Wednesday, 31 August 2011

To Paradise & Back (Silk Route) May 1995


                                                    TO PARADISE AND BACK

Nestled in the valleys of the mighty Karakoram Range lie the valleys of Hunza & Nagar. Tucked away from the rest of the world, this legendary Shangrila has been one of the least known places on earth, a realm jagged with glaciers & lofty peaks, and known to most of us only as a branch of the ancient Silk Route between Kashmir in India, & Kashgar in the Sinkiang Autonomous Region of China.

An advertisement be Country Holidays Travel of Singapore in association with the Rovers Club of the National University of Singapore about a 22 day Pakistan/China Silk Route tour sounded like an adventure. The lure of the unknown beckoned, & without any hesitation, we signed up.
After a PIA flight from Singapore to Karachi & thence to Rawalpindi, we were garlanded & warmly welcomed by Shafi Ahmed who would be our guide for the entire 22 days. Our host company was Mountain Movers of Pakistan, whom Shafi was representing.



Day 1
It was only 8am, so after a hearty b’fast, we walked in the scorching May heat to the nearby Raja Bazaar. It was a kaleidoscope of people & alleyways filled with the Pakistan traditional attire of shalwar kameez, laces & jewellery. There were food stalls & hardware shops, & traffic on the streets jostled with cows & donkeys & horse carts.
We bought ‘channa’ from a vendor who was roasting them in a clay pot over glowing embers & chilled juicy ‘kinnus’ ( the Pakistani version of mandarin oranges). As we walked back to our hotel , we unsuccessfully looked for garbage bins to dispose of our kinnu skins. Like true Malaysians we tirelessly held on to our rubbish until we came upon this huge mountain of garbage on the side of the road with a dead goat on it’s summit! Checking to see if anyone was watching, we quickly relieved ourselves of our load & walked away.
The afternoon itinerary was a visit to the magnificent Shah  Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. It can accommodate 15,000 Muslims in prayer in the main hall, to 100,000 in the surrounding courtyards. The late President Zia-ul-Haq is buried in the grounds.
A drive along the Blue Area of Islamabad familiarized us with the stately Parliament offices; the president’s & Prime Minister’s homes & the ministries in the Secretariat. Later, a drive up to the Margalla Hills National Park north of Islamabad offered a panoramic view of Islamabad & its twin city of Rawalpindi on the horizon.

Day 2
The weather in May can be erratic & our flight to Gilgit depended entirely on it. We were ready by 4.30am & left our hotel in eager anticipation of a clear morning. Thankfully the skies were clear & our dawn flight out of Islamabad took us over the Margalla Hills & northwards over one end of the Himalayas & the Karakoram Range.
Excitement built up as the pilot pointed out Nanga Parbat. At 8126m, it is the 8th highest peak in the world & known as the most dangerous. Its southeast face is a 4,500m wall, too steep for snow to stick, thus its Kashmiri name for Naked Mountain. At the western end of the Himalayas, Nanga Parbat is actually still growing by 7mm every year!
In the crystal clear morning, we were fortunate enough to see another growing peak, the K2 on the horizon. At 8611m, K2 is the highest in the Karakoram Range & second highest only to Mount Everest. It was a magnificent view of the snow covered roof of the world. As we descended into Gilgit, we could see the Karakoram Highway below us as it snaked its way along the mighty Indus Valley.
A colorful rose garden greeted us at Gilgit airport. In contrast the brown, austere Karakoram Range rose sharply around us. A convoy of colorful land rovers waited to take us to the Park Hotel.
Gilgit is the administrative center of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, & the hub of the Karakoram Highway (KKH). This northern province extends northeast to the Khunjerab Pass into China, west into the Hindu Kush, east to the highest peaks of the Karakoram Range & south to the western end of the Himalayas (see map).
A walk into the bazaar after breakfast was a colorful experience. With the completion of the KKH, a thriving trade with the Chinese has opened up shops selling Chinese crockery & silks in addition to Afghan & Kashmiri carpets & jewellery. Mounds of dried apricots & metal trunks stacked high among colorful woolen shawls lined the streets. Herds of hairy goats & sheep were led down the main street toward the mosque for the traditional Idd sacrifice the following day. True to Islamic tradition, there were no local women in the streets.
We piled into 4 open topped Rovers in the afternoon & headed for Kargah Nala, an hours drive west of Gilgit. On the cliff face there is a carved Buddha probably dating back to the 7th century. Crowds of little boys try to ‘guide’ you there & befriend you. In the hot & dusty afternoon, we washed & cooled off in the clear water stream that was the Kargah Nala. The drive back along the Gilgit River was a picturesque one, the river swelling from the melting snow, rushing over boulders & rocks.
We arrived at the Gilgit Polo grounds in time for an exciting final polo match between two local district teams. Polo is deeply ingrained in local culture & traditions. The play is fast & furious & there are few rules. The horsemen thundered down the field scattering spectators who had come onto the field for a better view. Local musicians played throughout the game & as the action became more intense, they played into a frenzy. It was an exhilarating, fierce display of passion in an extraordinary setting.

Day 3
In our procession of Land Rovers we headed for the Naltar Valley whose perfect alpine scenery makes it an easily accessible hill station for the residents of Gilgit where the summer heat can become oppressive. We drove along dusty trails 25 km northeast until the green oasis of Nomal, where the Naltar Valley meets the Hunza River, & then began our ascent along steeper mountain trails. Literally carved out of the rocky inclines, the dirt road we used precariously overlooked deep gorges with rushing mountain streams. Clear mountain spring water gushed out of nowhere onto our path, & it was refreshing to break journey & quench our thirst. We continued our climb towards the village of Naltar where we picnicked along a cool bubbly brook. Some of us trekked up to the snow line of Sasal Khand (5001m) & played in the snow. Our return journey to Gilgit was via a suspension bridge over the Gilgit River, believed to be the longest suspension bridge negotiable by jeep in Asia.


Day 4
The heaven reaching spires of the Karakoram Range, their gloomy granite peaks brightened by snow, form the mightiest concentration of mountains in the world. At this point on the earth’s crust, three major continental plates are crumpling together in slow motion, driving jagged lines of bare rock high into the air. The mountains seem to explode out of the earth, climbing sharply skywards. This the home of some of the world’s most majestic & awe-inspiring peaks like K2(8611m) & Tirich Mir (7708m).
And from these peaks & their glaciers flow a maze of rivers which sing lilting songs to rich harmonies & ultimately roar deafeningly as the great Indus across the desert plains to the sea. These rivers are the givers of life & creators of deep valleys that link isolated kingdoms. But they are also as ruthless & mighty as the mountains from which they spring.
It is within the northern arm of Pakistan that reaches out to China that the Karakoram Range lies, parallel to the Himalayas, & knotted together with the Pamir, Kunlun & Hindu Kush ranges. It is here that China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan & India all come within 250km of each other.
A warming of diplomatic relations between China & Pakistan in the 60’s led to the two countries embarking on one of the greatest engineering feats in centuries – a 1,300km road, through some of the highest mountains in the world. From the silk road oasis of Kashgar in China, to Rawalpindi & Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, via the 4730m high Khunjerab Pass (the highest mountain pass in the world).
The highway took 20 years to build & was officially inaugurated in August 1982, though the Khunjerab Pass & the entire road to Kashgar was completely paved & opened to tourism in 1986. Terrain that once barely allowed a donkey track on a branch of the ancient silk route, was now a two lane asphalt road. Yak & camel caravans were replaced by diesel trucks & vans. Towns & villages along the KKH, which could barely sustain themselves with 2 crops a year, could now have supplies all year round, thanks to the KKH.
Our journey from Gilgit took us on this incredible highway. We took off in two vans first stopping at the monument to KKH workers, topped with an old pneumatic drill. It is about 30 km north of Gilgit & almost exactly midway between Kashgar & Rawalpindi. 476 men died building the KKH.
A little further north, we had a first hand look & walk over a crude suspension bridge over the Hunza River. Stretched cables were the handrails & some doubtful looking planks formed the footpath. Between them you could see the roaring river far below. Although the KKH criss crosses the deep gorges of the Hunza River at several locations along solid bridges, they are too far & few for the villages & farms that dot the valleys along the Karakoram Range. As such, we saw many of these crude suspension bridges all along, as they are sometimes the only means of communication for the villagers & farmers who happen to be on the wrong side of the river.
At Ghulmet, lunch awaited us in an open air restaurant at the base of Mount Rakaposhi (7790m). It was a clear sunny afternoon & the Ghulmet glacier at the base of Rakaposhi almost reached down to us as we lunched. It was a majestic view.
As we continued our journey through harsh & rocky landscapes, Shafi pointed out traces of the old silk route, still clinging to the steep inclines of the rocky mountainsides, most parts eroded away. It gave us goose bumps to actually see where Marco Polo & his contemporaries made their epic journeys so many centuries ago.
Many stretches of the KKH are prone to rock falls & landslides, & maintaining it is a constant battle with nature. The mountains continually try to reclaim the road, assisted by earthquakes, encroaching glaciers, & the Karakoram’s typical crumbling slopes. Many a time did we come upon rivers from melting snows or glaciers suddenly crossing our paths, bringing down with them debris & stones which we helped to clear. Sometimes the force of these seasonal streams created gaping potholes which we  had to fill before we could drive over them.
‘Kara’ means black & ‘koram’ conveys the notion of crumbling rock. The dry harsh climate of the Karakorams gives this region the aggressive personality of a lunar landscape. But in the spring & summer months, the glacial melt gives life to the Hunza/Nagar valleys, dotted with villages & sculpted terraces. And as we drove past these lush oases, their orchards of apricots, peaches & other fruit trees were green with white blossoms in endless tiers. Above were broad brown mountainsides & higher yet, the snowy peaks.
Our resting place for that day was the Silk Route Motel by the Hunza River in the quaint little village of Gulmit. From our motel window was a spectacular view of the cathedral, multiple spire like formations within the Karakoram Range, & the therapeutic sound of the river beside us. Shafi took us for a walk into the village with its typical stone & mud homes. Dinner that night was followed by a surprise birthday cake for Christina.
Much camaraderie had developed among us after the first couple of days. As such, there was no lack of singing, laughter & light banter at mealtimes, & on those long road journeys. Thank God for Lucy who, as the only doctor, was there for us when we were weathered down by wind , water or withered tummies.

Day 5
Among the hundreds of glaciers in the region, the Karakoram has 4 glaciers over 50kms long. And as we drove towards Sust, we were fortunate to stop & view the massive Batura Glacier which extends 60km back into the 7000m peaks of Batura Mustagh.
The Hunza River picks its way among great fans of alluvium brought down by smaller streams; most villages are built on these fertile deposits. The geology varies from dark to light colored shale & limestone. White marble bands are conspicuous & so are sawtooth peaks. Large red garnets are common & we stopped to pick some off the hillside at an area where they are commonly found.
At 3100m and about 95km from the China border, Sust is the immigration & customs checkpoint on the Pakistan side. In anticipation of finicky Chinese customs procedures, we left the bulk of our luggage behind with our van drivers & only took what was necessary for 5 days in China. After freshening up at Nazeem’s Tourist Lodge, we boarded a bus which had come to fetch us from China. North of Sust, we left the Hunza River as the KKH continued its way along the Khunjerab River.
At 4730m, the Khunjerab Pass at the border between China & Pakistan is the highest public highway in the world. Both countries have set aside game reserves here. On the Pakistan side, the Karakoram National Park is home to the big-horned marco polo sheep, of which there are now only a few hundred in the world The Khunjerab Pass which borders the Tashkurghan Nature Reserve on the Chinese side, is also habitat of the ibex, the Himalayan marmot, the brown bear, foxes & the almost extinct snow leopard.
Pockets of snow lined the rivers as we ascended in altitude. Eventually whole rivers were covered with snow & the lakes we passed were semi frozen. As we drove through no man’s land past the last Pakistani security post at Dih, we were advised to sit still & not talk as the increase in pressure at these altitudes can result in headaches & nausea to those who are climbing to these heights for the first time.
Surprisingly the Khunjerab pass opened out into a long, flat & barren valldy surrounded by snow caped peaks. At the summit is a plaque commemorating the 1982 opening of the KKH. Also a reminder that you are now in China & to drive on the RIGHT side of the road. We were on the roof of the world & the crossroads of Central Asia!
The transition from the deep angular gorges of the Karakoram into the flatish, rounded valleys of the Pamir range was strikingly evident. It is here that the Karakoram becomes the Pamir Range.
Pirali was another lonely security post & the roads before & after it were straight & mostly flat. Thus our descent in altitude was pretty gradual too. We saw herds of shaggy yak. Families of marmots ran to hide as we drove by them. Whirlwinds crossed out path & from the dust storms in the distance emerged a caravan of Kherghiz horse & camel traders ! It was like being in a time zone with Marco Polo himself. A clear rocky stream was a unanimous choice for a quick picnic lunch.
From here the KKH stretches on flat plains northwards towards the security post of Dabdar & onwards to the Chinese immigration & customs checkpoint at Tashkurghan.
Having cleared border formalities, we boarded a local bus & were introduced to our local guide, Luik, who would be with us throughout our stay in China. The Pamir Hotel in Tashkurghan was our stopover for the night.

Day 6
Tashkurghan (3600m) means stone fortress. The ruins of a 600 year old mud-brick fort still stand. Luik was a Tajik & he said there are 30,000 of them in the area. They are Persian & were either nomads or involved in animal husbandry or farming.
Our destination was Kashgar, almost 9 hours away, & the furthest point in our itinerary. We drove across the marshy Tagharma Basin where the grasslands serve as cattle fodder, with enough to dry for the long winter months. There was another checkpost at Kekyor, & we crossed the snow line again at the Subash Pass (4000m).  The Mustagh Ata (7546m) dwarfed us as the KKH ran around it all the way to the Karakul Lake. Many nomadic tribes live along the way – they are mostly Khergiz  tribesmen who tend to their livestock here in the summer, & move back to Kashgar in the winter.
It was cold at Karakul Lake where we stopped for lunch. The cosy little restaurant by the lake served us a steaming hot meal. The deep blue waters of the lake were nestled between the two Pamir giants of Kongur (7719m) and the Mustagh Ata (7546m). Although they were among the highest peaks in China, they looked deceptively small because the lake itself is 3800m above sea level!
We left the lakeside in a jurry as we had a long drive ahead. The sandhills to the west near Lake Bulunkul are an inspiration to any artist. They constantly change with the wind, their sand formations looking like shaded waterfalls.
There was another random passport check at the lonely outpost of Ghez. John & Elizabeth had unwittingly left their passports in their big bags which had gone on in another vehicle ahead to Kashgar. Their was anxiety at first, but an offer of cigarettes lightened the situation, & the Chinese police let them through.
Entering the canyons of the Ghez River, wine red sandstone walls greeted us, Slowly we descended from the sublime scenery of the Pamir Range to the plains of Kashgar. Our hotel in Kashgar was the Seman Hotel, an impressive collection of buildings, courtyards & orchards within a large compound. To our surprise, we discovered it was the premises of the former Russian embassy!

Day 7
Kashgar is 1335m above sea level and comfortably warm in the daytime in the month of May, dropping to a cool 15* after sunset.. Despite it’s isolation in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, it was the hub of the world’s most famous overland trade route system – the Silk Route linking China, India & the Mediterranean. Till today, Kashgar is still a big market town, from the impromptu street corner negotiations, to the perpetual bazaars & hotel room deals with Gilgiti traders.
Kashgar’s terrain, people, languages & religion have more in common with the adjacent Soviet republics & even with north Pakistan, than with China. An array of faces from Chinese, Turkish to Mediterranean greets you during a walk in the bazaar.
The majorities however are Uyghurs (pronounced wee-gur), descendants of Turkic nomads who arrived in the 11th & 12th centuries, & now mainly are farmers. With the exception of the Chinese, & the Russians, nearly all are Sunni Muslims, though not as devout as Muslims in other parts of the world. Although we saw several fully veiled women, the majority were in dresses, & mosques were not strict about whom they allowed in their prayer halls. An amusing feature about Kashgar women was their tendency to dress in shimmering lame, or brightly colored sequined & beaded frocks.
After a leisurely breakfast, we headed for the Abakh Hoja Tomb just outside Kashgar, It was an elegant mausoleum built in the 1600’s for the descendants of a Muslim missionary named Muhatam Ajam. Beneath its brightly tiled dome & 4 minarets are 72 graves including his grandson, Abakh Hoja, a local aristocrat. The mausoleum’s most famous occupant is Abakh Hoja’s grand-daughter, better known as Xiang Fei. In 1759 she led a revolt against the then Emperor Qian Long, & was then taken off to Beijing as his concubine. But the Emperor fell madly in love with her. Two years later, when the Emperor was out of town, his mother in the interests of her son’s emotional stability, ordered Xiang Fei to commit suicide. According to legend, her body rests here, after taking 3 years to be transported to this site.
A drive through the city past Mao’s imposing statue & a visit to a handicraft shop was the rest of the morning’s itinerary. In the afternoon, we walked through the streets of the old city which sprawls across a hill east of the main bazaar. Almost 500 families live in this maze of narrow passages & adobe buildings that seem trapped in some time zone.
A visit to the Id Kah Mosque was a spiritual experience. Built in 1442, it suffered much damage during the Cultural Revolution but has since been restored. This yellow tiled mosque is one of the largest in China & can hold 8,000 people in prayer in its peaceful courtyards & gardens. The Id Kah Square outside the mosque was alternatively a cultural experience. In & around the square, in the covered cloth bazaars, is a labyrinth of blacksmiths, carpenters & jewelers, teashops, bakeries & noodle shops; & vendors of everything from ice cream & goat’s heads, to lottery draws & hats. A marked feature in Kashgar was the absence of affluence. Poverty & filth stared at us everywhere. Despite there being so much food being sold all around us, hygiene was variable. The ice cream looked excellent, but cleanliness was questionable.
After dinner at the hotel, a bicycle ride seemed like an attractive idea but the deposit that was demanded was too high to deem it necessary. A long walk around the block turned out to be a more enjoyable experience.

Day 8
It was Sunday. Excitedly we left for the long awaited Sunday market where 100,000 people gather from the surrounding region to sell their produce, handicraft, livestock & food. The whole area was a sea of pedestrians, horses, sheep, donkeys, bikes, pony carts & push carts. Mounds of fresh garden vegetables lined a whole street. An assortment of people sat by their wares – from dried fruits to cooked food, from jackets to junk, from hats to horses. Men test rode horses before calling a price. Others examined the teeth of a camel before bargaining for it. Men were being shaved & shorn & massaged in a makeshift barber tent. And just to get the feel of things, we took a donkey cart ride back to where the bus was parked.
We visited a Uyghur home in the old city in the afternoon. A deceptive narrow entrance corridor opened out into a courtyard where a mulberry tree, a pear tree & grapevine were just fruiting. The kitchen was in a corner of the courtyard where a narrow stairway led underground into a cellar. Another went upstairs to a single bedroom & terrace where most Uyghur breed pigeons. A few steps into the main guest room were flanked by raised platforms on either side where much time must be spent whiling away the time during the hot summers. As we stepped into the formal guest room, a feast was laid out for us. There were breads & biscuits, sweets & savories. Hot tea was served while we met with family members.
That night we watched a local cultural show in the small theatre that was part of the hotel complex.
An interesting feature of both hotels at Tashkurghan & Kashgar in China was that we were only given room numbers but no keys. As we approached our rooms, young girls with large bunches of keys would suddenly appear and rush to unlock our rooms for us!

Day 9
Sadly we began our return journey from Kashgar which was the furthest point on the KKH. An hour’s ride took us to Upal for its weekly Monday market. Like in Kashgar, the people there living near the KKH are subsistence farmers or herders. For growing their maize, wheat, barley, rice, fruit & cotton, farmers depend heavily on irrigation from wells & isolated streams around Kashgar.
All checkpoints on the Chinese side had a uniformed officer with a green & red flag. As a vehicle approached, he would point the red flag at it & stand in its path until it came to a complete halt. We looked forward to these precision army rigmaroles. So it was at Ghez & Kekyor, Dadbar & Pirali on our return. They made random passport checks or would sometimes just check the manifest.
We passed familiar scenery on the KKH, this time in the opposite direction, but it was just as appealing as the first time. The snow clad Pamir Range, the sand hills & the red hills seemed even more beautiful.
It was 3.30pm when we reached Karakul Lake where we spent the night.
After a quick hot lunch at the one & only restaurant by the lake, we settled into our tents. They were comfortable enough with bedding & blankets for 7 in each. However there was no running water or bathrooms. By that time such a situation did not bother anyone because we had become accustomed to answering the call of nature behind large rocks which were never difficult to find along the KKH!
The afternoon sun shone hot & bright over the turquoise lake with the mighty Mustagh Ata & Kongur rising sharply on either side. It was picture perfect afternoon. A cool wind blew 15* & the lake waters were icy cold.
Some of us walked along the lake’s edge to enjoy its peaceful serenity. Paul took a camel ride but dropped his wallet. He spent another hour on the camel retracing his steps & was fortunate enough to locate his lost wallet.
We saw John & Elizabeth walking to the other side of the lake until they were just dots on the horizon. They returned almost five hours later on a camel having walked all around the Karakul Lake & having forded a couple of streams.
Lee Guat & Lin Lin went rock climbing up a nearby ridge to a height of 5000m with Shafi & Luik. They too returned almost 5 hours later just in time for dinner.
Although comfortable, it was cold in the tents at night presumably because the outside temperatures tend to drop below freezing even in the summer!

Day 10
We were warned to be prepared for the longest road journey on the itinerary. From Karakul Lake we headed towards Tashkurghan, & filled up with petrol before the immigration & customs checkpoint. We were scrutinized thoroughly even though we were leaving China – and went through 3 passport checks within about 50 meters!
We chose another cool stream near Pirali as a location for our picnic lunch, surrounded by nature’s beauty.
And a stop at the Khunjerab Pass was a must, for photos at least. It was cold & windy & as most of us were acclimatized during the journey up, no one had altitude sickness going back.
We were back in Pakistan! Shafi was beaming with joy & welcomed us back into his country. It was 3pm on the Chinese side but 12 noon on the Pakistani side.
A few km before the top was China’s loneliest security outpost & until the first security post of Dih on the Pakistani side, we were alone with nature. In reverse, the landscape changed from the wide open spaces of the Pamir valleys on the Chinese side, to the dark rocky ridges of the Karakoram on the Pakistani side It was no man’s land for almost 75km. One could feel a sense of fear or alternatively a sense of excitement at being in that timeless lonely place where your only companions were the wild yaks, dzus & the Himalayan marmots.
The Karakoram’s majesty surrounded us again as we descended down its winding roads. Our bus driver, suspecting an engine malfunction when the bus jerked & belched black smoke, stopped to check. The petrol we filled in China was adulterated, he said, so the diesel oil filter had to be changed. Equipped with a spare, he started to work on it.
We took advantage of the break to walk around, take photos & generally get intoxicated by the grandeur of the Karakorams. All along the KKH (both on the Chinese as well as the Pakistani side) one is awed by the power of glaciations – the yawning chasms it forms & the mountains of terminal moraine it brings down & leaves behind.
Traveling on the KKH is inherently unpredictable. Not long after we started off again, we came upon a rock avalanche that had apparently occurred hours before because tractors were already working on it. Thankfully we had to wait only 10 minutes before they cleared a path for us. It was still rocky & dangerous, so Shafi advised us to get down from the bus & walk across the damaged stretch, so that the bus’s load would be lighter as it maneuvered the rocky patch.
At Sust we cleared Pakistani immigration & customs formalities. It was a warm welcome at Nazeem’s tourist lodge where we freshened up & enjoyed a spicy Pakistani meal & milk tea. What a welcome change from those bland Chinese meals & Chinese tea in China.
We wound our way back through the Hunza valley towards its capital Karimabad. Looming mountains opened up to reveal slender valleys of lush green oasis. Large fans of alluvial deposits brought down by glaciers eons ago were now irrigated plots of corn & wheat.
We arrived at Hilltop Hotel in Karimabad at 7.15pm after almost 13 hours on the road from our last overnight break at Karakul Lake in China the night before.

Day 11
 The Hunza River’s deep slice across the Karakoram Range divides the broad valley.
Two former princely states of Hunza & Nagar face one another across this valley. The smaller but more populous Nagar occupies the main valley on the south side that includes the 7790m Mount Rakaposhi & some of the best treks in the Karakoram. It is the valley on the north side of the river that is generally referred to as the Hunza..
The people of this valley lived under the rule of Mirs for more that 900 years until 1974 when Prime Minister Bhutto annexed Hunza & Nagar & pensioned the ruling Mirs. Till today their families still own large tracts of land.
Islam came to the valley as early as the 12th century. But it was only in the mid 19th century that the Hunza’s ruling family & their subjects converted to Ismailism, while the Nagar side of the valley remained Shia.
As spiritual head of the Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan has taken much interest in the Hunza valley. The work of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) covers both Ismaili & non Ismaili villages & have brought dramatic changes to the Hunza Nagar valleys in the fields of education, health, irrigation, link roads, seed improvement, livestock management, & they have even started a women’s organization.
Our walk through the twin villages of Altit & Baltit that compose Karimabad (named after Prince Karim, the present Aga Khan), was a walk through time. Located in two valleys divided by a high ridge, both villages were a cluster of low brick & mud homes surrounded by terraced fields of corn, wheat, garden vegetables & fodder. May was springtime & Hunza’s famous apricot trees as well as peaches, plums, apples, cherries, mulberries & walnut trees were laden with tiny fruit. They would only ripen & be harvested in the warm summer months. The tall & slender poplar, a source of fodder, firewood & timber added to Hunza’s beauty as they swayed in the wind.
Snaking across the slopes is Hunza’s hallmark, the precision made stone channels on which its life depends. Carrying glacial runoff from canyons to fields & orchards, they have transformed a dry valley into a breadbasket. From one main canal, the water is divided & subdivided into a maze of smaller & smaller ditches.
In order to control the volume of water in the irrigation channels, a man with a spade maintained the ditches. By simply lifting or moving one or more critical stones, water could be diverted to whichever channels it was required in. It was a simple but ingenious method of irrigation control. We even saw a cleverly designed grinding mill that was powered by the force of falling water from one level to another.
Drinking water also comes from the canals. Clouded with glacial silt, it has over 70 minerals, & outsiders have long regarded this health giving elixir the secret of the longevity of the Hunzakuts.
A ‘channel walk’ was a good way to explore & get the feel of Karimabad. It was amazing how many irrigation channels come out of a single canyon & how far they go.
The Aktil & Baltit forts were former residences of the Mirs. The Baltii fort was temporarily closed to the public for renovation works to convert it into a cultural museum. We walked to the Altit fort however, with its carved lintels & window frames. At its entrance is a fruit orchard still maintained by the Mir’s family; & from the fort is a magnificent view & a 300m drop to the Hunza River.
As a feudal lord, the Mir made his subjects cluster their homes at the base of the fort to protect themselves from warring tribes of other valleys. These homes are still thee today, their roofs stippled with grain & fruit & drying fodder.
Although the KKH and the AKRSP have brought much modernization to the Hunza Nagar valleys, women are not generally seen on the streets. In their brightly colored outfits & pillbox caps with a dupatta or shawl thrown over them, they were only seen working in the fields or peeping at us through half open windows or doors as we passed. The children, always captivated by tourists, gave a friendly wave accompanied with a ‘hello’ or ‘bye bye’.
Tourists to Pakistan especially the Northern Areas are also requested to dress appropriately in respect for the local Islamic faith & customs. Local women must never be photographed without prior permission.
Hunza’s pride & joy is the surprisingly modern Aga Khan Girl’s Academy, dedicated by the Aga Khan himself in 1987. Built fort like to blend in with the surroundings, it is complete with hostels for girls from other villages. At special request, we were given permission to tour the academy & meet some students.
It was our last night at the Hilltop Hotel in Karimabad. The next day we were to leave for Minapin & our trek into the mountains. We went to bed in eager anticipation.

Day 12
All excitement for our trekking seemed to be dampened by a gloomy & cloudy morning. Fresh snow could be seen on the surrounding peaks. Rakaposhi & Diran peaks which were visible the day before, were completely shrouded by clouds.
Mr.Wali Khan, of Mountain Movers had specially come to safely see us off on our trek. However he & Shafi decided that it was not safe to start trekking that day. W drove to Minapin however, about 10km downriver from Karimabad, but on the Nagar & south side of the Hunza River. Literally at the foot of Mt. Rakaposhi (7790m), Minapin was a charming little village & we were hosted at the Diran Guest House until the weather cleared. The Guest House was the former residence of the owner, Raja Liaqat, a dignified gentleman. His maternal grandfather was the former Mir of Nagar. His father, Yahya Shah did much for the conservation of nature & wildlife in the Hunza valley. Much land around the guest House still belongs to him & right next door, work had already begun on a modern extension to his present hotel.
By 11am the sun appeared. Grey clouds made way for blue skies, but it was too late in the day to start our trek. Getting the porters & donkeys organized at this point would take time. It is always best to start early in the morning, so we decided on an early start the next day.
Meanwhile we had a beautiful afternoon to pass. So Shafi organized a half day trek to the Pisan Glacier after lunch. We walked through Minapin village & over the cold & rocky glacial river, through the neighboring village of Sholi, & behind it over the rocky steep inclines. It was a difficult climb to the first ridge, but we were rewarded with a crystal clear close up view of Mt.Rakaposhi. From there the younger & more ambitious climbers went with Shafi to the next ridge to see the Pisan Glacier. The older & maybe wiser ones stayed & waited till they returned. We were back at the Guest House by 6pm. It was a great warm up for our trek the next day.
Back at the hotel we were introduced to the team of cooks & assistants who would be with us throughout the trek. There was Raja Khudayar – chief chef, clown & entertainer cum singer, & his assistants Naib, Nasir & Salim. We were fortunate to have with us Mohamed Gul, one of the most experienced trekkers in the region. During climbing expeditions by international groups, the endurance of Hunza trekkers & porters have been known to rival those of Sherpa’s in the adjacent Himalayas. Among the thrilling tales of mountain climbing expeditions we heard, was one about Mohd Gul himself. During a Spanish climbing expedition up Mt. Rakaposhi, two Spaniards were trapped on a ledge. Their fellow climbers could not reach them. Mohd Gul & two others were sent to the location in a helicopter to rescue them. Due to the proximity of the mountainside, the closest the helicopter could get was to a height of 50ft from some level ground near the stranded climbers. Without a second thought, Gul jumped off the helicopter into the snow 50 ft below. The other two could not bring themselves to do it. But although Gul was unable to reach & save the two Spaniards, the Spanish Govt gave him an esteemed award in recognition of his brave effort. He was a superman. Raja, the cook, was a comic to the core & kept us in fits of laughter with his antics. Naib, Nasir & Salim were cheerful, warm & friendly. They literally waited on us hand & foot throughout the trek.

Day 13
We awoke to another grey morning. But we decided to stick to our plan of starting the trek. While donkeys were still being loaded with our luggage, we started out ahea of them with Mohd Gul, our lead trekker, Raja, & his assistants.
The path began behind the Guest House along an irrigation canal & over a wooden bridge below which a cold glacial river went thundering by. It was a gradual climb along the mountain track, but the air was thin for our tropical lungs. So we took the opportunity to stop at every bend to catch our breath even as the scenery took our breath away!
As we huffed & puffed along, our luggage on the donkeys, Shafi & the porters (many of them old men) came ambling along. And they casually overtook us as if on a morning stroll! Crossing us in the opposite direction came more donkeys (& their owners) loaded with firewood. It seems the local villagers from Minapin go up the higher alpine pastures daily to graze their cattle or collect firewood.
As w gained altitude, the upper reaches of the glacial rivers becme bubbling streams that crashed down vertical rock as waterfalls. Further, the rocky hillside leveled out to an open meadow with pine trees, & snow capped peaks loomed high around us. On one side a huge avalanche of snow fanned out. Over the ridge on the other side, the pinnacles of the Minapin glacier peeked at us below the Rakaposhi-Diran crest line.
We reached our first camp at Hapakum (2700m) almost 5 hours later with a short break for lunch. Our porters & local people did it daily in 1 ½ hours! It had begun drizzling along the way & Mohd Gul had been drenched. Not prepared with a dry change, he walked down to Minapin for the night & was back up at Hapakun by 5am the next morning! No sweat man!
Shafi & his men were already setting up the tents, & our luggage was waiting to be claimed when we reached Hapakun at 1pm. In the drizzle & cold, those mountain men worked to protect us from it. The kitchen tent was naturally up first so as to get a hot drink & meal going.
The drizzle was relentless. After a change into dry things, we huddled up in the common tent chatting & singing all afternoon. By evening we had a meeting to decide a change in itinerary due to poor weather. It was a unanimous decision to make Hapakun our base for the 2 days & make daily treks from it, instead of the original plan to move to Rakaposhi base camp at Tagaphary the next day. Gul & Shafi advised that if the weather was wet at Hapakun, the chances were that it would be worse at Tagaphary.

Day 14
At 2700m, Hapakun was freezing at night but we were well armed with woolens, down jackets & warm sleeping bags. It rained throughout the night but cleared in the morning. It was just heavenly to have an outdoor breakfast in an amphitheatre of snow covered peaks.
The experienced & hard core climbers decided to trek to Tagaphary with Gul & Shafi after breakfast. To the rest of us, a ‘honeymoon’ trek, seemed like an easier & more attractive option. Naib volunteered to take us on this one. As we ascended to an adjacent grassy meadow, we could see our fellow trekkers to Tagaphary climbing in the distance, their track suits & jackets like moving dots of colour.
We met some local villagers who had come up to collect firewood. Another had just shot a magnificent pheasant. He proudly showed off his trophy much to our dismay, as the pheasant is an endangered species in the area.
When we looked for our fellow trekkers again through our binoculars, they were clearly silhouetted in a row right on top of the ridge from where they would be overlooking Minapin glacier’s upper ice fields. On through some pine forests we went, & eventually came upon the upper reaches of a snow avalanche we had seen the day before.

Lunch was waiting for us when we returned to camp. But just as we finished, the other group trooped in excitedly. They related how their attempts to reach Tagaphary were hampered by snow & ice. Even Gul, our champion trekker, did not dare to traverse some icy & dangerous slopes as it could put our group in danger. The alpine green meadow of Tagaphary that was to be our next campsite was a white snowfield almost waist deep in snow!
And thus ended the tale of Tagaphary – Rakaposhi’s base camp. Our decision to remain in Hapakun was a wise one after all.
In the drizzly afternoon we whiled away the hours just napping, reading, singing & joking. The kitchen tent was warmer, so while Raja & Naib were getting the lamb ready for our BBQ that night, I chipped in & helped roll the chappatis.
It was still too early to turn in after dinner. Shafi, Raja & the whole band of them got together to entertain us with some Pakistani song & dance in the light of the gas lantern.

Day 15
The drizzle persisted all night & through breakfast that morning. Again a meeting was called. It was a unanimous decision to return to Minapin. In such weather there was no chance of trekking in any direction at all. Shafi sent someone down to fetch the donkeys & porters while we packed & pulled down the tents.
We began to descend to Minapin with Naib & Raja while Shafi stayed back to wait for the porters & to load the donkeys. Going downhill was much easier but we stopped to often catch our last glimpses of the glorious scenery with its glaciers, its grassy meadows & gurgling streams.
Just as we reached Minapin & Diran Guest House, the sun decided to come out again. In another couple of hours, Shafi arrived with the porters & our luggage.
It was relaxed evening at the Guest House. Raja cooked up a feast for us & after that there was a surprise birthday party for Deborah & another excuse for a celebration.

Day 16
Our transport to Gilgit would arrive only the next morning, so we had a completely free day. We broke up & headed off in different directions to explore the village & its vicinity. A short walk could take you to the cliff that overlooked the Hunza River. Across the deep wide valley through which it ran, was Hassanabad, another green oasis. Children, like everywhere in the Hunza, clamoured round or waved with a friendly ‘hello’. Women smiled shyly at us over walls. Raja Liaqat, our host, showed us around the extension to his hotel & asked for ideas. Though still in an early stage of construction, it’s layout looked interesting & modern, & it’s future promising. I visited his wife, Razia, in their home behind the  hotel. An accomplished lady, Razia teaches home economics at the local Aga Khan school & supervises the farming of the many acres of land they own around the hotel. We strolled in the fields, green with potatoes, salad leaves & fodder. Amidst them I sat when she offered me a cup of tea. And as I chatted with her in the fading daylight, the irrigation streams chattered along in their stone channels.

In the meantime, Shafi , as always concerned for our welfare, organized games in the garden in the afternoon. After dinner that night he organized the enactment of a local Hunza wedding. Raja Liaqat’s wife generously loaned the bridal attire & jewellery. Raja, our chef, dressed as the groom while Lee Guat volunteered to be the bride, & the ceremonies were demonstrated amidst much fun & laughter. Raja’s boundless wit & humor naturally stole the show.

Day 17
Due to the spate of wet weather, our original itinerary of six days of trekking to Mt.Rakaposhi had been shortened to three; & instead of the three hours we were to spend in the Diran Guest House in Minapin village, we spent three days & three nights!  The comforts, service & hospitality extended to us by Raja Liaqat & his staff were overwhelming. We had time to discover the charms of Minapin village & relax amidst it’s astounding beauty.
Thus it was with heavy hearts that we left Minapin when our two vans arrived to fetch us. Photos were taken, addresses exchanged & promises made to keep in touch.
We retraced our steps along the KKH towards Gilgit. Views of snowy Rakaposhi & its neighboring peaks still greeted us at every bend of the road as it wound west & then southwards along the Hunza River. Like all along the KKH, we drove past webs of valleys dotted with luxuriant green villages. . The road approached Dainyor in the basin where the Hunza River joins the Gilgit River, & we crossed the river over a Chinese bridge decorated with Chinese characters before arriving in Gilgit at 11.30 am.
A quick check in at the PTDC Hotel with its emerald lawn & fruit trees overlooking the Gilgit River was followed by a scattering of our group in all directions. Having emerged from sleepy hollows, Gilgit was the place we all were hoping to do our shopping in for the homeward journey. Gifts & souvenirs were purchased. The traditional salwar kameez was a ‘must take home souvenir’. The first plump & purple, fresh cherries were already appearing in the fruit shops. They were succulent & sweet & we tucked into them as if there was no tomorrow. Mangoes were also making their debut but it was still too early in the season for the local fruit. We loaded ourselves with dried apricots, apricot kernels & pine nuts to take home.

Day 18
From Gilgit we headed southwards on the KKH, a section that we had not traveled before because we flew over it. It was 600km to Rawalpindi, so we would be breaking journey about half way at Besham.
Our first road stop that day was at the confluence of the Gilgit & Indus Rivers. Technically the Karakoram ends there. From there the Indus skirts the western end of the Himalayas & courses in muddy waves that explode against the cliffs & rocks in deep & narrow gorges. The Hindu Kush Range towers above on the other side. The KKH continues to hug the Indus, winding its way down through the Indus Kohistan district of Pakistan.
The ancient routes through the Karakorams are dotted with places where travelers etched pictures onto rocks & boulders. At certain points near Shatial & Chilas are hugh rocks covered with scenes of conquest & stories of Buddha’s life dating back to the 1st century AD. As we halted to view these petroglyphs, the serene 2,000 year old figures seemed incongruous in the middle of nowhere.

This section of the KKH is also one of the most dramatic of all Pakistan’s main roads.  Hundreds of emerald green mountain streams come rushing down its side canyons to join the swift & deep currents of the mighty Indus. At some stretches, the KKH clings to vertical canyon walls. The crumbly walls slide regularly & the Indus looks miles away below. Road maintenance crews are a common sight, endlessly rebuilding the scarred roads.
At a bridge over a side canyon at Sumer Nala, we stopped for lunch. A cool mountain stream gushed down below us. Refreshment stalls served hot or cold drinks & a local villager attracted much attention when he came down the mountainside with a dead ibex over his shoulder.
Midway between Gilgit & Rawalpindi, Besham is basically a transport junction, its main road choked with honking trucks & buses. With nothing else to do except break journey for the night, we checked in the PTDC Hotel & just sat & chatted by the banks of the Indus that roared past below the hotel.

Day 19
It was the final leg of our journey on the incredible KKH to Rawalpindi. By the end of that day we would have traversed its 1300km from end to end.
About 15km south of Besham near the village of Thakot, the KKh crosses the Indus on an elegant suspension bridge decorated with stone lions. Technically this is the southern end of the KKH built in cooperation with the Chinese. From there to Rawalpindi, the KKH was built with Pakistani expertise alone. The highway had run beside on or another branch of the Indus since the first trickle at Khunjerab. But from Thakot, the KKH left the wide & heavy Indus valley behind, climbed briefly & soon descended through progressively gentler countryside to the plateau of Rawalpindi & Islamabad. From the jagged snow capped peaks & rocky mountain gorges we had become accustomed to, the scenery changed drastically into green pine & eucalyptus mountainsides, cornfields & precision terracing of rice paddies.
Further south, the KKH completely descended from the hills. It was goodbye to cool climes & hello to warmer weather. The road crossed the wide, sandy Taxila valley. It was odd to reflect that this quiet plain was for almost five centuries a world center of Buddhist philosophy & art. Taxila was the cultural capital of the Mauryan & Kushan empires – from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD - & the valley still has abundant evidence of this extraordinary period. We made time to visit the archeological sites of the Julian Buddhist Stupa & Monastery, the Sikap remains & the fine Taxila Museum.
We reached Rawalpindi’s Park Hotel in time to freshen up & have dinner. Mr Wali Khan came to welcome us back & make plans for the following day.

Day 20
It was our last day in Pakistan until our flight back home via Karachi late that night. The majority of the group wanted to visit the historical city of Peshawar – so they left early that morning. Moiz, Moiz & I decided on a closer destination in the hills of Murree, northeast of Rawalpindi. In a private car we headed for the cool forested hill station 1 & half hours away. During  colonial rule, the British developed Murree as a ‘ beat the heat’ resort for bureaucrats & army officers in the hot summers. Prim bungalows, guesthouses & churches dotted the hillsides. Murree sits high above its surrounding so the views are impressive. Lunch & a look at the shops in the touristy Mall gave us the feel of the place.
At Mr Wali’s suggestion, we continued our journey another 15km northeast of Murree to Bhurban. A little village with a 9 hole golf course, Bhurban’s latest addition is the plush 5 star Pearl Intercontinental Hotel. It sits atop a ridge that looks out beyond the valleys into Kashmir in the distance & the snowy Himalayas on the horizon. The view was splendid.
We returned in good time to pack & attend a farewell dinner with Mr.Wali & Shafi. At the best restaurant in Rawalpindi we were treated to a Pakistani feast fit for kings.
Photographs were taken & speeches given. Shafi was undoubtedly voted our hero. With his guidance & care for our welfare, we all had a marvelous & safe holiday.
Nick & Lyn had also been great tour leaders, always there to organize hotel rooms & checking on us if we were unwell. Although boiled drinking water was available at all hotel stops, they would ensure ther was ample supply of mineral water during long hours we were on the road. They would also take care of tipping & inform us of daily times & changes in our itinerary.

Epilogue
May was good month for northbound travel on the KKH. Mountain cold & lowland heat are both bearable at this time; though they say for sunshine & moderate temperatures the best time is September- October; & a southbound journey will stretch out the good weather.
Though day temperatures are warm in Gilgit (30*), they dropped to a cool 20* after dusk. In the July & August they soar to 45* ! A little higher in altitude, the Hunza valley temperatures ranged between 15* - 25*. The Khunjerab Pass at 4730m was freezing cold in May & the air was thin & dry. The Pass is closed for all official business from 30th November until 1st May, but snow often seals it off several weeks sooner.
At Karakul Lake in China, which is 1000m lower than the Khunjerab Pass, a light jacket was enough during the day, but temperatures dropped below freezing at night. Kashgar was pleasantly warm in May & comfortably cool at nights.

Once connected to the outside world only by footpaths & a few barely serviceable tracks, the Hunza valley remains one of the remotest regions in the world. A land of simple strong & serene people, befitting the peaceful valley in which they live. A land where its people often live to a vigorous old age – their secret – diet, exercise & freedom from emotional stress.
In these high valleys, so difficult to reach before, we met & learnt the way of life of these people, who may be poor by our standards but extraordinarily rich in other ways.
However, intrusion of modern civilization via the KKH has marginally marred the beauty of this legendary Shangri-La. New hotels alter the ancient terrace lines; roaring machines sear the beauty of this valley; & transistors & television disturb its tranquility.
Yet without the KKH, few people could have ventured forth to explore this heaven on earth. Few have been fortunate to picture the majesty of its mountains or listen to the roar of its rivers.
Thanks to the KKH, I was allowed the opportunity to visit & explore this hidden corner of our planet. This paradise.

SHIRIN MOIZ.



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