GIlgit

 Gilgit is the gateway to the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Normally, it is filled with tourists at this time of the year but, since the issues with India in late April, "All the tourists have gone". This is what I hear over and over from the people at my hotel, food vendors and shopkeepers. During my four days here I did run into three germans, two guys and a girl plus a couple of dutch guys at my "go to" coffee shop The Coffee Shrine.

The area that I was staying in was busy, messy, dirty, smelly and the traffic had no rules. My hotel was up a long hill and was away from it all and it only took me a day to find my rhythm in the chaos. I had four days to figure out what the heck I was actually going to do and where I was going to go. What I did know was that I was going to take a local bus (more about that later) to Hunza up the Karakoram highway that was built by the Chinese. For now, I just wanted to get a feel for being out of Islamabad.

The Coffee Shrine

Spicy Momos and a banana/mango milkshake

Street View on a calm morning

As I said, I found a great coffee shop with excellent Wifi, although my eSim was strong as well. I tested out a few shops for food and found a few that I liked. The "calmer" part of Gilgit was a 20 minute taxi ride away but I figured I would just stay in that area when I returned for my flight back to Islamabad. There was no way I was going to take that bus back.

I could not have asked for better people than those that took care of me at the Duroyo Hotel. Regardless of the fact that my Booking discount was 40% because of my rating level, I was treated very well. The kitchen fridge was always filled with two litre bottles of fresh spring water which meant a lot considering how hot it was. There were issues with power  and wifi outages but you just had to roll with it. 

On one of my tenuous street walks looking for the currency exchange I came across a downed Indian Helicopter from one of the many issues this area has faced. It was displayed proudly on the main street across from the an army base that I didn't even notice was there until I turned around. There were commemorate plaques that included very disparaging comments about India, but what do you expect.

I did find a nice 5k hiking trail after walking up the hill my hotel was on, instead of down. It was built about 10 years ago and was well maintained, although the guard rails have seen better days. It ran along the mountains that circled the town giving me an exception view of the surrounding area. 

I had a fairly easy and somewhat uneventful time in Gilgit. I met some nice people, ate some delicious food including an obscene amount of watermelon and cherries, and talked to a few foreigners who were all traveling around by motorcycle. However, I am ready for a bit more from the country and it is going to be in the North, and down the Karakoram highway, hopefully to the Chinese border if I can arrange it.

Standing at the land border of China and Pakistan on the Karakoram is not on my Bingo Card, but I am going to put an effort into getting there, just for the hell of it.