Snippets from a Travelogue

Posted by: HIROSE on: July 1, 2014

In: Uncategorized
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You will never know what you are missing out on in life until you venture out of the comfort of your home. Being a consultant gives me ample opportunities to do just that. My sojourn to Gilgit Baltistan left a lasting impression on me , so much so that I’m convinced now that at some point in time ill construct a shack there and live in austerity. Memories of the beautiful valleys, pristine flowing waters, magnificent mountains, lush green trees, and cultured people are all etched in my mind, constantly inviting me to revisit the sound, sight and smell of nature’s eclectic collection of awe inspiring oddities.

I can safely say that my words cannot encapsulate the unique experience of a road trip to what seemed like, at least to me, a far off magical land, nonetheless I will try and pen down the highlights of a journey I made with 6 exuberant office mates from CHIP Training and Consulting whose company I must acknowledge, especially since they made the experience ever so pleasant.

The Team

Picnic at Shandoor- Photo credit: Muhammad Tayyab

Journey from Islamabad to Gilgit

In order to get to gilgit from Islamabad it takes around 14 hours on the KKH (karakoram highway) on average. The KKH is renowned for being the highest paved international road in the world that links China to Pakistan. It is a materialization of 20 years of working under difficult circumstances, marked with the blood and sweat of many Pakistani and Chinese citizens who made the construction of this eight wonder possible. The highway however is in need of maintenance with patches of really bad road which is why it is advisable to go on a four wheel drive. The highway officially starts in Abbotabad and meets the Pakistani – Chinese border at Khunjerab pass. With every passing hour there is a visible difference in the scenery and it’s almost as though nature is unraveling layer after layer of its endless bounties. At a place called Thakot the waters of river Indus could be seen gushing alongside the highway all the way up to Jaglot where the Gilgit river joins the Indus. The fusion of the crystal blue glacial waters with the mighty Indus is a sight worth seeing.

Point along the KKH where Gilgit River Joins the Mighty Indus- Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

It also happens to be the meeting point of three of the world’s greatest ranges, namely, the Hindukush, the Himalaya, and the Karakoram. Very keen eyes can also spot the western end of the Himalayas marked by the ninth highest peak in the world; the Nanga Parbat nicknamed the killer mountain by mountaineers. Along the way you will find mountain goats and sheep frolicking away with not a care in the world and if you are lucky you may even spot some exotic birds. By exotic I mean any bird that is not a jet black crow with small beady eyes!

The Evil Mountains

Kohistan is officially the last district of KPK after which Diamer begins which is part of GB. Anyone who has passed by Kohistan would tell you that just the surrounding mountains emanate an eerie feeling which lasts until Chilas, capital of Diamer. It is probably something to do with the mountains being barren, grey and cold, giving off a very negative vibe. Strange as it may sound I actually enjoyed the evil aura of sorts that the vast barrenness was exuding. Interestingly enough many say that they feel suffocated in that particular place despite it being an open expanse of land. Maybe it is the cold mountains that seem to just gape at you in a very menacing way and I suppose stories of people being brutally murdered there just adds the cherry on top. Whatever it is, just taking that surrounding in is an experience in itself but it can be unsettling. So a tip to anyone who is passing by for the first time; it’s better to avoid chilling at Chilas.

One thing that I found really striking throughout the road trip was how the mountains transitioned into different sizes, shapes, rock formations and plantation. Along the way some mountains were densely covered with emerald green trees, others had small shrubs whilst some like the Kohistan and Chilas mountains were completely devoid of any plantation.

Rice Cultivation- photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

Mostly Barren Mountains

Finally Gilgit

Fourteen hours and three rest stops later we reached Gilgit. Although the hotel we stayed in is in main Gilgit city it seems like it is nestled away between the Karakoram Mountains. Even in June the weather is pleasant and you can feel the summer breeze every now and then which is quite refreshing. The NLI (Northern Light Infantry) market in Gilgit has some really nice places to shop for local commodities like dry fruit and handicrafts and the barbeque items at the canopy hotel is worth trying too. We stopped over at Gilgit only for a night and half a day, not nearly enough time to discover anything more than the hotel premises and local shops.

Next Stop Hunza

Serena Hotel in Gilgit

The winding road to Hunza is one of the most scenic drives I have been on with cliffs partially hanging over the highway and breathtakingly beautiful forested land.

Dense Forest- Hunza

It does not take more than two hours to reach Hunza from Gilgit on the KKH. There are a number of street vendors alongside the road where we stopped to eat a local snack called chhup-shoro which is made fresh on a stone oven. It’s a thin pastry filled with minced meat and red kidney beans. It may not sound like much but the soft dough and the meat becomes one and just melts in your mouth. I highly recommend it.

Hunza is home to some spectacular mountains like the Rakaposhi, Ultar Sar and the Lady Finger. There is a point along the route where the mountains form a circle around the highway and all sides are surrounded with these magnificent snowcapped peaks beckoning you towards them. If you look around vigilantly there’s no way you can miss it.

Mountains dominating KKH

We spent the night at Serena Hotel in Hunza where I had a local soup called daodo. It’s made in chicken or beef broth and is guaranteed to warm up your insides, perfect for a cool summer night. Nightst in Hunza are particularly pleasant and the sky glistens with hundreds of stars . Its hard not to doze off feeling oddly content in life.

Sight seeing in Hunza

Hunza is a popular tourist destination and rightly so. It is renowned particularly for its watch towers in the Ganish village. Baltit Fort stands on top of Karimabad whereas Altit is situated at the bottom, the former is 800 years old according to carbon dating and the latter 1100 years. My colleague and I got up early in the morning and decided to walk uphill to see the Baltit fort. We stopped to have breakfast at a small rickety hotel with a sign outside boasting of how they made the best chapatis. True to their word, the chapatis were indeed the best I had in a long time, even the egg and tea tasted different from what I am used to having.

Sitting on the rooftop of the hotel, sipping tea while enjoying the quite of the morning was a great start to what I knew would be an eventful day.

Local Eatery at Hunza- Located on the cobblestone street that goes up to Baltit Fort

As we walked uphill we came across a number of shops that sold interesting local crafts, rocks, hand woven carpets mostly at an exorbitant price. We were however able to bargain and bring the price down significantly. I think it had something to do with me using the, I am your first customer this morning so treat me well card.

According to the Merchant this female traditional head gear is 200 years old! Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

The Watch Towers

The forts have an interesting history which the tour guides are more than happy to take their visitors through. Personally I found Altit fort more fascinating in terms of its history and strategic positioning. Additionally at its foothill was a beautifully manicured garden where there were small curvy trees with intertwining branches, a great shady place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea.

Garden right below the Altit Fort- Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

I must add here that the guide at Altit fort was particularly uppity, but in a good way, he gave a very thorough description, giving a clear indication that he knew what he was talking about. He even took photos of myself and my colleague while dangling from the balcony which I must admit was a bit nerve racking. In one particular room there was a pillar in the middle which he claimed held the mummified body of, if I recall correctly a traitor of some sort.

The fort is made on a rock cliff that drops 1000 feet into the Hunza river. To the right of the fort is the central town and to the left you can see the majestic Rakaposhi mountain. As I stood on its roof top I took in my surrounding and I was engulfed by this strong feeling of want and desire. The feeling of being present there at that point made me well up with emotion. It was then that I told myself that if anything has stolen my heart its Hunza. The village of Altit, its people and its children were very charming and in a flash I could see myself living happily there with the locals.

This neatly packed village with its cobblestone uphill pavements, green shrubs and manmade water pond were really pleasing to see. I was told that the pond freezes in winter and the children use it for ice skating. I can’t even fathom how stunning that must look.

aerial view of the Village

Luckily enough I got to see the Hunza scouts back at the hotel. They were smartly dressed young men playing drums and bag pipes. It was quite an impressive ensemble. I am glad I had the privilege of seeing them at their prime as I later came to know that they were celebrating Hunzas culture festival aka Ginani, which is celebrated with traditional fervor to mark the beginning of the new harvest season.

Marching Band Celebrating Ginani- Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

Travel to Shandoor

The road to Shandoor was a bit of a night mare. We hired a Willys jeep and it took us a little over 5 hours to get there. The road was almost nonexistent in parts and because it was an open jeep I could see how close to the edge we were. Quite an adrenaline rush I must say!

The stop over I’m glad we made

It was 11 pm, freezing cold and we weren’t exactly dressed the part. So we made the call to stop at a place called Phandar because Shandoor has no motels and to stay there you would have to make pre-arrangements for a tent and sleeping bags. Im glad we did that because Phandar is a sight for sore eyes! It is a place worth staying for at least an entire day. The lake surrounding the motel is the color of blue sapphire where the reflection of tall green trees looks as though it is imprinted on the water. There is nothing like reveling there with not a care in the world.Alas for us we could not stay long as we had to be at Shandoor in time for the polo match.

Shandoor Polo Festival

Phandar Lake- Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

At 12000 feet Shandoor is renowned for being the highest polo ground in the world. This spectacular ground has hosted polo matches since the past 800 years. It is held annually in the month of July played by rival teams from Chitral and Gilgit. This time around they held the polo festival early and due to some internal conflict Gilgit did not participate.

A polo fan would have found the match exhilarating, with feelings of excitement and jubilation in the air. For me more than the match the scene of horses galloping across the green ground with the backdrop of snowy mountains, a distant blue lake and a paragilder looked too good to be true. To say the least that experience was surreal.We left just as the festivities began to die down and for us it was a long journey back home.

Shandoor Festival- Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

Travel Back to Reality

We stayed a night in gilgit and left for Islamabad next morning. This time we took the Babusar Pass route which is a lot more scenic in comparison to the KKH. It’s mostly not accessible as it gets caved in with snow especially in winter. When we reached the top of the mountain it felt as though we were driving into a bed of clouds. Parts of the mountain were covered in snow so white that staring at it for long made my eyes hurt. The whole time I was glued to the window watching the scenery change all the while thinking of how much nature has to offer.

Awe Inspiring Shandoor- Photo credit Muhammad Tayyab

Rest assured I cannot put in words the feelings that I had at various stages of my journey to Gilgit Baltitstan. I can say for a fact that it gave me perspective and insight on a region that is different in its own right.

They say seeing is believing, I saw and I believe and I acquiesce to the positive force of nature because I know for a fact that nothing can reckon with it.