blog gilgit

8/14/2019 Blog Gilgit

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NorthonTwoWheels

Area:

Northern Pakistan Islamabad, Peshawar, Kohat, Dir, Kelash, Chitral, Garam

Chashma,Teru,Shandur,Yaseen,Gilgit,Hunza

TravelMonth:

July1992

Country:

Pakistan

TotalDays:

13days

Attractions:

Mountains, Biking, Camping, High Altitude Driving on a 100cc motor bike,

Trekking/Hiking

TotalDistanceCovered:

3000Kilometersincluding500kilometersjeepabletrack

Travelogue:

DAY1


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Thistripwasalongawaitedoneandasachildhooddreamcometrue.I'vedriven

intothewildandfarawayplaceswithlargerandsmallergroupsbutalwayshave

enjoyedmoreontripswhenthegroupwassmallerorIwasbymyself.Thiswas

itwithonlyonefriendwithme,weventuredoutonalonghauljourneyintothe

mountains of upper Northern Areas of Pakistan. Myself and Shaukat my old

testedfriend.Ihavealotofrespectforthisguyforhispatience,teamworkandbravery.Usuallyforourtripsweleaveintheeveningsandstayatoneofourold

friendsWaseeminGujratjusttwohoursdrivefromLahore.Waseemishappily

livingwithhisfamilyinMiltonKeynesUKthesedays.Soforthistripwestarted

offinthesamemanner.

Beforesettingoff itwillnotbejustifiedifI'llnotmentionthepreparations for

thetrip.ForourridewepreparedShaukat'sYamaha100ccmotorbikeforthis

tripandcollectedasmanytoolsandsparesaswecouldfitonitincludingusand

ouronebag.Ourkitwithspareswasabout25kgandourbagcarryingacoupleofTsandoneextratrouser,a jacketandaraincoat foreachoneofus.Thebag

wasseparatedfromthemiddleandwebothusedourowncompartmentstoput

our stuff. As an agreementwe never kept any dirty clothing including socks,

underwearetc.inthebagatanytime.Andasarulewealwayswashedourdirty

stuffbeforesleepingeachnight.Mapsanddistanceswerecalculatedtomakeour

milestones, but wewanted to keep our trip fexible enough to accomdate any

runtimechangesintotrip.Theopinionofotherswasthatthisisacrazytripand

oneshouldntattemptitjustononebike.

IntheplainswetookturnsfordrivingbutinthemountainsalwaysIdroveasin

allothertripswehadandShaukatsatbehindme.Thissetupworkedforyears

andwedidsomeamazingtripstogetherincludinghiking,biking,offroadingand

whatnot.EachtripisimprintedinmymemoryandthatisthereasonI'mableto

pullthedetailsouttowritethisblogtosharetheexperiencesthatwehad,so

thatotherpeoplewillbeencouragedtodosuchtrips..

Wesetoffintheeveningdespitebadweatherandweremetbyourfirstshowers

justafter30minutesintothedrive.Itwassummersoweenjoyedtherainandforgottheriskofdrivinginslipperyconditions.Wekeptgoingcrossingthrough

Mureedkay,Kamonkee,AimanAbad,Gujranwala,WazirAbadandfinallyreached

Gujrat aftertwoandahalfhoursofdriving.Thiswasour firststop.Waseem's

motherasusualhadcookedsomegreatfoodforusandweateitlikeanything.

Thisisfromwherewehadsetoffformanyofourprevioustripsandweleftfor

thenextlegat5amnextmorning.

DAY2

ItisanicedrivethroughPothoharandyougothroughmanysmallandmediumsizedtownsbeforereachingthecapitalofPakistanIslamabad.Herewehada


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short stop over at one of my friends Anwar and then continued our journey

towardsPeshawarthecapitaloftheNWFP.PeshawarisaculturalhubofNWFP

and a very historical city. It is discussed in memoirs of famous emperors

including Mughal Empire founder Naseer Uddin Baber. Due to its strategical

locationitcarriesimportantvaluefrommilitarystandpoint.Itisattheedgeof

famous Khyber Pass the main route into Afghanistan and Central Asia. Mainpopulation in this city is Pukhtoon and are known for their hospitality and

enmity at the same time. These people have been living independent for

centuries and there aremany areas in NWFP not governed by police or civil

governmentratherbythetribesofthearea.Theyhave theirownJirga(court)

systemtoresolveissues.

Peshawaris intheproximityofsuchareaswherethereisonlypoliticalagents

assignedby theFederalGovt.of Pakistan. Youcould findall sortsof smuggled

goodsinthiscityfrompinstoRussianA/Cs,from.22gunstoRocketLaunchers.DerraAdam Khel is the closestmarket where they sell Arms of all sorts and

coulddelivertoyourhomeanywhereinPakistanbypayingsomeextramoney.

Verytrickyplaceandonehastoknowwhathe/sheisgettinginto.

Myunclewhowasanaircraftengineerhadapostingheresoweplannedtostay

withhim.Thiswasourfirstexcursionstop.WereachedPeshawarairportsafe

and soundto findouruncle.He droveustohis apartment for somerest.And

thenwestartedexploringthecityincludingKissaKhawaniBazarandsomeother

oldbazars.IalwayseatboiledcornwhenIvisitPeshawarsowedideatthatthistimeaswell.Thenweboughtdinnerincludingfamouschappalkababsandcame

backtocallitaday.

Ittakesabout3hoursfromGujrattoIslamabadandfromIslamabadtoPeshawar

itanother2.5hours.I'mmentioningthedistanceinhourstermasthekilometers

cannotbetranslatedproperlyintotimeduetotheconditionsoftheroads,traffic

etc..Thereforewithbreaksonthewayittookusabout78hoursfromGujratto

Peshawar.

Shaukatrevealedthathedidn'tknowhowtowashclothssoIhadtotakeonthis

taskandIdidithappilywhileprovidingtrainingtohim.HonestlyIlearnedthe

tradewhile teaching it. And from next day he was amaster in this trade. He

wouldwash cloths on the stream and I'll rinse thembefore hanging them for

drying.Thenightapproachedandtheseconddaypassedwithoutanyincident

andwestillgottosleepincomfortableandluxurousbeds.

DAY3


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Kohat is an important garrison town with several important military

installations.Itisalsopopularbecauseanyonewhoplanstojointhearmyhasto

gofora4daysteststhatincludesphysicalaswellastheoretical,thereforethis

townhasasignificantvaluefortheyoungstersaswellastheArmy.Afewyears

agoIvisitedthistownforsimilarreasonsandcannotforgetthatjourneyandI

may cover it inanother topic. For reachingKohatone has togothroughDeraAdamKhelArmsMarketsituatedintheAzadIlaka(territorynotgovernedby

the government rather a political agent represents the federal government in

thisarea).

TheroadfromPeshawargoesthroughdifferentfarmhousesettingintothedry

mountainsandthendroppingintothevalleytoreachKohat.Thedriveisnicebut

creepy due to the road going throughAzad Ilace.My father has been amajor

sourceofencouragmentforallmytripandhasseenalmostallpartsofPakistan

andalwaysprovidedgreathelpforustoplanthetrips.Healwayscautioneduswhilecrossingsuchareasandadvisednottostaylongerthere.

WehadafewstopsforsightseeingandfinallymadeittoKohatinacoupleof

hours.OneofmyschoolfriendswhoworksforPakistanArmywasstationedin

Kohatatthetimeofthevisit,sowegotanotherfreenightinnicebeds.Wewere

servedwithniceChickenKarhahiandDaalwithfreshlybakedrotiintheroom

becausewecouldnotdressourselvesaccordingtotheArmyprotocolstoqualify

forsittingintheOfficersMessfordiner.Whattheheck!wewereonacamping

tripwithtwojeansandtwoTs.Soforusthegoodfoodwasenoughluxury.WedroveinthecityandstoppedforMaghribprayeratasmallmosque.Itwasavery

hotday.TheMasjidwaswashedupwithcoldwaterforthepeopletocomeand

pray. This experience was amazing after such a long a hectic drive. It was

extremelypeaceful.

Wehadachatsessionwithourfriendlateintothenightbeforecallingitaday.

WehadalottocatchupbecauseImethimafterafewyearsandhadhardlygot

intouchwithhimduetohisfrequentmovementsintheArmyduringthatperiod.

He really looked after us that night. But we didn't sleep before washing ourclothsforthatday:(

So farwhoever got to know that we are traveling to upper Chitral andGilgit

Valleys were shocked with this news because they had never seen any one

attemptingitononebikeandthecombinationofcampingandbikingwasvery

uniqueforthem.Evenasoftodaythereareaveryfewpeoplewhomayattempt

the same combination. Wewere discouragedbymany by telling scary things

aboutthejourneyandthedangerswemightface.Butweweredeterminedto

completeit.


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Therealadventurestartedfromthenextday.

DAY4

We got up at 4am and were already packing our bike to start the first real

excitingpartofthejourneyinwhichwehadtocrossthefamousLowariPassat

10500ftabovesealevel.OurnextstopwasKalash(Kafiristan).Formakingitto

the destination we had to traverse back to Peshawar and by pass it towards

Islamabad before turning towards Mardan. From here one has to climb

mountainstowardsSwatValleyandturnlefttowardsDiratChekderra.Roadis

notbadbeforeDirbutitisasinglelaneroadslowlygainingaltitude,fromDirit

suddenlywindsuptoreachWindyLowariPass.Therehasbeenatunnelunder

constructionforthelastmanyyearsbutwasnotcompletedatthetimeoftravel.

ThisPass closes during thewinter seasonmaking thisareaonlyaccessibleby

Air. There is a small Airport at Chitral but flights could only land weather

permitting.Oncewe had to turn back fromChitral due toweather conditions

deteriorated at the last minute and once we made it in the sunny weather.

JourneyfromPeshawartoChitraltakesabout14hoursagaindependingonthe

weatherandroadconditions.Ifweatherisbadortherearelandslidesonthe

waythenaddseveralmorehours.LowariPassisabottleneckastherearealot

landslidesoneithersideofitandrainandsnowalsoplayveryimportantrolein

closingit.Onecouldbestrandedfordaysduetosuchhazards,butthatisallpart

ofthepackagewhenyouvisitsucharea.

ItwouldbealongdayforusandassoonaswewereenteringintoPeshawarwe

gottoknowthatmostoftheroadswereclosedduetosomeprotestsinthecity

and Police was not allowing anyone to enter those roads. We had to take

directionsfromlocalstobypassthisproblem,thankstoourtwowheelerwhich

could go in smaller streets and even cross fields on small mud lanes means

viturallyitcouldgoanywhere.Haditbeenacaritwouldhavebeenimpossibleto

continuethejourneythatday.Butthesenegotiationsaddedtothetimewewere

suppose tospendasper the plan.Anyhow the travel continuedandwe safely

crossedsometrickyareas(AzadIlaca)ofNWFP.WerealizedthatitwasnotonlyPeshawar where rallieswere taking place rather all over the province as we

were faced by similar problems on theway and had tonegotiate with either

authoritiesorlocalstoletuspassthroughthecityoratowncomingourwayat

ourownrisk.Wewereverylatetomakeittoourdestinationthatday,butitwas

leastofourworriesasourprogramwasflexibleenoughtoaddanothernightto

theitinerary.Theonlyissuethatwewerefacingwasoursafetyandourbike's

safety. The protestersweredriving crazily on the roadswithout payingmuch

attention to anyone's safety. We got almost hit a few times by such nasty

characters therefore had totake frequentstopswhenwesawagroupcoming

towardsusontheroad.Atacoupleofplaceswehadtojointhemtoavoidtheir

wreath. It was a nerveracking day for us, and made us realize what couldhappenwhenmassesdecidestocomeontheroads.Howeverwhenwestopped


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at places or talked to thenatives, we found them extremely helpful and they

looked upon us with praise. They appreciated the fact that some Pakistani

youngsters attempting such a trip in their areas. Usually what they see are

foreignersdoingallsortofhiking,camping,trekking,bikingandwhatnotupin

the northern areas but hardly see people from the plains of Pakistan doing

somethingdifferent.

WemadetoDirwithoutanymajorincidentdespiteafewnearmisshitattempts.

Protests timewas over aswe were approaching late afternoon, therefore we

decidedtocontinueourjourneyandatleastcrosstheLowariTop.Theroadwas

verysteepgoing towardsLowariandalmostdirtroad.Our100ccbikehadto

putinsomeeffortstokeepgoing.LowariTopisalwaysverywindyduetoits

locationandposition,itattachesChitraltotherestofthecountry.Asexpectedit

wasverywindy,thegustsweretryingtotakeusawaywiththem.Wehadashort

stop for photography and meanwhile it started raining. This trek becomesterriblydangerous inor afterrainbecauseof thedirtbecomingmudandvery

slippery.Thesteepnessmakesitevenworst.Itisnotrecommendedtodrivein

such conditions at all. Butwe had no choice as we didn't have the liberty of

stayingunderroofandhadtocontinueandcomedownfromthetopasitwas

becomingextremelycoldintheeveninganditwasgettingdarkaswell.Wehad

alreadyputonourraincoatsandwestartedourdescendintotheChitralValley

carefully. The viewswere spectacular and the drivewas extremely tricky on

muddyroadatanangle.Ittookusawhiletoreachdownbutwemadeitsafely

andtherainstoppedassoonaswestoppedforabreak.Itwasalreadydarkand

daunting.Wedecidedatthispointthatwewontbeabletopitchourtentindark

andweshouldstayatanydriverhotelthatcomesfirstinourwayaswedidn't

wanttodrivefurtherindark.Itisnotevenadvisabletodrivemotorbikeonsuch

roadsatnighttimebecauseevenatdaytimeonehastobevigilantandextremely

carefuldrivinginsuchterrain.

Thereforewecontinuedforsomemoretimeandaftersometimewefoundone

roadsiderestaurantandwestoppedtoeatourfirstmealoftheday.Wedidnot

eatwholedayaswerebusynegotiatingwithroadandthehazardsitposedtous.

Weatesomegravywithbread/rotibecausewecouldnotbreakthemeatcooked

initthathadbecomehardelastic.Wewereveryhungrysoitdidnotbotherusmuch.Afterthedinnerweaskedtheowneriftherewasanyplacetospendthe

night or if we could rent two Charpaees (local form of beds) from him. He

showedusthesameplacewherewejustateandtoldusonceallthecustomers

aregoneyoucouldsleepthereprovidedwe'llhavebreakfastfromhisrestaurant

before leaving tomorrow morning. Not a bad deal we thought and agreed

happily. Itwas anAfghani restaurant and they usually have platformkind of

sittingareawithrugson them.Hisideasoundedinterestingandwethought it

wouldbecomparativelywarmerareaaswellduetothekitcheninonecorner.As

wehadalreadymadeupourmindswehadalittlewalktodiscussournextday

plan.


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It was quite late when the last customer left our bedroom, obviously it was

smelly,dirtyandwhatnot.Welaidoursleepingbagsandcleanedtheplaceas

muchaswecouldbeforecallingitadayandquiteahecticone.Westartedat

4:30amandfinishedatabout7:00pmmakingitaalmosta15hoursrunonthe

bike,whichwasquiteabit.Wewerealreadyadjustingtodrivinglongerrunson

thebikeandthepaininourbuttockswillgoawayinanotherdayorsobecausewe'll getusedtoit. The terrainanddrivebecomesdifficult anddifficult inthe

daysaheadduetotheroughandtoughterrain,lackofroadandservicesetc.We

wereallsettofaceallsortsofchallengescomingourway.Thiswasonlybecause

myselfandShaukathaddonesuchtripsbeforeandwemakeanexcellentteamto

tackleanysituation.

Imusthightlightafewthingsaboutoursmallteambeforegoingtothenextday.

Weareexceptionallyeasygoingintermsofoureatinghabbitsandintermsof

not having any facilities of any kind. We do not complain and adapt to anycircumstancesveryeasily.Wetrusteachotheraswetrustourselves.Wedonot

get stressedout.Wehavestamina tohandledifficult taskwithendurance.We

mixupwiththelocalpublicwhereeverwegoeasilyandareacceptedamongst

them.Andthesequalitiesmakeusanunmatchableteam.

DAY5

Whereweweresleepingwasapublicplaceinadrivershotelthereforehadto

wakeupevenearlierthanwethought.Itwasdark,coldandwindyoutside.The

morningwasawesomewithveryfreshairtobreathanddifferentfeelingwhich

thecityfolkscannotimagine.BreakfastwasservedcontainingParatha,Teaand

lastnightsgraveandthiswasourpaymentforstayingthenightintheshelteras

well.Weleftaswefinishedaftersayinggoodbyetothelocalpeople.Wewere

metbyabadnewssoonwhenwereachedtheturningtowardstheKelashValley

whereweintendedtostayfor3nights.Weweretoldthatduetotheflashfloods

allthetrackshavebeenvanishedandtheareaisnotaccessiblebyanytransport

ratherbyfootonly.

TherearethreemainvillagesinthisareaBamboreet,RamborandBareer.The

inhabitantsstilllivethewaytheyusedtolivehundredsofyearsago.Theywear

differenttypeofdressesandtheyhavepreservedtheirculturebystickingtoit.

ThesepeopleareconsideredtobethedescendantsofAlexanderTheGreat.They

are extremely hospitable innature and respect the visitors and expect it vice

verse. The travelers usually donot respect their privacy and try topeek into

theirlives.Ifaskedtheyletyouvisittheirhomesandallowyoutoseetheirday

todayactivitiesbutpeoplealways forget toask.This is introducingchange in

behaviors.Thesepeopledanceinaverydifferentmanner and people fromall

overtheworldcometoseethisareaduetoitsuniquesettingandculture.These

mountainstouchAfghanistanattheback.Astheterrainismuchdifficultsono


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one armycouldman the borders therefore givingway topeople crossing into

Pakistaneasilyinsearchoffoodandemployment.

Bamboreet is the largest of these small Kafir settlements. It is situated in a

beautiful greenvalley at the edgeofa riverofwhitewater. Itoffers stunning

viewsofskyrocketingpeaksallaround.Thelushgreeneryisjustanadditionto

add somenicecolors into the sceneries offered.Anyhow I thought tomention

someinformationaboutKafiristan.Ihadvisitedthisareaindetailsacoupleof

yearsagowhilecampinginthearea.

WecarriedontowardsChitralwithveryheavyheartbymissingthisopportunity

of visiting one of ourmajor stops in the journey. Chitral was not far so we

reachedthereaftersometime.Chitralisthemajortowninthiswholeareaand

therearedifferenttracksgoingtowardsdifferentdirectionsjoiningthisareato

the rest of the valleys in Northern Pakistan. There are three major routes

including the one we came from going towards Swat Valley and eventually

reaching the GT road toeither go towards Islamabad orPeshawar. The other

route disappears in themountainsgoingnorthwestenteringintoAfghanistan

passingthroughapicturesquevillageofGaramChashma.Thethirdroutecarries

equalimportancegoingtowardtheShandurTopandthensnakingintotheGilgit

valley.We were coming from one route and planned to cover the other two

routesindetaininthistrip.IhadnotdonethethirdlegtowardsGilgitbefore

thereforethatwasthemostexcitingoneforme.

ChitralvalleyoffersexcellentviewsofthehighestmountainofHindukushRange.

Pakistanisveryrichinmountainsandisgiftedwith3ofthetoptenmountainsin

theworld.Ithasthebiggestconcentrationofpeaksrising8000metersabovesea

level.TherearethreemajormountainrangesinPakistan.i)TheKarakoramii)

TheHindukushandii)TheHimalayas.ChitralissituatedintheHindukushand

the Karakorams join Hindukush in this region. Trichmir as mentioned the

highestintheHindukushisstandingtallat7708metersabovesealevel.Many

climbersattempt toreachthe top everysummer.This isabeautifulmountain

andthereareequallybeautifulanotherfew7000ersaroundTrichmir.

We roamed around in the town of Chitral. Inmy last trip to Chitralwe hada

terriblehotnightwithbugsallaroundthereforeIhadnointentionofcampingin

the town or even closer to the city. Therefore we planned to go to Garam

Chashmainstead.wheretherewouldbecoolertemprature.

Chitralisveryfamousforitshandycraftsespeciallyrugsmadefromthesheep

wool.TheotherfamousthingaboutthisplaceisPolo,itishomeofPoloandveryfamoustournamentstakeplacehereinChitralandatShandurPass.Chitralhas


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been invaders routeand have been invaded byvery famous people including

Alexander The GreatandMongol Changez Khan.This is the reason, it carries

greathistoricvalueandstrategicposition.Thishasbeenamajoraidroutefor

AfghansduringtheSovietAfghanwarinthe80s.

WellafterexploringChitralenoughwemovedtowardsGaramChashma.From

here onwards all roads are dirt roads so when I write road it should be

understoodasadirtroad.Dirtroadsinthisareaareusuallyjeepabletracksand

notmeantforcarsormotorbikesastherearerocksandbouldersinabundance.

ThetracktoGaramChashmagoesthroughterracedfieldsandfragrantorchards.

Itisascenicroute.YoustartwithTrichmirlookingrightinyourfaceandkeep

changingposturesforsometime.

Garma Chashma is Tehseel headquarter of Chitral and it gained even more

significanceduringAfghanwar.Therewasarefugeecampsituatedhereandstill

thereisabazar(market)sellingRussiannew and used stuff including soldier

belts,knivesarmywaterbottles,jacketsetc.Thecampwasnomorethereatthe

timeoftravelbutitsaftereffectswere.

TherearetwostreamsthatyoucrosswhilegoingtoGaramShashma.Therewas

nobridgeonthedirttrackthereforethejeepsgothroughthewater.Itseasierfor

ajeeptogothroughitascomparedtoontwotires.Firstonewasnotthattough

butthesecondonewasveryfastflowingwaterofabout2.5feetinthemiddleofstreamwithveryunevenbottomfullofrocks.Wecrosseditafterhadcarefully

examinedtheplaceanddecidedaspottocross.Onepersonhadtowalkacross

eachtimewecrossedastream.Restofthetrackwasjustsimpledirttrack.

WearrivedatGarmaChashmatowardstheevening.It isrightattheedgeofa

riverandyoucouldhearthefastwaterflowingthroughrockybed24hours.This

townhasitsownproductionofelectricityowingtothefastandabundantwater.

Ifhikedupabityouwouldreachahotspring.Thetrackcontinuedthrougha

verysmallbazartowardsAfghanistanwhichisnotfarfromhere.Welookedforaplaceforustocampbutmostplaceswereeitherunevenorrockythereforewe

requestedone governmentbuildingofficial toletusput our tent intheir lawn

whichhehappilyaccepted.Itwasaresthousetypebuildingwithagardenonthe

sideandaperfectspotforputtingourcamp.Wehadborrowedthistentfrom

oneofourfriendanditwasfairlybigfortwopeopleandbecauseofthatwehad

afewshiveringnightsinthetrip.Tentwasupandwewerereadyforsomehike.

Wecametothehotspringandtookbathfirstfollowedbyoureverydayactivity

ofwashingcloths.Thewaterwasreallyhotandwasnotaneasytasktotakebath

init,wemanagedsomehow.


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We hadanice hike thereandcame back to the tent to putwet cloths on the

strings. Nightwas falling very fast and it was getting cold everyminute. The

wholevillagetourwasfinishedbeforeitgottodark.WevisitedtheRussianstuff

shops and picked up some souvenirs before we had diner at one Afghani

restaurant.Hadchatwithsomelocalsandthenheadedbacktoourcamp.Itwas

ashorterdrivetodayascomparedtothedaybefore.Thereforewegotsometimeto relaxandenjoy thenightunder thestarsbutavery chilly one. In this trip

everynightwesleptassoonaswedecidedtocrashbecauseofthehecticdrive

onbumpyanddirttrack.Fifthdaygoneandwelovedeverymomentofourtrip.

DAY6

Wegotupinthemorningandhadalatestartforthefirstdayexpectingthenext

destinationwillbeeasilyaccessible.Whilewewerepackingagroupof5boys

fromLahorecamethereandhadachatwithus.Theystartedofwith10peopleinavanbutatLowariToptheyhadsplitintotwogroupsduetosomeconflictand

wentaheadwiththeirownplans.Theypraisedandaskedhowcouldwegofor

such long trips and on a bike and doing camping. Basically they were asking

about any conflicts or clash of opinions between the two partners. I only

answeredthemononesentence"Makeajourneywithapartnerwhocanwash

you underwear if need be" and off course the true test of relationship and

friendship iswhenyoutravel and stay together. Pointwas takenandwesaid

goodbyetoeachotheraswehadalongwayahead.

Todaywehadplannedtoreach theclosestvillagetoShandurPassstandingat

12500ftabovesealevelandtocrossShandurthedayafter.Wecamebackto

ChitralasthatistheonlywaytoShandur.AtChitralthetrackcrossestheChitral

rivertogotowardsShandurPass.OnthemapournextnightwouldbeatMastuj

or Laspur the last settlements before Shandur Pass. We crossed a few tiny

housesandasmallrestaurantwherewehadaquickbiteunder the trees.The

trackgoesupanddowninthemountains.Therehadbeenblastingdonetomake

theroadwiderandmoreaccessibleforthefamousPolotournamentatShandur

Top.Thetournamentisgettinggreatattentionfromallaroundandisbecominga

favoritetowatchfor theeliteofPakistan.Theymightnothavecomeacrossto

seePolointheirwholelives.Itwasalongandtoughtracksnakingupslowlyinthemountains.Byafternoonwereachedaspotwherewethought,thatwasit.It

wasastreamofredwatercomingdownsofastthatitseemedimpossibleforus

tocrossonthebike.Thereweremanystreams/Nalasthatcrossthetrackand

therewerenobridgeson them.Mostof themseewaterduringtherainhours,

howeverthereweresomewhichhadcontinuousflowofwater.

Whenitrainsinthemountainsitbringsthecolorandrocksofthatparticular

mountains down at such incredible speed and that makes it a flash flood.

Crossing streams becomes impossible at those times and the wait time couldvarydependinguponhowmuchrainthemountainisgoingtoreceive.Wewere


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just stranded here, the clock was ticking as we were far from reaching any

settlement.Thewaitwastorturousbecausewewereinthemiddleofnowhere

andcouldnteventhinkofcampingatsuchplaceifneedbe.Inthemeantimea

coupleoflocalpeoplecamefromthemountainsandreluctantlysatclosertous.

Weaskedthemaboutthestreambutcouldhardlyunderstoodtheiropinion.A

jeepcame from the oppositesideand crossed the streamwith greatdifficultyandthenanothercame.Noneofthemlistenedtoustohelpuscrossingourbike

across,theywerenotreadytocrossthedangerouswater3timeswhentheyhad

madeitacrossoncequitedangerouslyandsafely.Wellwehadnooptionbutto

waitandsee.AfteranhourorsoIsuggestedShaukattoasktheselocalpeoplefor

helpusincrossingthewater,theywerenow8innumber.Weagreedandas

soonweaskedthemthatwewerereadytocrossthestreamiftheycouldhelpus

withthat.Theyhappilyaccepteditandtouchedtocheckourbike.Theluggage

wastakenoffandcarriedbyShaukatandanotherguy.Theyluckilyhadapieceof

ropethatwastiedstraightacrossandfourpeopleheldontothebikeratherheld

ontoeachotherandthebikesothatnoonewaswashedupwiththefloodedred

water.Fromthetrackthestreamwasplungingdownlikeawaterfallverydeep

intothevalley.Wewereallsettogooneaftertheotherafewpeoplecrossedthe

streamwiththehelpofeachotherandthefinalstepcametotakethebikeacross

and Iwas spearheading this effort.We moved slowly into thewater and the

waterwanted to take all of us along. The worst thingwas therewere rocks

cominginthewaterandthoseweregoodenoughtohitandinjureanyoneofus.

Andsuddenlyithappened...arockhitmyfootandmademyfeetleavetheground

andnextmomentIwasholdingontothebiketosavemylife.Therewasthisthin

moment between life and death and yet I was the one to experience it yet

anothertimeinmylife.ThismomentwashundredyearslongandIclungonto

thismomentandkepttryingtoputmyfeetdown,butthewaterwastoofastanditwasnot lettingme.Theotherthreepeoplewerehavingdifficultytobalance

thebikeand also trying toholdmeatthe sametime.Thoseendlessmoments

passedandwiththeirhelpiwasabletoputmyfeetdownandfinallymadeitto

theothersideofthestreamturnedtotallyreddueto theredsoilin thewater.

Wewereallturnedredduetothecolorofthemuddywater.Ittookusawhileto

getbacktonormalduetothewholeordeal.

Everythingwas packed back as it was 40 feet away on the other side of the

streamandstartedourjourneyafterthankingthekindheartedpeople.

Thescenerywasstunningandtheroutewasamazing.Ourbikehadbeendoing

goodsofarandwewereveryhappyaboutit.Thetrackwasgettingveryrough

byeverymileandrockytrackwasreallymakingusslow.Thiswasthetoughest

longdriveonbikethatIhaddonesofar.Weexperiencedsomebettertrackuntil

the point where blasting work finished and then the condition of the track

starteddeterioratingduetolackofmaintenance.


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Ihaddriven inall districts ofKashmirandseveralothermountainousregions

butduetothebeatentrackitwashurtingallpartsofourbodiesandmyarms

hadswollenmusclesbynow.Itwas lateafternoonand thenext intendedstop

wasfarfarawayintermsoftimeordistance.Therockswerenotlettingusdrive

morethanafewkilometersperhourandwewerealmostcrawlingonthetrack.

Acoupleofjeepspassedusandwentaheadongreatspeedcomparativelyduetofourwheelsandarmytires.Wehadnochoicebuttocontinuelikethis.

One thing we learned in several travels that patience is very important in

journeysandonehas toreallytakecareofthemeansof travel.Theridetakes

youfrompointAtopointBthereforemakingitthemostimportantpartytotake

careofinanyjourney.Sowewereinnohurry.Wepamperedourbikeattheend

ofeachdayanddidthenecessarymaintenance.

Wewerewalkingwith Shaukat carryingthe backpackandmyself pushing the

bikeinfirstgear.ThiswasourfirstbreakdownsincewestartedfromLahorea

weekback.Wehadhitarockinthereartireandalltechniquestofixthetire

wereinvain.Assoonaswehoppedontodriveitwasgoingflatagain.Sowe

decidedtowalktoavillagenamedBunnithatwas3kilometersaway.Walking

herewasnoteasyratherwasextremelytoughwithsuchaload,circumstances

andtiredpoorsouls.Wemadeourgroundveryslowlyandmadeittotheriver

crossingwheretheboardwasshowinganarrowtotherightforBunny.Wegot

flabbergastedbylookingatthesteepacrossthebridgethatleadtothevillage.No

choicebuttocontinuedraggingourselves.Wemadeittothevillageafterithadalready turned dark. The last three kilometers were covered in years. We

entered the village and a couple ofyoung boys startedwalkingwith us. They

wereverysweetandveryhelpfulandevenofferedustocarryourstuffwhichwe

turneddownpolitelybecausewhiletravelingweusuallydonottrustanyoneasa

ruleof thumb.Theytoldusthattherewasaguysintheirvillagewhocouldfix

thetirebuthehadalreadyleftforthedayandhelivedinthemountainsandnot

inthevillage.Werequestedthemifhecouldbecalledupon.Theywalkedusto

onecloseshopandaskedustoparkthebikethere.Theyconsultedafewother

guysandfinallytoldusthattheyweresendingamantocalltherequiredperson

but it was going to take awhile. We had no choice but to wait for him. We

thoughtwewouldgo eat something in themeantime so they brought usto asmalltheonlysocalledrestaurant.Theyhadnothingtoeatthereandmoreover

itwassosuffocatingintherethatwecouldn'tevenbreathproperlydueto the

place not cleaned for years, and in that small place they cooked, ate and few

peoplesleptthereeverynight.Wecameoutbeforethrowingup.

Thetaskaheadwastremendous,firstlytofixthetireandsecondlytofindaplace

tosleep.Itwasalreadyverycoldandwehadputonourjackets.Ittookanother

longhourandahalfforthatgoodmantocomeallthewayfromthemountains

forourrescue.


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Hetoldushowtofixapuncturetherebutwedecidedtouseoursparetubetofit

in andkeep the fixedone as spare to avoid any furtherproblems. It wasnot

before9:30pmwhenwegotfreefromallthis,absolutelyhungryandtired.We

desperatelywantedtofindasheltertotakesomerest.Weaskedthesameangelboystohelpusfindingaplacebecausewecouldnotfindaproperplaceforour

tentanywhereinthedark.Oneofthefellowsaskedustofollowhim.Heentered

agateandtookustoaroomwithverystrangesetup.Therewasafanoninthe

roombut theroomwasstillverywarmandoutsideitwas freezingcold.Upon

askingitwasrevealedtousthatthereislayerofhayunderthecarpettomake

theroomwarmandthatmakesitverywarmlikeaheatedroomthereforeafan

isrequiredtokeeptemperaturenormal.Thiswasthetechniqueusedtocentrally

heat their houses. They served us with tea and also provided us with Two

Charpaaees(localbed)intheveranda.Thiswasagreatfavor.Weverythankfully

acceptedtheofferandwenttosleepina verycoldnight.Wecrashedandonly

gotupearlyinthemorningtocontinueourjourney.

Isalutetothosepeoplewhohelpedusindifferentpartsofthedayyesterday.But

lastnightthatgroupofpeopletoldusthatourbikeisnotgoingtomakeitto

Shandurasitwastootoughforthispoorlittlebike.Theywarnedusaboutitand

suggested to rent a jeep to takeour bike acrossShandur safely.Wewere too

tiredalreadytolistentothiscrap(whatIwouldcallit)becausetheyhadnoidea

whathaveweachieved on these smaller bikes inour other trips. Theydidn't

knowaboutourdeterminationandperseverance.Wewerefullyconfidentand

determinedtomakeit.Timewouldtell.

DAY7

The last settlementbefore ShandurPass is the beautifulvillageofLaspur and

fromthereitbecomesextremelysteeptoreachuptoShandurforthenext1015

kilometers. It was still early when we made it to Mastuj the last sizable

settlementonChitral'sside.WemadeittoMastujonasimilartrackasyesterday

orevenworst.Wewerehungrybecausewedidn'thaveproperfoodforthelast

fewdaysandour lastpropermealwas inKohat fromtheOfficersMess.There

wasnothingopentheresowehadto livewithourownsupplies.Oursupplies

includedsomebiscuitsandstuffthatwehadwithacupoftea.TracktoLaspur

wasnoteasyeitherandittookusalongtimetonegotiatewiththetrackwith

severalbreaksontheway.WhenwecrossedLaspurwealreadyknewthatthe

taskaheadwasdauntingand itwasnot going toget any easier.Thebikewas

cryinganddespiteallprecautionsweweretakingbreakseverymile.

Laspur isavalley full of green fields, thevalley opensup as yougofurther. Iwouldratethisvillageoneofthebestscenes.Thewholetrackwindsandlosts


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intobrownmountainsandsuddenlywewouldfacesuchgreenareasandwater

streams after a turn that we would become speechless and the beauty

unexplainable.Youcouldonlyexperienceityourself.

FromLaspurwestarted the realclimband soonafterwediscovered thatour

bikeisreallygivingup.Wehadtostopatabouteverymiletogiveresttoour

bike;wecooleditdownwithspringwateragainandagain.Weevenopenedthe

piston head and cleaned it. We had even removed the silencer buffer from

Lahorebutkeptthebackcoverontoreducethesound.Nowweremovedthe

cover as well but the bike was very uncomfortable climbing. Therefore we

decidedthatwewouldstopateachkilometer,coolitdownandthenstartagain.

Itworkedforafewkilometersbutthenwehadtochangeourstrategy.Shaukat

hikedupwhileIgotdownfromthebikeandpushedit infirstgearslippingall

over.Thiswaywecoveredsomemoredistancebutlostalotoftimeandstrength

in the process. We were very close to the Shandur Pass and that was themotivationinpushingourtiredbodies.Wehadworkedhardtoreachhereand

werenotgivingintosomephysicalchallenge.Slowandsteadywinstheraceso

wedid.

Firstthingwesawatthetopwasavastplateauemptywithouthavingasignof

anyoneevercrossedit.Theairwas thinandcoldat12500ft.Acreepy feeling

initially ran throughour spines,wehad abreaktohavea littlewelldeserved

rest.Picturesweretakenforthememoirs.WhoknewthatI'llbewritingabout

this trip ,16yearsafterthe journey.The loveandpassionfor travel,outdoorsand especially the mountains have always kept me going for one trip after

another.I'vetakenupverydifficulttasksandcompletedthemandtodayIwas

standingonShandurtop,whichwasmydreameversinceIreadaboutthisplace

inatravelarticle.Shandurwasnotjustthatwhatwewereseeing,itwasjustthe

beginning.AswestartedgoingfurtherwesawtheShandurLakerightinfrontof

our eyes and I must say the view was magnificent. A lake at such height

surroundedbymountains,I amunableto findwords toexpressmyfeelingsat

thispoint.Thelakeisbigandbeautifulandcreatessomekindoffairytalefeeling

atthisheight.Wewerethrilledatthesametimefeltthecoldthatwasgettingto

ourbonesandbodiesnotfedwell.

TherewasacheckpostbyFrontierCorpsatthetop.Wetriedtoreasonwith

themtoletusstaytherebuttheyturneditdownbysayingthatwewouldnot

survivethecoldnightinthetentandtheydidnothaveextraspacetokeepthe

two poor souls. Hence after sight seeing and photography we had to leave

towardsGilgitandwedidn'tknowhowfarwouldbethenextsettlementcauseif

weaskedthelocalsforthedistance,theyalwaystoldusafewkilometersorhalf

anhour,thoughtherealitywasalwaysdifferent.


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Thecloudsweregatheringfastandsoonafteritstartedtorain.Wewerealready

coldandnowrainwasanextrathing.Ourraincoatsoverthejacketswereblown

bystrongwind just picked up. The trackwas goingthrough fields andmushy

soil.Weweregoingatslowspeedtonegotiatewiththenaturalhazardsandwere

not inthebestofstateofmindduetotiredbodiesandhadnotseenanyother

travelerontheroutesofar.Shaukatkepttalkingtometokeepthespiritshigh.Mybodyandboneswerenotworkingincoordinationwitheachotherduetothe

exertion and cold. Hands were turned blue and raincoat was not much help

either. We were not even sure that we were following the right path. After

drivingforabout45minutesthe trackstarteddescendingandatplaces itwas

verysteeprockydescendsmakingitmoredifficultformetocontrolthebikeand

itwasjustslidingdownontherocks.Wekeptgoingwiththeupsanddownsof

terrainandhadnotraceofanyhabitation.Thescenerywasspectacularwithout

anydoubt.

Ittookusafewhourstoseesignsofavillagefaraway.Wefinallymadeitto

another smaller checkpost and got to know thatwe had reached and village

namesTeruat10500ftabovesealevel.Wealreadyknewthatanothercoldnight

wasahead.

The rainhad stoppedandourclothswerealreadydrieddue todriving. Itwas

eveningwhenwereachedthesmallgroundnexttoanoldresthouse.Therewere

4 tentsalreadypitched thereandwe couldsee someactivityaround.Evening

was approaching fast so we erected our tent in the last light of the day. Thepersonwhotookcareofthesmallbuildinglentustwoblanketsaswedidnot

have any sleeping mattresses and he knew that it wasnt possible for us to

survivethenightinminustemperature.Wedrovefor14hoursduringtheday

slowandsteadytoenjoyeverybitofitandnottoputstrainonourride.Itwas

freshandreadytotakeonanythingafterwepampereditthatnight.

Therewere threetentsbyonegroupandsurprisingly thegirlswerePakistani

and the boys from Swiss. The two girlswere sisters from Gujranwala, oneof

themwasmarriedtoaSwissandthethirdgirlwastheirfriendalsoSwiss.Therewere three boys two Swiss and one the brother of Pakistani girls. This

combination was quite uncommon. This wasmy first encounter to see some

Pakistanigirlsinvolvedinsuchactivityofcampingandoutdoors.Thentherewas

anothertentbyaDutchwhowaswalkingfromGilgitallthewaytoChitral.

Alocalofferedusfoodformoneywhichwehappilyacceptednotknowingthat

whatweweregoingtoget.Thenightfellveryquicklyanditwascompletedark.

Wewerewaitingforthatfellowtobringfoodforus.Thedutchalsojoinedusand

thehungrystomachswerealreadygrowling.Finallyhecamewithsomesortof

foodandit lookedtomegrassboiledwhichheclaimedwaslocalspinachwith


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someroti(bread).Wegatheredinourtenttofeedourselves.Icouldnotcontinue

aftermy first bite due to its awful taste even in a situationwhen I was too

hungry.Ijustatesomerotiandsomewaterandsodidmypartner,howeverthe

dutch somehow liked it and had our share as well. Anothernight thehungry

stomachsweredeprivedof proper food.Thenight, asexpectedwasveryvery

coldbutwedidn'tevenknowwhenwesleptandwokeupveryearlytoenjoythefresh air and the charismatic environment in themountains.Weenjoyed this

habitofgettingupveryearlytoenjoythemorningandleaveearlytohavemore

stopsinthedrivetocome.

Weusedtheopenairbathroomfacilitiesandfreshenedupatthestreamflowing

closeby.Itwastimetopackup,tohavepicturesandtosaygoodbyetoTeru.

NextstopwouldbeinYasinvalleyatGupis.

DAY8

By nowwe were so used to any sort of terrain and tracks that nothingwas

difficult.Wewereenjoyingourdriveandthesurroundings.ThetrackfromTeru

to Gupis was going through a lot of maintenance sowe came across people

workingontheway.Intheafternoonwesawkitchententinstalledforthelabor

workingin thearea.Wethoughtto tryour luckstobuysomefoodfromthere.

Lunchtimewasalreadyoversocouldonlyarrangealittlebitofleftovergravy

thatweatewithsomerotithatwesavedlastnight.Itwasoktogetusgoing.Itwasanotherlongdriveofabout80kminontheroughtrack.

Wewerestunnedbytheviewafterablindturnandrightinfrontofeyeswasan

amazinglake"ThePhanderLake".Theareislushgreenandtheviewspriceless.

This was the prize of the day and all our tirednesswas just vanished by the

sceneryandsurroundings.Thiswastheeasyandhappysideofthisplace,onthe

otherhandwenoticedthatthetrackwasdippingandthetrackgoesclosertothe

lakeandeventuallyitpassedthroughtheextendedwaterthathadfloodedthe

track with rugged mountain on the other side. That made the track almostimpossibletopassthroughonourbike.

Weenjoyedthisplacefirst,tooksomesnapsandthengottothedifficultparti.e.

howtocrosstheplace.Weweredoingouranalysisandacoupleofjeepspassed

through; thesewere in the 4x4 but had great difficulty to pass themud and

water.Thisgaveussomemoreknowledgeaboutthetrack.Finallyitwasdicided

thatmypartner togowalkingon the side through themountainand Iwould

drivethroughonthebike.Thetoughestpartwasonlyabout200metersandthe

restwasnotastough.Istartedoffwithafirstdipinthewater,thebikeroaredout from this ditchand then slowly Iwasmaking ground through themuddy


17/24

track.Iwasadifficultandscaryshortride.BikekeptscreaminguntilItouched

thedrypartafterafewminutes.Itwasanamazingoffroadexperienceonthis

littlebike.

WehappilycontinuedourdrivetoGupisandsafelymadeit bylaterafternoon

after12 hoursofdriving fromTeru.Thiswas averynice little village.People

wereverypoliteandtheydirectedustoaresthouse lawnforcamping.The in

chargechargedusalittleamountforthenightandallowedustopitchourtent.I

madeamistakeherethatI'llexplaininamoment.Wefoundthebestspotwith

lotsofgrassundertogiveuscushionunderoursleepingbags.Tentwaserected

andweaskedforanyplacetoeat.

Thevillagewasabout1kilometersowetrekkedtothatplace;itwasjustafter

sunsetwhenweenteredasmallteacabin/restaurant.Theownertoldusthathe

wasfromSwatandthereisahiking/trekkingtrailthatleadtoSwatfromthis

area.Thisfellowcamehere20yearsagotomeathisuncleandfellinlovewitha

local girl. Ever since he lived here and made his living through this small

restaurant.Hehad12kidsandtheyallwereleadingaveryhappylife.

Werequestedhimto arrangeeggs for usifpossible.Hewenttoa fewhouses

aroundandwasabletogetafeweggsforus.Wemadeomeletefromtheeggs

andhebakedsomerotiforus.Somedaal/lentilswasalsoservedandwehada

verynicedinneraftersomanydays.Afterthedinnerwesatwithhimoutsidethesmallroomandenjoyedthenightandhadanicecupoftea.Wereceivedsome

verygoodpieceofinformationfromhimabouttheareaandthepeople.Verylate

westartedwalkingbacktothecampandcrashedin.

During the night I felt cold and thought its the usual business that we face

everyday.SoonafterIfeltthatmyheadwaskindofwetsoImoveddownabit,as

Imentionedourtentwasquitebigfortwopeople.SomemoretimepassedIfelt

thatmyhandistouchingwatersoIaskedmypartnerifhissidewaswet?He

answeredinnegativesowemovedabittohisside.Allthiswashappeningtoverytiredpeopleandwewerenotinvestigatingwhatwasgoingon.Soweslept

againandlaterintheearlyhoursofmorningwerealizedthatweweresoakedin

wateranditwasfewinchesdeepwitallourbelongingsjustfloatinginthewater.

Itwasterriblycold.Webothjumpedoutandsawwaterallarroundinthelawns.

We took all our stuff to move it to the higher ground and tried to warm

ourselves. We were wet and cold and it was blowing in the negative

temperatures.OneoftheworstcoldI haveeverexperiencedwasthisnightby

anystandards.


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Itwasnotpossibletowarmuswithwetcloths.Thereforewetookthemoffand

changedwithwhateverwasinabetterposition.Aftermakingthesleepingbagas

dry as possible we hopped in with our heads in to warm ourselveswith our

breathing.Weweredyingduetocoldandtherewasnothingwecoulddoasthe

rest housewas lockedwith noway tosneak inwhichwe triedalready. After

tryingthistechniquewethoughttodosomeexercise,somerunningtokeeptheblood running and making ourselves warm. This technique worked to some

extentandwestartedfeelingbetter.

DAY9

It was very early and we offered our prayers. Later we investigated what

happenedlastnight.Thewatchmanforgottotellthegardeneraboutourcampin

thelawnwherehewassupposetowaterthatnight.Itwasagreenpatchinthe

mountainssotheyopenastreampathintoitandthewaterflewrightintoit.Wemadeaterriblemistakeforpickingupthatnicepatchinthedepressiontopitch

ourtent.Evenifithadrainedwehadtofacesimilarsituation.Whenthewater

startedfillingthedepressionfirst,thiswasthetimewhenIstartedfeelingitbut

due to the hectic drivewekeptmoving ourselves in the campand eventually

reacheda stagewhen thispatchwas completely filledwith8 inches ofwater.

ThiswaspartofourlearningandIneverrepeatedthismistakeagainandam.

Day9wasboringoftheall.Weneededsomefuelaswehadusedourentirespare

gallonthatwehadhookedupatthebackofcarrieronourbikeandthatproved

tobeveryusefulforusonthisruggedtrack.Therewasasmallpatrolpumpin

Gupisbutweweretoldthatduetolandslidetheyhadnotreceivedanyfuelfor

thelasttwodayssotherewasnothingforus.Theydidntknowwhentheywould

getmore.Wewerestrandedwithoutfuel.Thedrivewasnottoolongtodaybut

wewerenotreadytotakeriskofbeingstoppedinthemiddleofnowhere.We

camebacktoourlastnightSwatifriendandexplainedtohimthesituation.He

spoketoafewpeopleandweweresenttoapersonwhohadamotorbikethe

HondaCD200.Heofferedsomefuelfromhistankatabithigherpricewhichwe

happilyacceptedasweneededthefuelbadly.Somehowfuelwastakenoutofhis

bike'stankandputintoourbike.Afterthiscoupleofhoursexercisewewereall

settogotowardsGilgit.WestartedourbumpyrideagainandhadanuneventfuljourneytoGilgitbymidafternoon.

Ourfirstpreferencewastogetourbikeservicesandpampered.Wefoundone

workshopand got the tunningdoneonour bike.Themechanicwas surprised

thatthisbikehadmadeit toShandur.Firsthedidntbelieveitbutthenhesaw

ourconditionsandourequipmentandpraisedourbravery.Hedidaverygood

jobonourbikeinthenextcoupleofhours.Heworkedoneverypartofittomake

surethatitwasfitforanyotherlongjourney.


19/24

Gilgitisthebiggesttownofnorthernareas.Youwillfindallthetravelerstonorth

stoppinginthiscityforsometimeforpassingbyorcollectingsuppliesetc.This

townisatthebanksofGilgitriverwhichthefallsintotheGreatIndusRiver.The

GizerriverthatstartedfromShandurfallsintotheGilgitRiver.InGilgityouwill

find people from all nationalities, famous hikers and good hotels. Gilgit and

SkarduarethetwohubsforallsortsofactivitiesintheNorth.Severalclimberscometothenorternareastoclimbmany8000ersPakistanoffersincludingK2,

NangaParbatandmanymore.

ManyyearsbackIcampedattheChinarBagh(ChinarGarden)sittingnexttothe

river.ThatwasmyfirstevercampingtripwhenIwasingrade12in1988.That

was anunforgetable trip (separate blog).Wewent to the same spotand then

pitchedourtent.Thisisapicturesquesettingspot.Therewasanothergroupof

scouts already camping there. I was very encouraged to see young children

involvedinthisactivity.Theywereallintheirearlyteensandhadoneteacherwiththem.Wewenttothecityfordinnerandcamebacktothecampinthedark.

The youngscoutswanted tohear our travel storieswhichwehappily shared

withthem.Webecameheroesforthembecausetheyhadnotheardofsuchtrip

orsuchpeoplebefore.Weenjoyedwiththemuntillate.Wesungsongs,played

gamesandentertainedthemwithtraveltipsandstories.Wehadapeacefulnight

aftersomemany.

DAY10

We got up early as usual and enjoyed themorning. After finishing the usual

routinewewerepackedandreadyforournextdestination.Ournextstopwas

HunzaValley.Thekidshadtoleaveforsomeplaceaswell.Oncetheyknewwe

weregoingtoHunzatheyalsodecidedtogotoHunza.

WedroveallthewayonTarmacandwatchedtheamazingsceneryontheway.

ThemostbeautifulspotiswhenwesawtheRakaposhi,oneofthemostbeautiful

mountains intheKarakuromsstandinghighat7788mabovesealevelranked27thintheworldand12thinPakistan.Mostofthetimesitiscoveredwithmist

andonehastoluckylikeustohaveafullviewofthemountainfromthisside.It

islocatedintheNagarValley.

The road curves aroundHunzaRiverchangingviewsand offeringspectacular

scenery.Itsnotalongdriveandtakesabout23hoursunlessthereisalandslide

ontheway.Hunzaisabsolutebeautywithgreenfieldsandorchards.Peopleare

veryhardworkingbutwefoundthepeopleveryarrogantinthemainstreetof

Hunza.TheywantedtodealwiththeWhitesbringingdollarsbutnotwithpoor


20/24

studentslikeus.IhadasimilarexperiencewhenIcamehere4yearsback.Itsa

puretouristlittletownwithrestaurantsandcafesfullwithwesternvisitors.

Wefounditverydifficulttofindplacetocamp.Noonewasallowingustodoso

and finally one hotel which had a big open space in front of it charged us

reasonabletopitchourtentthere.Itwasaveryniceplaceoverlookingavery

niceview.Wepitchedourtentandsettleddowntoenjoytheview.Soonafter

thatthegroupofscoutscametocampatthesamehotelandtheyweresohappy

toseeusandsodidwe.

Wespent thedayexploringHunzaandcollected somememories frommylast

tripinwhichwealsohikeuptoUltar.Therearemanytrekkingroutesarround

here.NagaristheothervalleyontheothersideofHunzaRiverandequallyrich

intermsofbeautyandroutes.ThereisanamazingthingaboutHunzawaterasit

is of grey color. Onewould think that it is dirty but dirt never settles down

becauseitsnotdirtratherthewaterisfullofmineralsandHunzapeoplebelieve

that their long life secret is hidden in drinking this water. We drank a lot of

Hunzawaterinthistrip.

The eveningwas cool and entertaining because of the people in the town. A

numberofgroupswerecomingbackfromtrekking,enjoyinginthecafes,having

dinnerintherestaurants.Wehadgreatchatwithnumberofpeopleandenjoyed

theeveningrelaxingandsightseeing.Thescoutswerehappytotagalongandwedidntdisappointthemandletthemcomewithuswhereverwewent.Everybody

wasuplateatnightandwerehavinggreattime.Webecamestorytellersthat

nightandweretellingourtravelloguetootherswhowereinterestedinknowing

aboutit.Itwasexcellentenvironment,weweresittingataplacesurroundedby

treesandwehadaviewfarintothevalley.Thesleepwasgood.

DAY11

WehadashortridebacktoGilgit,thereforewespentmoretimearroundHunzaforexplorationandwantedtoabsorbasmuchbeautyintooureyesaspossible.

Thiswasmysecondtriptothisplaceanditimpressedmeevenmorethanthe

firsttrip.Thewholenorthernareascarrysomesortofmagneticattractionthat

everysummerIvisitdifferentareasandstillwantedtocomeback.

ThedrivebacktoGilgitwasveryniceandpleasurable.Gilgitisalwaysagood

placetoroamaroundastherearemanyareawithinonehourofdrivefromthis

townthatonecouldspendafewdaystofinishtheattraction.Alltheattractions

are natural except some Buddhist engravements high on the mountains; thisplace is about 10 kilometers from Gilgit. That shows some signs of Buddhist


21/24

settlements here hundreds of years ago. There are a few amazing hanging

bridgestoappreciatethemanmademarvels.Thereissomeawesomesceneryto

watcharoundthistown.Manyhikingtreksstartfromhereandaround.Thereis

anamazingvillageofNaltarnotfarfromhere.WehikeduptotwolakesinNaltar

and the beauty was unmatchable in 1988. Because of all this Gilgit holds

importance in the northern areas also being the largest town falling onKarakorumHighway.

KarakorumHighwayalsoknownasthe9thwonderoftheworldwasbuildby

Pakistan and Chine and it is the highest international highway crossing into

Chinaat16002feetabovesealevel.Thereisnootherhighwaythatisalsoan

International border at this height. This route is also knownas the Silk route

used for centuries toreachCentralAsia.SilkRoad is1300Kilometersstarting

fromHavalieanclosertoAbotabadcityintheprovinceofNWFPandgoesuptoto

Kashghar a city in the province of Xinjiang. This engineeringmarvel took 20yearstobuildand1000people losttheir liveswhilebuildingit.Theroadgoes

through one of the toughest terrains in the world and crosses through the

famous Karakorum and Himalaya Mountains ranges. Weather conditions are

absolutely extreme on this highway with areas at high elevation and

temperaturedipssharplyatnightandthereareareas,whichareveryhotduring

theday.

WewerebackatChinarBaghwherewecampedtwodaysback.Wewereina

relaxedmoodtoday.WefoundoneguyfromLahorewhowasservingforabankhereandinsistedhavingdinnerwithhim.Instudentlifewhensomeoneoffered

us food when never turned that down thereforewe couldn't turn down this

gentleman'sofferandpromisedtovisithimintheevening.Hewasstayingright

oppositetoChinarBaghinahostelprovidedtohimashisresidence.

Onceweweredonewiththedaywecamebacktohishostelwhereheofferedus

nottopitchourtent,aswehadtoleaveforourreturntripat4am.Werefused

butheinsistedandwehadtogivein.Wesothankfullytookourstufftohisnice

room and left for dinner all three of us on our bike. We had a nice dinnerfollowedbyKahwa(localtea)hadchitchatsittinginexcellentenvironmentand

freshair.Weenjoyedthenightuntillate.

DAY12

Ourearlymorningdriveshadsavedusfromtheafternoonheatprettymuch.In

theplainswefacedtemparaturesover40Candthehotairhadbeenbitingour

cheeksout.Itwasterribleattimesandwehadtotakebrakestocooldownata


22/24

rivercrossingorstream crossing. The engine inour little bikeneeded rest as

well.Butwefoughtallhazardshappilytoaccomplishourgoals.

Itwasearlymorningagainandby 4:30 amwewere on theroad aftersaying

goodbyetoourhost.Thenightwasnotashardaswewereusedtothereforewe

hadasleepfor4hours.

AssoonaswecameoutofGilgititstartedraining.Weweresousedtodifferent

weathersbynowthatitdidntbotherusmuchandreallyenjoyedeachdrop.It

wasmagicaldrivingonthismagnificenthighway.Earlierweplannedthedayand

keptitsimplyopentostaywhereverwefeltlikethereforewehadnodestination

inourmindstoday.TheroadwasnotaroughtrackbutalongwaytoRawalpindi

atmorethan600kilometersthroughthemountainroad.

The rainstoppedandwecrossedsometownsandhighspeedreallyhelpedus

coveringsomegooddistance.AtChilaswecontemplatedgoingthroughBabusar

PassintoKaghanValleybutdecidedagainst itandcontinuedontheSilkRoad.

WereachedBeshaminthebeforeafternoonandsomebreak,peakedintosome

shopsandmovedon.TheroadisbeautifulwithTheGreatIndusRivergoingnext

totheroadallthewayoutofthemountains.Thereareareaswhereroadneeded

maintenance due to landslides.We had to stop for some time at a couple of

placesbecauseofthe landslides asthe bulldozersmadeway for the traffic to

passthrough.WecrossedBatagramandstillfeltthatwecouldcontinuecloserto

Mansehracitytocampatthescoutingstationiftheywouldallowus.Wemadeit

tothescoutingcampbysunsetafteralongandtiringdrive.Toourdismaythat

wasclosedandtherewasnowatchmanoranybody.Nightwasfallingin.From

here Abbotabadwas about an hours and from there Rawalpindi another 23

hours.

Wehadturnedblackbecauseofthesmokeanddieselfromtrucksandbuses.Our

clothswereabsoluteblackandsowereourfaces.Wediscussedanddecidedto

continuetillAbbotabadandthenwouldcheckourstrengthtocontinuefurther.It

was dark when we entered the beautiful city of Abbotabad. This city always

amazesme,givesmeagoodfeeling.IcallthiscitytherealgatewaytotheNorth.

All routes to thenorth start from here.Thiscity itself is so pretty andoffers

amazingsceneryandplacesaround it. Ihavestayedinthiscityinmanyofmy

tripsandwouldalwayslovetostayherebecauseitissoinviting.

SomethingmadeuscontinuetoRawalpindiandstayatoneofourfriends.Sowe

weredrivingtowardsKhanpurdamanotherscenicroutetoournewdestination.

Wewereunabletoseeanythingscenicduetothedark.Drivingintheplainsis

veryhecticasthetruckersweredrivingcrazilyandnobodyreallycaredabouta

littletiredbikeonthehighway.Theydidntknowthatthispoorthingwasinits


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600thkilometersoftheday.WemadeittoRawalpindiandthelastfewhoursof

journeytookabigtollofusascomparedtothedrivinginthemountains.

Weweredirtymainlywithdieselfrombusesandtrucks.Ittooksometimeforus

tocometonormalwhenknockedatthedoorwhereweintended tostay.Our

friend came out and to our surprise he didnt even recognized us due to our

outlook. We had to tell him that he was looking at his friends. My body was

achingduetothecoldandhotairkepthittingmeallthewayfromGilgit.Hetook

usinandwestartedcleaningupmakingamistakeandnotmakingourbodies

adjusttothecurrenttemperatureandconditions.Iwaskindofparalyzedwhile

taking bath and couldntmove myself. It was terrible and I was scarred and

worried.Icalleduponhelp,myfriendspickedmeupandputmeinthebed.Iwas

shakingwithcoldbutthebodywasnotmovingatall.Theywantedtocallthe

doctorthatIrefusedandtoldthemtowaitforafewminutes.AftersometimeI

wasabletomovemyhandsandarmsas iflifewascomingback inmybody.Ittookanother2hoursformybodytobecomenormal.IthappenedbecauseIwas

drivingwholedayforabout18hoursinastretchandpassedthroughsomevery

hot and very hot areas. The body needed some time to adjust to the current

situationbutbecauseweweresodirtyandwantedtocleanupourselvesassoon

aswereachedthere.Thecoldwaterjustlockedmymusclesandjointsandlucky

enough to get back to normal without any medical help. Tough souls Tough

bodies.

It was an amazing ride in one day. We covered more than 600 kilometers

throughverytoughterrainaveraging34kilometersperhourwithallthebreaks

wehadonthewaytoexploredifferenttownsandareas.Beingstudentswewerefeelingsoproudtoshareourexperiencewithothers.

We were served with a very nice and delicious dinner at our friends andwe

chattedlateintothenight.Wesleptinpiecetogetuplatethenextmorning.

DAY13

Owingtoourdailyroutine,despitesleepingverylatewebothwereupearly.Hadalittleleasurebeforewewerereadyforournextdestinationi.e.Gujrat.Wehad

to travel on the GrandTrunkRoad towardsLahore and planned tobreakour

journeyatGujratjusttwohoursawayfromLahore.

Westartedlatewithaheavyhomemadebreakfast.Hadaroundofthecityand

startedonGTroad.Itwasabout3.5hoursdrivebutwecovereditin5hoursdue

tohourinterestinexploringeachtownthatwepass.WemadeittoGujratfor

anothercomfortableeveningandalatenightmeetingwithhourfriendsthere.

Nextdaywewouldbehome.


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DAY14

Itwasonly23hoursridebackhomethatwemadeiteasilyandwerewelcomedbyourfamilywithhugsandlove.Everybodymissedusinthelasttwoweeks

andeveryonewaseagertoknowhowwasourtrip.Ittookusdaystotellthem

ourstories.

Wehadcollectedsuchmemoriesthatwewouldbecherishingwholeofourlives.

Thiskindoftripsarealwaystiring,difficultandhighriskbutmemorable.

NOTEThistravelblogiswrittenfrommemoryrecall,15yearsaftertheactual

travel.Thingswillbemuchdifferentupthereatthetimeofthiswriteup.

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