Muhammad Talha resides in Melbourne and is passionate about travelling both locally and internationally, but in his experience, not many Aussies visit his birth-country Pakistan.
“I have been living in Australia since 2011. I have met many people who have been to countries close to Pakistan but did not visit Pakistan,” says Muhammad Talha.
“The Australians don’t visit Pakistan for holidays or for any other reason.
“So I decided to promote the beautiful places of Pakistan and let people know that there is a great option for holidays in Asia apart from the usual tourist spots.
I want to change the perception of Pakistan in Australia as a beautiful country with lovely and hospitable people.
“The purpose of this trip is to promote peace and harmony in the countries during the travel especially across Australia and Pakistan.”
Talha and Asif plan to travel across seven countries; map of possible trip. Source: Getty Images/Cartarium
Talha and his friend Asif will travel across seven countries from Australia to Pakistan including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, and China.
“I will be driving a car while Asif will travel via motorbike. We will start our road trip from Melbourne to Perth. From Perth, we will be shipping to Singapore. From Singapore, we will travel to Malaysia, and then passing across a few more countries we will enter Pakistan via Shahrah-e- Karakoram.”
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Challenges during the trip
Travelling several countries might be a great experience but it comes with its own challenges, according to Talha.
The duo has already made plans to have packed food, funds for fuel and lodging, and have applied for visas of the countries that require permission to enter.
“As we are Australian citizens most of the visas will be on-arrival. We will be applying for visas shortly to avoid any issue.
“Regarding food, we will be taking as much food as possible. Our preference is definitely traditional food so we will pack that. We are also trying to learn about Pakistani restaurants and communities in the countries we will be travelling so we can access local areas there.
“I believe even in Thailand, there shouldn’t be a problem. Laos and China might be problematic to find local food. That’s why we are taking packed food with us.
“Once we enter Pakistan it will be a different story altogether.”
Timeline of the trip
Both the travellers expect the adventure to last for about a month and a half depending on the weather.
“Most of our travelling in one country is in China, which is about 7,000 kilometres. There are some possible restrictions on bringing one’s automobile so we are looking into that too.
“Our start is also pretty long within Australia. It will take about 5 – 6 days to travel from Melbourne to Perth by road.
According to the SmartTraveller website (as of 30 September 2019), travellers must reconsider their visit to Pakistan and avoid the border areas with India and Afghanistan.
Pakistan Travel Advice Source: Smartraveller.gov.au
“ to Pakistan due to the volatile security situation and high threat of terrorist attack, kidnapping and sectarian violence.
“There is continuing tension between Pakistan and India following air force incidents over border areas of the disputed region of Kashmir in February 2019 and the announcement by the Government of India on 5 August 2019 of constitutional changes that will affect the internal political status of Kashmir. The situation in and around Kashmir is very volatile and could deteriorate without warning.” The states.
