Cancelled, Late, Missed

Travel can bring such joy and the experiences you have along the way, hopefully gives you a better understanding of the world we live in. Great natural wonders, delicious food and drink, incredible people and random acts of kindness are all a part of this incredible addiction. You do your research, read about local scams, download all your apps (yes I actually said that), choice your places and away you go. What you don't do is plan for the unexpected because you can't, especially when the unexpected spirals out of control to the point you just need to ride it like a wave and hope you hit the beach softly.

I had a flight booked with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on June 27th for the one hour flight from Gilgit to Islamabad. Then the next day I was to fly from Islamabad to Tashkent in Uzbekistan. The plan was to fly to Islamabad, grab a hotel by the airport and catch my flight the next day. Well planned but boy oh boy did my plans go to shit.

The Gilgit Airport, I have not idea why is exists

The Medina 2 Hotel, my last night in Gilgit

First, I was warned by more than one person online that PIA was notorious for cancelling flights out of Gilgit. The local hotel owners who I guess wanted to reassure me that everything was OK in Pakistan sold me that I would have no problems. I ignored it all but somewhere in the back of my mind I had a "but what if" thought creeping into my consciousness.

I moved to the Median 2 hotel, which was a 10 minute walk to the Gilgit Airport. It was a nice enough place with a lush green courtyard and breakfast was free and not a buffet. The downside was there was no AC, only a fan and it was hot so sleeping became almost impossible. I finally got out of bed at 8:00 and was cleaning myself up when the tell tale "ping" came across my phone. It was an email as when I read the send I just knew what these fuckers were about to tell me. 

"We are sorry but due to technical difficulties your flight from Gilgit to Islamabad is cancelled and there are no further flights. Please contact PIA for any assistance." 

FUCK! How did I not take the constant talk on the Redditt and various travel blogs I interact with seriously. Hoping for the best is not a realistic option you big donkey! FUCK. Well I did have an option. I took the overnight bus to Gilgit from Islamabad a few weeks before so I jumped on the NATCO website hoping there were buses leaving today and that there were seats available. Boom, three buses, leaving at Noon, Three and Five. The bus I took to Gilgit leat at 3PM and arrived at 6:15 AM, just over 15 hours which was the standard. Using this logic I thought that the noon bus was to early and arriving in Islamabad at 3AM would just suck, so I grabbed a seat on the 3:00 PM flight, using my new found naive logic that I would arrive on time. FUCK!

What I was expecting as I had on my trip to Gilgit

What I got.

NATCO buses are all modern, clean and comfortable, so are the many competitors that deliver tourists and locals along this route. I figure to settle in, get a bit of sleep and then catch a cab to the airport, clean myself up and be drinking a beer in Tashkent for dinner...ummm NOPE. First the bus the pulled up was a battered and bruised 30 year old relic of a bygone era. Some windows were busted and when I entered there smell of travel in a bus that has not been cleaning in 30 years hits me right away. I walked to seat 33, kicking old water and coke bottles that were tossed in the aisle, to find some douchebag sitting in my seat. Now first of all, the bus driver was helpful and very accommodating. When he saw me talking to the guy in my seat, who would not move, he argued with him but Nope, not moving. The driver turned to me and said "This is Pakistan" and walked off. So be it, the seats were so small that it did not matter, I was not going to sleep much. FUCK!

We were I thought fully loaded and ready to go. There were four seats behind my row that were raised and nobody was sitting there. So I moved back a seat and that was another bad move. It was hard and when I realized that these seats were over the engine my seat had already been filled by some new guy. Another dude got on an sat beside me along the window and three young kids climbed in and filled in the two seats beside me. I was angry, uncomfortable but ready to get going. I knew what this trip was all about and I just wanted to get to Islamabad. The young guys were funny and taking photos of me, as they do, and were getting off 2 hours down the road near Fairy Meadows, a national park that was on my list of places to visit, but maybe next time. We roarded down the road and I felt every bump in the road. There was NO way this bus had been serviced, especially the shocks and suspension in at least 10 years, if not more. I also knew the the road we will be travelling, the Karakoram heading south was under construction and rough, very very rough going. It was the exact opposite of the completed Northern section that took me to the China Border. I was in for a back breaking bumping ride. FUCK!

There are security stops along the route and after a couple hours the young lads got off the bus freeing up the seats beside me. The guy next to me on the window side moved fast, hopping over me and into one of the seats. Another guy got on and sat beside him, window seat, leaving me a free seat beside me, or did it. We moved 50 metres to the next checkpoint to allow a guy who was getting off duty onto the bus. Yes he was fat and yes he was heading towards the seat beside me. He poured into the tiny seat, did his best manspread and settled in with a smile. "What is your country?" These guys have zero social graces or sense of their surroundings but they are friendly. One guy in front of us decide to play music, without headphone naturally and a guy opposite him started watching a movie, no headphones. FUCK!

Sunrise was 430 and I used that time to look at google maps for our location. We were not even close to Mansehra let alone Abbottabad, which were hours away from Islamabad. I started to get antsy. We finally got off the bumpy and banged up Karakoram and onto the what they call the motorway, which is essentially a well maintained highway that leads into Islamabad. I am doing the math in my head. Ok, it is 530 in the morning, my flight leaves at 11:50. If we get to Islamabad by 9 I can still get to the airport by 930, get cleaned up and all is good. I settled into the now snoring fat guy beside me, my spirits a bit lifted after a brutal night of bouncing around and no sleep, plus having to shift in my seat every 5 minutes and battling for an bit of comfort. I stared straight ahead down the aisle onto the wide open highway. The driver was clipping along at a nice pace for 30 minutes or so, and then it happened. A police blockade, on the fucking highway!! Come on universe, a detour. FUCK!

This was no little off ramp detour. We drove through so many small villages along the route that there was no speed possible. The busses started lining up like an old fashioned convoy, at one time I counted 9 of them from various companies and two very nice NATCO buses, come on man really. We went up one side of a mountain and down another and since that was so fun, we did it again. 6:00 became 7:00 and I am playing "time math" in my head. Ok, the latest I can check in is one hour before the flight leaves, so that means 10:50. If we get to Islamabad at 10 I can still make it by 10:30. I was watching google maps and the onramp to the motorway was getting close. Ok we can do this, lets go go go! We were closing in to the motorway when all the buses started slowing down and turning. They are turning the wrong way! The guy beside me turns to me and says "we eat and drink tea now'. We are stopping for breakfast? We have been on this bus for 16 hours and you are hungry and need tea. What about getting to the destination. Sure enough we pull into a bus yard and everyone gets out and to a person, including my seat mate, we all just stood around staring at each other. Nobody was eating, nobody was drinking tea. It was just mild acceptance to everything. Tick Tock Tick Tock. FUCK!

It was now closing in on 7:30 and we were still over an hour away, and we we just on the outskirts of Mansehra. My mind was playing time roulette. I scratched my head in thought and I felt a scab at the top of my scalp. I picked at it and my fingers were bloody. Damn it, this is from when I banged my head on the dresser of my hotel room the other day, as you do. There was no blood at the time but I guess it scabbed up. Now of course I scratch it and with a bit of blood on my hand my bus seat neighbors start to get excited. They all start speaking quickly in Urdu and one says to me he will tell the bus driver. I had to physically stop him, which freaked him out. These are some crazy overreacting people. We are still three hours from Islamabad and I am refusing to accept defeat. I have not slept, my body is sore as hell, the guy beside me is starting to ripen and my head is bleeding, while I notice row by row everyone starts looking at me as if I had the plague. Then I farted and almost shit my pants. FUCK!

At 8:30 we enter the outskirts of Abbottabad. Although I am still doing mental gymnastics with the time in my now healed head my hope takes one more hit to and finally gets knocked out. Our magic bus starts to slow and pulls over onto the shoulder. The driver gets out while every eye on the bus peers out the window. He comes back into the bus, walked towards the back of the bus and pulls out what looks to be a large lug wrench and a 5 foot metal pole, I guess to use as leverage. Do we have a flat tire? As he walks out a long procession of male passengers follow him. He bangs around on the left side of the bus and the remained of the passengers head out. He starts banging on the right side of the bus and I peek out and there is a crowd standing around watching him do whatever it is he is doing. The thirty minutes parked on the side of the road killed any hope that I had to make it to the Islamabad Airport on time. I was defeated, but the good news is, all the passengers returned to the bus like a "Band of Brothers" having watched the driver do whatever it was that he did. It was a good thing they stood around and watched. FUCK!

If we stand around it looks like we are helping

Our tale is not over as there is one more event that happened which just tied this journey into a nice neat little bow. We were turning into a NATCO station on the outskirts of Islamabad which worked for me. I did not really want to have to deal with the Rawalpindi bus station, the second largest in the world. I was happy to jump out here, catch an In Drive (Uber) and get to the hotel that I had booked while pondering my next move. We were about 25 metres from the station, pulling in when the bus choked, heaved, hissed and stalled. This sumbitch ran out of gas. That was not the best of it. Our Band of Brother got out and pushed the bus the last few metres into the gas station that was located at the NATCO station. I SHIT YOU NOT! I stole the picture below but you get the idea. Just picture an older beat up bus and add about 10 more dudes. Yup, that is how my 19 hours bus journey ended. We ran out of freak gas. FUCK!

I grabbed this photo from Alamy, but you get the idea.

I had had enough and needed to get off this bus. I grabbed my rucksack, which I luckily brought onto the bus with me instead of storing it underneath in the cargo areas. I jumped off the bus and the hot Islamabad air felt like a spring breeze. This is when I saw the boys lining up to push the bus. The driver came running over very concerned that I was leaving. He was honestly concerned as he had been the entire trip. Checking on me at rest stops and making sure I was ok. I lied to him each and every time. I told him I needed to get to the airport (another lie, my plane was on the tarmac without me) and he accepted that. I ordered an In Drive (uber) and the first driver would be there in 5 minutes, then 4, 3, 2..driver cancelled. Holy shit, let's do this again and yes the second driver cancelled. Screw it, I am going to sleep at the gas station. The third guy showed up, drove me the 45 minutes to "Top City", a new area being built up around the airport. I paid him his 1100 Rupees ($5.50), checked into my hotel expecting it to be just a flea bag shithole. It was not. The Ambrina Hotel is a brand new hotel surrounded by to many construction projects to count. There are a scattering of shops that are open as well as a grocery store. I counted 11 new banks when we passed security into Top City. That tells you something. 

Everything we shiny and new and I was greeted cheerfully by the gun toting security guard, then the hotel manager and the front desk crew. It felt like a nice warm hug at the end of a long brutal 24 hours. I will tell you that none of this is embellished, this is a true account of what happened.

With a bit of post traumatic perspective I recounted that my chubby seat mate plus 6 others around me and we all suffered together and at times each of them asked me if I was doing ok. One guy who spoke English well said to me, "this bus is shit". That was funny. We shared water, snacks and the pain of the journey. Each of them made sure to come shake my hand as I stood on the side of the road waiting for my cab. Finally and the most important point. If you are on the road long enough, sometimes nothing is going to go to plan, no matter what. Heck that goes for everyday life but when you are in a foreign country with absolutely no control of the situation and you realize that you have been defeated, you just need to "ride that wave in baby" and hope the beach landing is soft. In my case it was. 

What I have learned along the way is in a situation such as this, as insane as it had become it was beyond my control so there is no reason to freak out. Nobody cares that I had a flight to catch, or that my ass hurt, or I was tired, and I really wanted a beer, nobody cared at all. I had problems to take care of so take care of them, one at a time. I am not being glib but have been through worse while on the road and lived to tell the tale. Sure it is going to cost me a few $$ for a new flight, so the solution is not to do a few other things that I had planned to strike a balance, and that is how I try to keep sane when my world is anything but.

I snapped the photo above at the Gilgit bus terminal as I waited for my bus trip to the great beyond. I wondered how terrible things were for him to be sitting there so incredibly dejected. It was just over 19 hours later and I felt all of his pain and anguish. The difference is I ended up sleeping in a huge comfortable bed in a room with strong AC. I can not say the same for him. Perspective is everything and there is always a solution.

The China Border

 "Let's go to the China border!" That was the first thing out of my mouth when asked what I wanted to do while travelling in Hunza. I kept reading that it takes anywhere from 6 to 8 hours to get there from Hunza. My curiosity was peaked when I met a Polish dude staying at my hotel who said that he was going the border next day from Hunza, with no stop in Sost. He was a cool old dude who ran a tour company in Poland and was getting a feel for Pakistan. 

We had a different plan. We were going to drive to Sost, which is a small village near the boarder but offers a bit of a "free trade zone" of Chinese products. Smuggling and bribery is huge in this area and the tell tale brand new, huge, black with smoked widowed SUVs passing us along the way. "We do not bother those people" said camera guy quite seriously.

First things first, we were going to stop for a swim and a kayak to break up the trip at Passu Lake. We started out early enough, following the Karakoram north towards Passu, a route we had taken a few days before. Passing Attabad lake and plowing through the Chinese made tunnels at breakneck speed, my "hash stoned" driver was in his element. As usual we made a few random stops at bridges, waterfalls and fruit stands for cherries (my choice). The turn off for the lake was just past the stop where vehicles stop to take photos of the Welcome to Passu sign (we did it) and the Passu Mountain Cones. 

The lake was clear, cold and refreshing and yes, there were only dudes swimming. Most of them did not take off their shirt, which is a huge Muslim thing but whatever. My shirt came off and yes, the stares I received from the woman who were hanging around told me that I was going to hell for my tattoos. The dudes were just dudes and wanted to swim. As with everywhere I have been, eventually we all start talking and once the ice is broken there is handshakes, laughs and questions. After a good swim it was off to the kayaks for an hour. 

A bit of kayaking

Driver doing his hippy thing

Time for post swim/kayak tea with view from the terrace

Onto Sost, the gateway for all traffic crossing the Chinese-Pakistan border. Of all the towns I have been to in Pakistan, this is the only one that felt really sketchy. I did figure that if there was a town where I could get a beer, this would be the place. In Ahad's youthful enthusiasm he was on a mission to help. After he bought 10 packs of cigarettes from a street vendor, which he told me were "so very cheap in Sost" he started asking around for beer. We went to a street vendor selling Kabobs who told him he did not have beer but something better, strong "Hunza water." They disappeared between two buildings then down an alley and out of sight. They were gone about 20 minutes and both camera man and Emmett were getting nervous, this was the first time I saw that in them as they were always happen and open for fun. Ahad finally returned with about a half a litre of clear white liquid in a bottle in his back pocket. It smelt like cherries and from what I have learned is that "strong Hunza water" is made from any fruit into alcohol. I wanted no part of it for obvious reasons.

The next morning it was China Border day. We had a breakfast of Yak burgers and headed north towards the Khunjerab National Park which takes us to our destination. Now, here we go again with the tourist pricing. Chinese and Pakistan nationals pay nothing where as I had to pay the equivalent of $40. Of course I was going to pay, and I feel luck to get into the park for that price. I came all this way and would have paid $100 if I had to. Regardless, just beware of tourist pricing in Pakistan and plan for it accordingly.

Sketch Sost

Free Trade Zone

Random stop for a photo shoot

We passed through the chaotic entrance to the National park and I had to show my passport and travel visa to three different guys who really had no interest but faked it. These guys were all about the smugglers and bribes. A tourist was a hindrance on that cash cow. The faster I was pushed across the entrance it would be back to business for them. 

The border was another 45 minutes into the park, naturally up winding mountain roads, but these roads were maintained. Paved and clean with assorted work crews along the way doing what needed to be done. This is an important road and they were going to keep it safe. We climbed the last mountain and there it was in the distance, the border between China and Pakistan. Boasting the highest ATM in the world, this is the highest land border in the world. I could feel the altitude and moved a bit slower than my normal shuffle.

Worlds highest working ATM

Great camera filter that removes all the people

At the border, both flags flying

It was a carnival like atmosphere. There were quite a few people, don't let the camera filter fool ya, although it is a very cool filter. Just standing at the border taking photos and waving to the Chinese Nationals not more than 50 metres away was a really happy moment. Remember, this is an international border. I am not showing you the miles of heavy barbed wire climbing along the ground and up the mountain, nor the scattered guard towers in the distance. Regardless it was a fun atmosphere and a highlight of my travels to date.

The barbed wire was very real

Tourist Photo

Looking back from the border

We had planned to spend about 45 minutes here due to the altitude but fuck that, and we ended up hanging around for about two hours taking photos, making videos and just having a good time. Then we packed up and drove back to Hunza, we needed to beat the sunset (which I was all for). I did not want my Mario Cart Driver blasting down the Karakoram at night. It took about 4 hours but to repeat myself, the scenery was outstanding. The Pakistani music was blaring as we blasted back to Hunza passing all the towns that I had planned on staying in. This part of my trip would never have happened if it were not for my Random Choice to walk into that restaurant in Hunza. 

However the universe has a wake to keep things balanced and I was about to experience going from a massive high to a massive low in just a few days.

Glacier Day

The Hopper Glacier, also known as Baltar Glacier, is a significant attraction in Hunza Valley, specifically within the Nagar Valley. It's a large, impressive glacier known for its accessibility, making it a popular spot for glacier viewing and photography. The glacier is situated in the Hopar Valley, which is about 10 km from Nagar Khas, the former capital of Nagar. - Wiki

The ride to the Hopper Valley was a spirited 90 minutes and during this day it appeared that the driver was gaining confidence in testing the laws of physics. Surrounded by soaring mountains and travelling through lush valleys all the while following the raging Hunza river made this trip incredible beautiful. 

The closer we got to the glacier, the narrower the roads became, while the few small bridges we narrow enough for one car only, and that did create a few interesting moments of "I am going first" with cars coming in the other direction. To that point, that is a huge cultural thing here, if I had not mentioned it before, the need to be first for everything. There is no queueing, no polite "after you" or simple common courtesy however where you learn to stand your ground the perpetration is quick to back off. It is not that they are being rude, it is just they do not know any better for "This is Pakistan."

We arrived and parked among the many vehicles parked haphazardly in what I guess was the designated parking area. I got out of the car and was blown away by the immediate view as I looked up the Hopper Valley, following the glacier to its start at the Bawalter Peak. I was more in awe at the sheer cliff face of the Bawalter Peak that was covered in ice and snow (it is over 7000M/23000 feet). The glacier creeped up to the base of the cliff face and then fell into the valley floor and extended to 28 KM long. It is considered the fastest moving glacier in the world, moving an average of 4 to 5 inches per day. The glacier was also black in appearance because of all the rock and sediment it carries, but that changed a bit when we hiked down to it. My three amigo traveling partners could not get their phones and cameras out fast enough. "We are going to create so much data today", by data I knew that Abad meant content.

Baltar Glacier in it's beautiful glory

The road along the Hunza River

My first tepid steps on Baltar Glacier

The hike down was a bit tricky but easy enough. The trails were well marked and as I looked ahead I could see families on the glacier. Then we watched as a group of well motivate and well equipped young guys rushed down the trails before us while we were having out "getting ready tea."  They were sure footed and reached the glacier fairly quickly and then went the opposite direction of those hanging out and started to "cross the glacier". I don't know much about glaciers but what I do know is they are moving, shifting and filled with crevices that you do not return from. The average depth on the Bualtar Glacier is 100 metres (300 feet) but there are areas where it is up to 900 metres (2900 feet). You do not return from that, but off they went anyways. We lost sight of them as we ventured down and it appeared they were half way across.

If you have done any hiking and for myself anyways, the downward hike is always harder than going up hill. It wreaks havoc on my knees but to no surprise the universe delivered to me a hiking stick. One of the families were on their way up, and the daughter gave me one of the two that she had. I just had to drop it off at the shop when I was done with it. The one major thing I have learned over the years is not to become "too dependent" on it. You have to use it much like a ski pole and just tap it to keep your balance and lean into it when necessary. If you use it as a crutch you will get yourself in to trouble somewhere along the way.

The face of Bawalter Peak that leads into Baltar Glacier

The Glacier is Moving!

The ice blocks are bigger than you think they are

The first thing you notice when you climb on the glacier from the rocky path is how quiet everything is. That is until you hear the glacier talk to you with the tell tale signs of ice cracking. Then there are the sudden small movements of stones that cause mini avalanches right on the boulder you are standing on as the the ice melts below you. I am talking pebbles and nothing to be concerned about and it was happening everywhere. "The glacier is moving" became our calling card.

We spent the better part of 2 hours wandering around and creating content, including more promotional videos that I thought possible. It was good fun and all for a good cause because the boys were trying to promote their tour companies all the while trying to show me a good time. 

Gemstone Vendors

Cold Fresh Glacier Water

The climb out was easy enough and we were rewarded with cold clean glacier water. We had yet another cup of tea, which I am starting to just accept as a part of everything here, much like stopping for a pint after some activity back home. The pint is better. There were some nice viewing platforms as well as a rustic terrace from which we drank our tea. The cool part of this location is that it is a trail head for two and three day treks into the interior for viewing of K2, Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak), Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II, a few other 8000 metre peaks in the area. There was a small and very simple hut with two rooms that rented out for people to get a good night's sleep and an early start. This intrigued me and I have made a mental note. I did research about doing the K2 base camp trek which priced itself out at about $3000. This was more of a local experience and lasted 3 days and not 10. 

There were some gemstone tables setup with other assorted trinkets. I ended up buying a travel bracelet with blue unpolished aquamarine and a few peace signs for about $5. Aquamarine is my birthstone so it seemed logical to pick it up at the source. All in all, this was a very good day as it took my appreciation for the beauty of Northern Pakistan to a whole new level. I am just scratching the surface of this place but now I understand how other people talk about coming here for a couple of weeks and then end up extending their 90 day visas. I think you can add me to that list if I was to focus on Pakistan being my only stop on this trip. 

Fortnite

Today there were two forts that needed to be explored, Baltit Fort and Altit Fort.  Now before that I need to get something off my spleen, and that is tourist pricing. It is a national sport here in Pakistan, only rivaled by cricket and corrupt politicians. Here are a few examples, and it was the Forts that made me think WTF duck. To enter the forts, the ticket price was 600 rupees for locals (about $3), but for tourists Baltit Fort was 2000 Rupees (about $10) and Altit fort was 3000 (about $15). When I bought tea while waiting for my bus to Gilgit I watched everyone pay 50 Rupees (.25) and I was charged 60. My sugarcane drink was 120 instead of 100, can of pepsi, 120 and not 100. Yes, these are small things that equate to nothing (except the fort) but it really is annoying. NOW, on the flip side, there were quite a few times where I did not pay for my street snacks or tea and I was wished a "Enjoy Pakistan". So, naturally there is a balance as the universe provides for us, but it really is annoying when it is hot and you are not in the mood for Tourist Pricing. Ok, now let's move on while I drink the two free coke that were just delivered to my room. 

Fun Fact. I have been travelling in Muslim countries since May 20th (UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan) and to replace my inability to drink beer I have somehow replaced that with Coke or Pepsi. There were a few bar options in Dubai but it did not warrant a 12$ Budweiser. Now, the real issue is I am now "addicted" to this nasty sugar water and the light went on knowing that millions of people are actually addicted to Soft drinks without realizing it. This product is evil in every way possible.

Baltit fort has been on the "To Be Considered" list for UNESCO since 2004. It was founded in the 8th century but after years of disrepair it is now an impressive museum. My first question about the Forts was "were they built to repel Genghis Khan. It was pointed out that it was the mountains the prevented him and his armies from attacking this part of of Pakistan. They were forced into Afghanistan but did eventually attack the Punjab region, including Lahore. 

The fort had easy access from Karimabad so after the driver picked me up and we stopped for coffee off we went. We passed through the hilly street vendors and shops which I was really enjoying. I mean it they were all selling the same crap that was made in China, but professed at it's authenticity. Many of the shops were selling polished stones and rocks from the area and they were indeed beautiful. We walked past so many people who were standing on the side of the street looking like they have had better days. Yes, these hills were steep and there was no getting around it. No cars were allowed up the street to the fort which made sense because it would have been chaos.

We joined up with a tour guide, but since it was all in Urdu I just smiled. Ahad did his best and was passionate about translating for me. These types of tours are cool but I never retain anything. The kitchen, sleeping quarters, weaponry and clothing, were all outstanding and once outside the views were impeccable. Baltit was built on a high cliff so the only way to attack the fort was uphill, the hills we walked, so enemies were in tough. There was a jail in which prisoners were lowered into a room 30 feet and that was it, the only entrance/exit. They were buried below the fort with absolutely no escape. Take that Alcatraz.

Altit was much the same however one fact stood out for me. Perched on the cliff overlooking the Hunza river, our guide took us to the roof after a really good tour in which he spoke English for me, then Urdu for the masses. He took us to the edge of the fort and there was an odd rise in floor stone work. Well, this was the place that prisoners were taken and tossed over the wall of the fort where they smashed onto the rocks about 1000 feet below. This was serious middles ages retribution. 

After the forts we stopped for the mandatory tea and big cups of Hunza water. It was decided to drive up to Eagles Nest for the Sunset, and what a freaking drive it was. Driver was a madman as we climbed and climbed on winding switchbacks which I was told promised to be a spectacular view. From the Eagle's Nest viewpoint in Hunza, you can see several prominent peaks of the Karakoram Range, including Rakaposhi, Ladyfinger Peak, and Ultar Sar.  I was somewhat surprised to find a major high end hotel at the peak, along with a huge viewing platform that included shops and coffee/tea stands. Why I was surprises is beyond me. If there is a buck to be made, anywhere in the world then it will be made. 

This was a good day. There was very little driving plus the sites and sounds of Karimabad history were there to be enjoyed, well except for the poor buggers who were tossed off the Altit fort and into the rocky abyss below.

Off To The Mountains

I woke up feeling energized and hopeful that these my new buddies would legit and would come pick me up at 10:00 AM. Tony and I had a nice breakfast, although I did not have fresh jam this morning, something I will have to remedy tomorrow. I received a message at 9:00 that they boys would be there on time (they were late trying to find my hotel) so it looked like it was game on. I had not idea what the plan was but that sure as hell did not matter.

The well worn, black Toyota Corolla pulled with four smiling faces. The driver, whose name I was never told was just referred to as driver. He was small, shorter than me and could have been a hippy anywhere in the world. When he did not wear his headscarf, his long 60s hair was all over the place. His Pakistani clothing and sandals were well worn. He had a shit eating grin and the way he pulled up was even energetic. This I found out later was because he was constantly smoking hash. Doh! I was told to jump into the front seat as I was the guest and off we went. Within 30 seconds I realized that "Driver" was another fucking madman behind the wheel.

The Madman Driver

Our first stop was going to be Attabad Lake which was about 25 minutes down the Karakoram Highway. The highway was fully constructed by the Chinese, including the tunnels along the way. The guys talked excitedly in the back, asking me questions about my life and I did the same in return, while keeping a wary eye on the corners we took along the mountain road wondering if we were going to continue to challenge the laws of physics. Anyways, Attabad Lake was formed by a massive mountain rockslide into the Hunza River in 2010, displacing over 35,000 people of the area. Now, it is a "tourist destination" with coffee shops, rental boats, Jet skis and a short zip line just to name a few things available. It is odd how natural disasters can become tourist attractions, you see it all over the world. We had some tea and odd delicious chicken wings, took a ton of photos and shot some videos and basically hung around for about 90 minutes. It was a good start to the day.

Tourist sign with the first of many tunnels

The busy lake

We love you China

Next up, we were going to blast our way to Passu and enjoy the changing mountain views along the way. Well the boys were correct. The Karakoram wound around the mountains, through tunnels and into gorgeous green valleys, which were now surrounded by snow capped peaks. There are 7 peaks of over 7000 metres in this area, the most prominent being Rakaposhi at 7788 metres. The drive to Hunza was about 2 hours and we made plenty of stops along the way to shoot "promotional videos". Passu is a small village known for its landscapes and views of the 7,478-meter (24,534 ft) Passu Sar mountain, the Passu Glacier, and the Passu Cathedral (Tupopdan) 6,106m (20,033 ft). - wiki 

To say it was impressive is a complete understatement. Naturally photos never do a place any justice and I do not shoot much video, but I do love the view of a long highway heading into and surrounded by mountains. This was a busy area with cars stopped all along the side of the road with people taking photos completely oblivious to traffic. It is a Pakistani thing really, go where you want, stand where you want and walk where you want. Everyone else be damned. We stopped a a small cherry festival along the side of the road and devoured delicious sweet cherries and dried apricots. It also gave the boys time to roll up some hash and smoke with driver. 

We spent quite a bit of time in the area which was great. My original plan was to come to Passu for 4 nights and maybe do a bit of hiking. Man did I dodge a bullet there. One night would have been sufficient but no nights was working out even better. Stomachs full, hash smoked, cold water chugged and with snack in hand it was time to turn around and head back to Gulmit, home of some type of bridge that spanned the river. Off we went, I was still in the front seat but slowly regretting it.

Gulmit was another small village but this bridge has made it another traffic disaster because people just don't care. We found our way to a parking spot and purchased our tickets. The walk was downhill and busy with people rushing to the bridge. I have never met a people who are so eager to be first, at anything. They will butt in front of you at shops and even ATMS. 

Here is the thing about the bridge. It is slatted making the average walker go slowly. They only let so many on the bridge at a time and as we were watching the return time for most people seemed to be about 30 to 45 minutes. It was long enough  but it was because of a few reasons. The first being every person stopping to take photos and videos, or waiting for their friends to catch up, or people being completely terrified. We calculated, with the crowd of people waiting, that our wait was no less that three hours. The photos we took were good enough. The Gulmit Friendship Bridge was sexy and everything but we took a hard pass. The highlight was Ahad arguing and losing his shit trying to get the money back for our unused tickets. He provided a Master Class in Pakistani determination. I did not like that security showed up but they did nothing. They were just being nosy.

All in all, this was an excellent day. These young guys are full on, with energy to spare. The phones were constantly out and everything deserved a video. Camera Man had a real nice Nikon 35 MM with a few lenses and his photos were great. They needed to make "content" so they could compile it and make a few great promotional videos. I did not care, and played along doing interviews and posting for photos. it was all good fun, BUT, and yes that is all capitals, I am not sure how I will handle 5 or 6 days of it. I will need to embrace the fact that the universe dropped these guys in my lap and just "embrace the suck" when it happens.

Random Choices

Every action has a reaction. It is a theory tested throughout time and something we live with every day, although we do not really pay attention to it. How many times have you done something "random" and suddenly your entire day changes, or week, or month or life. If we can fully grasp the importance of Random Choices, or the sudden urge to do something not within your expected routine and how it can lead to unexpected results if you get out of your own way and allow them to happen organically. With that I will introduce you to Ahad, Emmett and Sarjit.

My new buddies

My first full day in Hunza started with my breakfast of eggs, bread, tea and fresh jam, accompanied by Tony as I looked into the Hunza valley. I could actually hear the river as it was so quiet in my breakfast bar. I had spoken to the owner of the Hotel and I mentioned I wanted to walk down to visit Ganish, a 1000 year old village at the bottom of the hill. He happily showed me a shortcut that lead right into the village, saving me about a 30 minute walk. I came out into the back end of the little village at the base of the hill and found my way to the street and Ganish, an easy find.

I paid my 500 Rupees and a guide mysteriously appeared, which I was expecting from the reviews that I read. He was a stately old dude and he said he had been a guide for over 40 years but since his heart attack he now guides the settlement only. Oddly, this was confirmed by the owner of my hotel (Sorry, I keep forgetting his name) as they ran a tour company together, which the owner still had. I kept that in mind because I needed some ideas on how to accomplish my travel goals while in Hunza. Anyways, we walking through this little walled community, which is only about 10% of its original size due to earthquakes and government interference and land appropriations. It was interesting as it reaffirmed what I learned in Afghanistan about the enormity of the Ancient Silk Road influences, most notably Buddhism, which was a big part of this town's history. Islam was not a part of the community for over 500 years as it began being used to influence and scare the people into submission. Weirdly similar to what Constantine did with Christianity and The Roman Empire in about 300 AD. Using religion to control the masses, I am glad that never advanced past the middle ages.

My guide gave me a great tour, in great detail about the 4 little mosques that survived the history of the place, plus a bit of knowledge as to why the doors to all the buildings were so small. It was to control the environment. You see, such small doors kept the heat out in the summer and the cold out in the winter. I figured that I had seen these small entrance ways before so there must be something to it. Now as the tour was ending we found a bit of shade in the main courtyard and we just started chatting. It naturally let to American Politics, Pakistani Corruption and the War with India which "never goes away." I did more listening that talking for a couple of reasons. The first was I wanted to hear what he had to say and second, he seemed quite content on telling me his views. I was in a Pakistan Time Hortons without the cheap coffee. With my tour ending as there were others waiting, I gave him a 500 Rupee tip and off I went, looking for a snack to decide what to do next.

This was a busy area, mainly because it was the main exit of the Karakoram Highway that leads into Karimabad. There were a few hotels, restaurants and tuck shops, which I tend to find myself going to for a cold Pepsi or Coke. I might have mentioned this in the past, but I do not usually drink that unhealthy swill, but when I travel I can not seem to get enough of it. So with coke in hand I see two restaurants across the street, and the larger of the two, and open aired patio was busy. Lessons learned from the past, if a restaurant is busy with locals, then that is where you should east. I stepped across the street not realizing that this choice was going to change my trip.

I entered the place and asked where to sit and the unimpressed guy behind the counter just waved his hands. I notice a table with chairs (a must) and made my way. I was just about to get settled when I heard, "come sit here, join us". These tables are separated by a sitting bed so I did not notice the three young guys when I walked in. I figured why not, and joined them as milk tea suddenly appeared in front of me. 

Ahad, Emmett and Sarjit were from Lahore Ahad and Emmett each run seperate tour companies, Ahad has Rove Adventures and Emmett has Trip Holic but there were in the process of joining forces. Sarjit was on one of Rove Adventures trips and became fast friends with Ahad, so he was hired as the social media content guy. He was just referred to as "Camera Guy". His english was the weakest of the three but he was friendly just the same.

It so happens that these three had just finished a tour of the Hunza area and had some extra time before they went back to Lahore, and they were looking for a few things to do. Ahad was very keen on learning what my plans were (I was well aware that he was probably looking to sell me a tour). I was open and talked about wanting to go to The China border, Passu and maybe Gulmit. He brought up places I never would have thought about such as various lakes and glaciers, plus the two forts that were in the area. Ity was a very good conversation and since I really had no idea what to do and how to do it we actually started to make a plan. He would be my guide and we would hire a driver for 5 days, $100 for him plus $150 for the driver. He would give me a discount as long as I would help promote his company as well as Emmetts with photos, videos and commentary about their companies. I could do that.

They wanted to start right away but we agreed to start the next morning, which gave him time to find a local driver and organize tours that he was already working on. He was a high energy 25 year old and seemed to know everyone at the restaurant. Emmett was a bit younger at 21 and seemed to always be fighting on the phone with his girlfriend and Cameraman just seemed to hang out and live as stress free a life of anyone I have ever met.

We shared contact information then said our goodbyes for the day. They ended up buying my breakfast, which is very common here in Pakistan. As I wandered around the river and back through the town, constantly climbing hills, I tried not to overthink what had happened. If they showed up at my hotel in the morning as planned, cool, of not, well then I would figure it out. 

Random choices. What was a sudden choice to enter a busy restaurant could turn out to be an incredible enhancement to my Pakistan journey. We shall see.