"Amidst Giants ... Traversing the KKH." a Pakistan Travel Page by joks

My journey into Pakistan had been an eye opening one. Never in my travelling experience had I felt so at home and so welcomed. I would try to do justice by putting up my very best pictures and infos; but you really need to be there to experience the people and everything the country has to give.

Just a few chain mails I wrote to friends througout my trip.

hey peeeps.

yet another chain mail from me.

After leaving Iran with the greatest memories, I travelled across to neighbouring pakistan. Getting the pak visa at zahedan was quite easy and took only 3 hours. After 2 hours of hot desert wind on my face at the back of a pick up truck, I arrived at the border ..only to find it closed . Thus, having to spend the nite out in the desert with truckers.
A very good experience. This part of the world felt and looked so desolated .... crossing pakistan the next morning...I began my journey into the sub continent. 16 hours through the most rugged and isolated desert terrain in a baking bus, I arrived in my first pak town ...Quetta.

Here, the middle east gives way to the sub continent and the recent influx of afghan refugees and tribal people (mainly the pashtuns) added more dimension to this already amazing outback town. Walking through the bazaar, i saw many taliban look alikes..and faces of different races and tribes. This town had a lawless and frontier feel to it ...and judging by the amount of gun shops I saw on the street...Quetta is certainly the Wild West of Pakistan.

As my back wont allow or another 30hours bus ride, I cheated and treated
myself to a flight to Lahore. Coming into Lahore, I did not realise that
this was right off the monsoon season. A wave of humidity overwhelmed me when i stepped out of the airport. Needless to say within a minute, I was drenched in sweat. I really prefered the 50 degrees desert heat i must say.
And in addition, thousands of flying insects and mosquitoes assured me the best sleep.... Now, I am trying to get out of lahore asap and head up to the Karakorams.....so........till then!

hope u are all rocking the world and where are the emails ....???

joks

MAIL 2

Hey all..

yet another chain mail.

After escaping the dire heat of the southern plains and 26 hours of consecutive bus rides, I had arrived amidst the giants of Karakorams. The northern areas of Pakistan must be one of the most amazing places on earth...mountains that seemed to be touching the sky, gravity defying villages and field terraces, a microcosm of humanity and untouched traditional lifestyles, glaciers tumbling down to touch the highway, gushing rivers forcing their way to meet the Indus....and travelling on the marvel of modern mankind, the Karakoram Highway ....It is almost impossible to describe these in a single mail...I will try.

4 days in peaceful Karimabad was god sent. I spent days amidst traditional stone villages,women working in the fields. It's harvest time. Apricots and apples filled the trees of the orchads. As I am walking past beautiful children, I would be offered plentiful fruits. The green of the village backed by the towering peaks of Ultar and Hunza, not to mention the countless charming souvenier shops in town made it hard for me to pack up and go.

Perched high above the village of karimabad was the incredible Baltit fort. A steep ascend towards the Ultar Meadows offered stupendous views towards the opposite Nagyr valley backed by incredible mountain peaks. Equally
wonderful was the view up towards the 4 mighty peaks of Ultar 1,2 , Hunza and Lady's Finger. Here, you would fully understand the term verticality. Glaciers tumbling down from amazing steep clefts....As I arrived in Ultar
Meadows ( a steep 800 meters ascend in 3 hours), I felt I am amidst clouds..The peacefulness of the day only interrupted by occasional avalanches, which at times created a powder blanket over the peaks and strong icy winds across the meadow.

Finally being able to tear myself from the mesmerising village, I left northwards towards Gojal. Every twist and turn on the Karakoram,I was greeted with jaw dropping views. Needless to say, I was almost peeled on the window of the minivan. Passu, amidst gloomy weather was rather depressing.
Surrounded by seven thousand meters peaks, not much sunlight peered throught the cloud laden sky. But, the peaks surrounding Passu must be the most rugged and beautiful I had ever seen in my life. With the soft evening light casting a golden glow on the peaks, I sat by the gushing river feeling fresh glacial breeze on my face. I am living life.

The suspension bridge treks in passu on a windy day was an adreline filled affair. Bridging a torrential river was 2 100 meters long suspension bridges with uneven foot support ever giant step. One step missed,I would join the
Indus to meet the Indian Ocean.
...to be continued

> joko.