you feel I haven’t slapped a wink Have you uh no and there’s a reason for that Simon Wilson Simon Wilson Simon Wilson should not be allowed on public transport or anywhere where you have to sleep with other people because he spent the entire night snoring rockus in his

Bunk you are a disgrace Simon Wilson get off the train now you’re a disgrace you ruined everyone’s sleep in this compartment I apologize about my friend’s Behavior we’re pulling into the town of shikar here in Northern Sy Province Jos sir where are we we where in we are in

Shikar oh yeah wow look at this this is a little Pakistani City in the north of Sy Province wow look at it Dusty Skies rubbish everywhere people just Milling around what’s your name my name is Benjamin my country is Pakistan your country is Pakistan and I like your

Jacket very smart very smart very smart sir his jacket is the Gulf Gulf how from the Army no no driver a r show driver yes okay let me see your R show yes oh it’s very nice see it you sir see it but I have to go on the train I don’t have

Time time near it wow but I can imagine cruising around your town of shikar here yes shikar shikar H I think I have to go come come thank you thank you nice to meet you nice to meet you byebye Rick Shala nice to meet you no I might stay

Here I think I will stay here in ch yeah I like CH no I don’t want I want to stay here bye-bye guys bye-bye I’m going to say hey mate I’m on I almost had to live the rest of my life in chikore wow this train passing through their

Town must be the highlight of the day nothing else happens here just a little bit of cricket bye-bye guys wow I’m playing in the rubbish dump nothing else to do what a place to be born and to grow up in wow we’ve made it we’ve made it only just to the end of

The platform here in lovely jacobabad Junction and over here is the office of the yard supero do you know why it is called Jacob yes after the English Soldier Jacob yes that’s correct Jacob Abad was named after a British soldier in the British army back in the Raj days who

Was sent here to protect the frontier the frontier then was slightly different from now this was the Wild Frontier with Afghanistan he was sent here to protect the frontier and he did a lot of good things to the people including building them a nice water

Tank so he could have some water and so they named the little village that was here before jacobabad and that was a big old town with lots of characters hanging around would you would you move to Jacob Abad probably not to be honest mate what have you got against it nothing against

It try some street food then I remember what you said last night on the train I’m waiting for qu come on try some for my friend would like some what you have rice I think my friend would like some this scene that we’re witnessing on the platform here in jacobabad Robie

Hasn’t changed much in the last what 150 years since the days of the British East India Company and then the Raj I mean an old-fashioned train an old-fashioned railway station building the same Fashions no doubt people were wearing shiaa kamis back in those days wow getting water from a well on the platform

Yes let me welcome you to my friend from jacobabad oh the jacobabad people basically this is the border of two Province one is baluchistan ends One S so after this baluchistan begins yeah the language and tradition and food uh each and everything will be changed is

That right luchian will be a little bit different that’s interesting yeah well our journey should become a little bit more interesting now as we leave the desert of the lowlands behind and instead head westwards into the mountains towards the band pass after which our trainers name the Bolan mail

And the Bolan pass is interesting because it’s been used for Millennia by invading armies and Traders in fact Alexander the Great the greatest general of all he passed through the ban on his way towards IND India when he conquered this part of the world so there’s a lot

Of history here a lot of lot of history here in Pakistan especially on the Boland ma well just like Alexander the Great we are heading into the band pass woohoooo all of these tunnels in passing through were built by the British built by men who came here from

The British Empire wow look at this be of it well it’s incredible to think just how many macedonians and Greeks died trying to conquer these Hills here the band M and after that how many men from England from Scotland from Wales sail here to the wild belucci tribes TR to conquer

The past what incredible part of the world well as we stopped for a minute just to let the engine cool down from climbing up towards the ban we’ve been so privileged to see this the history of the region before nightfall I mean been so lucky the train is many hours late I

Thought we were going to miss it but we just caught it at the very end of the day the historical ban pass it’s a place I’ve on to the Sea since childhood and um to finally see it here in Pakistan on this the B land mail has been incredible

And uh yeah let’s go onwards to qua yes B up cello qua W we’ve arrived in qua okay bye-bye sir thank you bye-bye Alum wow we’ve made it sequest it’s chilly but the journey is over thank god oh hello how are you welcome to qua hey

It’s good to be in qua are you from qua yes I am from qu do you speak baluchi uh I speak PTO and bra and braig got I haven’t learned that one yet oh you got the hardest handshake in the world absolutely I’m from England I’m from

England good to be in qua nice to meet you hello kids hello how are you okay I’m fine good right then right then the journey on the Bolan mail thank God is over over it was a long run 24 hours exactly but now we’re in Qua which way am I going this way this way through here am I allowed out it’s not easy escaping the hotel in the morning let’s just say there’s a few security we’re out onto the main streets of qua cigarette sir I just caught the security guard with some um hash in his cigarette

Packet anyway good morning from qua in baluchistan a place which is currently under attack need to be a little bit careful and I’m not I’m not joking just yesterday in the center of the city there was a terrorist bombing few miles down the road few people were injured at the hospital and

Further down the road towards the Border there was an attack by Iran they bombed Pakistan just yesterday typical luck I turn up when Pakistan and Iran are on the verge of War anyway let’s take a walk downtown with my two friends you may recognize them from previous

Video Ben and Simon they’ll protect me ready y do body guard come on where are we going we’re walking through the dodgy streets of qua hello B how are you three people on One motorcycle it’s illegal where are the police look at this man don’t K friendly people of qua GOI qua sir

Good people where are you going hello hello I don’t know I’m okay sit down sit down okay hey boys I’ll see you later you invite me to sit down okay let’s go you’re Christian I’m Christian too hello okay come on there my Christian friend I’m hanging out with my Christian

Friends chrisan family this my friend let’s go to church or something wow hello everybody wow we’re meeting new friends on the road yes wow we’re all here I am a student you’re a student yes okay okay okay nice I’m good office here we go thank you for the

Invitation hello where are you going yeah hello no no no three words up here we have the Monument of the Great Earthquake of the 31st of May 1935 wow before that earthquake this town was known known as little Paris believe it or not that’s true story then the

Earthquake destroyed the city in 1935 hello yes I’m feeling good you’re following me on your bicycle yes sir okay how are you hey I’m good how are you fine yeah I’m fine you fine where you from England where are you from I’m from here you’re from qua nice to meet you it’s a

Nice city ha Comm ha community go Hazara Community interesting yeah let’s meet the Hazara H you hey how are you whoa almost died hello guys we’re going through Haz Community we’re on our way who we’re coming to look at this community bro careful hello up England where are you from

Sit down this election office election office election office yes okay Are there specific problems for the huzar community in Pakistan or you have equal rights uh in the recent year there were there was a lot of problem was there but from from that time Abdul khik kazara became our

Minister y uh everything become normal everything became better for our for our for your community I’m now officially a member of the kazari democratic party itari Democratic party zindabad zind proud supporter proud supporter okay thank you we’re passing through a checkpoint that separates the communities of the hazari people from everyone else is

Wow check it shows you just how divided Pakistan is in some ways whoa that they have to have barriers separating the different communities to stop them breaking out into interracial conflict inter ethnic conflict oh yeah back at the Serena oh perfect thank you w upor thank you

For the tour very interesting 11 11 I will call you okay from reception thank you byebye okay thank you and that was our short tour of Qua we survived just about good morning from the capital of baluchistan once again there myself and Benjamin begin the next stage of our

Journey North to cfir Stan let’s do itum byebye hey guys I’m going to Z Z with you okay let’s go Benjamin we’ve got it left come brother where we going come here come here bus station you want to we want to go to bus station all your security Arrangement

Toob qu toob qu to all your security okay our responsibility no no here is security problem what is the problem terrorism Taliban Taliban Taliban Taliban and Irani and Irani as well so it’s very dangerous because I border uh Afghanistan border to Pakistan Pakistan and so Taliban come to Pakistan and make problems in

Pakistan brother Pakistan nuclear country Pakistan very powerful Iran no nuclear country no Iran no Iran Afghanistan no no India what the hell is going on um we just want to go to the Z myself this scarier than when we were in Afghanistan this is hectic traveling around with men

Machine guns pointing them at us they’re a little bit suspicious about why we want to go to job which is some random little village in the mountain they say no foreigners have ever been there before why do you want to go so um yeah we’ll see if we can get permission

From the big boss if we get permission we have to have a military escort because of all the terrorist attacks that have taken place jello jello oh big police escort I’m okay how are you is your safety on Jes then you get then this feels like

We’re traveling in a real war zone and that’s because it is a war zone the sense although beluchistan is part of Pakistan it was never really tamed it wasn’t tamed by the British it wasn’t tamed by the Greeks and it still hasn’t really been tamed fully by the Pakistani army hence on security

You play guitar on AK-47 AK yes and you speak English you are you are educated man yes I’m I’m very pleased to meet you what is your name Ali Ali pleased to meet you and your good name Benjamin Benjamin same Benjamin Benjamin also two Benjamins two Benjamin two Benjamins small charts we’re going

Okay so how do we go to zob I must now ask permission first you uh take permission from home Department okay if they allowed you from zob we will give you if they not allow from then where do we go if they say no where do we and

Tell from home Department but if they say no how do we go to Peshawar if they say no you will go from so all the way back to Punjab yes there is another route and this is because of terrorism against tourists hey it’s very dangerous for tourist here then this is worse than

Afghanistan let’s go brother thank you it seems that myself and Benjamin probably aren’t going to zob in the mountains on the way to pesava because it’s too dangerous for foreigners there were three attacks last month oh this way no this way it’s not easy traveling in Pakistan in this

Region that skirts the Afghan border there’s a lot of terrorism here sit where you want Ben do you want to sit there or here with me okay I’m sitting with you because we’re going to play guitar oh it’s okay oh sorry sorry it’s okay now it’s okay right then let’s

Play some music let’s have a cigarette refused permission to go to je instead we’re being sent back to sin Province oh wow like a movie star like Bollywood star wow Sean SE we are going to the bus station finally to get out of this town with our favorite guards in Pakistan the friendliest gods and best singer best funniest guy in Pakistan for sure bab it was a real pleasure to meet

You B thank you you are the best soldier in Pakistan and you will see on YouTube your face okay thank you Ali good luck stay safe stay safe thank you B up okay I have it I have it I have it thank you shukria I have it I have it I

Have it don’t worry sta bazigar oh where are we going now new one hello guys okay I’m coming in oh my God so this is our third different escort just to get to the bus station because each escort commands a different sector so to cross to another sector you

Have to go in another escort B so this is our third one of the day okay you that up we’ve made I fell down a hole but we’ve made it what a nightmare where are we going Benjamin we going toak Team B okay where am I going which

Town I don’t know no one tells me anything s Sak many hours many hours to secure the town I don’t even want to go to why the hell of the me sending me there then this is our bus for 7 hours we’re finally free oh these are all the people

Traveling with us we don’t even know where we’re being sent to some town called ishkur or something where are we going Suka Suka we going to the town of sued somewhere in sin Province kicked out of beluch Stan thank you B oh my God what is this

Place oh nasty are you ready Benjamin let’s do it let’s do it 9 hours the hell Journey Begins well looks like it’s back over the band pass we go as we head to some Town God knows where back in the lowlands and then from there we’ll see

How we continue northwards once again to um to north of Pakistan been quite the day having fun back time of my life I tell you what though if you want tourists to come to Pakistan sort it out sort it out yeah it’s ridiculous saying come to Pakistan

We’re open for tourism and then when you come here you get like basically put under armed guard and told what bus to get to and you can’t go there and you can’t do that anyway that’s um the fun of travel in this part of the world well we are back where it all

Started just a few days ago the truth is I’ve been told by the military here that there’s no way at the present time that any Foreigner will be able to complete a trip along the Afghan border towards kafiristan and the kalash people that’s a pissy because I think we

Would have had a great adventure here in Pakistan but never mind Benjamin have you had fun in Pakistan you’re having a laugh Ain you get me out of here get him out of here D yeah the trip didn’t quite turn out as we planned but um just like Alexander the Great who sailed

Home from this very Coast the matran coast I’m also going to leave from here and head back to Europe guys short but sweet see you next time some other place some other time K the from Pakistan the land of the pure come on then Benjamin oh picture picture

Always a picture if you want come on then selfie brother than Zer you’re welcome bye-bye