Entry eleven

10 June

The grumpy cook at our hotel in Chitral in his kitchen. woodfired furnace behind him

It has been a few days since my last entry. We have been on the move, which is a rather exhausting business around here. On the 5^th we traveled in style from Chitral to Mastuje. Glen has left us, as he has to make his millions, so the four of us rented a Jeep for the first 90Km. Local people cram into a Toyota Van with 15 or more or buy a place in a Land cruiser which takes just as many passengers. With only three doors, you have to climb in over the seats and hook your legs behind your ears to fit all in, like a sardine in a can, which I'm sure it would feel if one would role of a bank into the river.

First our guard walked around with an AK 47 but our friends complained and then he changed into civil clothes and a semi automatic pistol hidden in his pants

We are four in the Jeep with all our gear on the roof. Instead of waiting around at the taxi stand till all the seats are filled we got picked up from our little hotel. Our departure turned into quiet a happening as most off the local pilots turned up to farewell us.

Even the Mulleh came out to say goodbye, and to collect some money for the mosque.

Grey happy with his new bag to protect his glider during travel, at least the bag has got speed.

The day before, we were invited to a little ceremony where the local Chitral pilots incorporated their club into the national association. Grey was appointed as our leader and guest of honor and in that role made a little speech to thank everyone for their hospitality and kindness.

Grey is the guest of honer and sits with the new president and secretairy

 It is truly remarkable how unselfish and generous those people have shown themselves to be. It is a humbling feeling to experience such behavior. We in the west can learn a thing or two of those people. The fact that Pakistan gets such bad publicity in the world is all the more painful in this light.

Women are hidden in this society and never on their own. Turning their back while you drive past so you dont see their face.

In Mastuje we spend the night to catch the 5.30am bus to Gilgit the next morning. The first 100 kilometers are over a track in the rocks which often doesn’t allow for more than walking pace speed, great for taking in the views but one gets tired of watching even the most stunning landscape after a while. We had to get out of the bus a few times as the strength of the makeshift bridges was in doubt The rest of the 250Km trip runs over mostly tar sealed road which follows the Ghizer river valley and thus twists and turns its way through the landscape.

Chandur Pass 3400metres the highest pologrounds in the world and the highest pass to cross from Chitral to Gilgit

some of our fellow travelers at a teastop on chandur pass

Alex was been having some problems with his digestive track and had taken some preventive measures to stop the need for frequent stops. Towards the end of the bus ride my guts succumbed to the same fate, luckily we did change busses at a petrol station with bathrooms.

In Gilgit the passengers get dumped at the outskirts of town from where each has to find its way. A few taxies were roaming and one little Suzuki bus had to make two trips to ferry us with all our gear to a Back packer hostel in town.

Less than two months ago the different Muslim factions of the town were at each other’s throat and the streets were running red with blood, now everything looks business as usual, at the surface anyway.

Iv been away from home for a month now and in that time I have only had cold showers. In Rawalpindi it is hot enough to forgo warm water and in Chitral there is no hot water in the little hotel we were staying. Gilgit is a relative warm town and after two days travel I actually looked forward to a cold shower. Imagine my surprise when there appeared to be only hot water. It was nice though and I must have lost track of time, as the others only got cold showers….

To travel to Karimabad we again have the options of cramming in a taxi van or renting one to ourselves. We opt for luxury and Grey and I take a taxi to the bus exchange to organize a Van. This place is outside the irrigated area and with the wind blowing and the sun shining is like a desert. We find a Van for an acceptable price and drive back to town to pick up Dimitry and Alex with the gear. Nothing in this country is easy, it appears that the Van is not allowed into the city center so Grey and I wait at a hotel outside the center while Alex and Dimitry get a taxi to join us.

We now travel on the Karakoram Highway, KKH, which two years ago was an ordeal to travel. The Chinese are widening the road to double lanes and building some tunnels where rock fall and avalanches regularly block the road. They have dug up the whole 75Km between Gilgit and Karimabad and even now, two years later, only half has been completed. It is a great feeling though to zoom along on smooth tar seal at 80Kph. The trip still takes four hours so we arrived late afternoon at the Mulbarry Hotel where we find Brad Sanders, ………

They are preparing to leave the next morning as they are on a limited time schedule and the weather forecast is not great for the coming days.

8^th of June.

The weather is indeed non flyable but good enough for a walk up the gorge behind the village. It is a gorge carved out by the Ultar Glacier which provides all of Karimabad with water for irrigation and drinking. The water is full of extremely fine silt that doesn’t settle if left undisturbed which makes for grey water to shower, wash and drink.

To get the water to the village there are multiple channels that have been carved out in the solid rock, each one a real feat of engineering. We follow one of those channels to the snout of the glacier from where a track leads into a big cirque. This hanging valley was once carved out by the same Ultar glacier. Above this cirque the glacier spills through another gorge but here the glacier still has its full volume and fills the whole gorge. Above the gorge is a big ice plateau that collects all the snow and ice that falls down the 2000meter high walls behind it. We got to the first cirque when the weather started to pack in and the first thunder clap made us turn around.

Our hotel in Karimabad with the Ultar glacier gorge in the back ground. potato poteto, mulbarry mullberry

In the evening we dine at the Hidden Paradise Restaurant, a place that serves traditional Hunza dishes with no frills or pretentions. Good grub!

Unrelated to the food of the evening my guts give up and I have to take some chemical measures to limit the damage. Unfortunately the side effects knock me out for the next 24 hours. Never mind as it was a grey and rainy day.

10^th June.

The day started cloudy with only a small bleu hole down the valley. Hour by hour the conditions improved and against all the negativity about the day from Dimitry, Grey and Alex took the Jeep to the launch area. I still feel a bit feeblish and prefer to conserve my energy for tomorrow.  Grey and Alex get rewarded with a four hour scenic flight around the valley reaching heights of 5500meter. The next days are going to be better!