Karimibad was a place to relax as our legs needed a well deserved rest, this was lucky for us as the whole town pretty much shut down due to the end of ramadan. We managed to catch a local volleyball game which overlooked the valley in the middle of snow-capped mountains, it was a strange variation called 'shooting' which meant you had to keep your hands clasped to hit the smaller than normal ball. There was plenty of banter due to Karimibad playing the local rivals which nearly resulted in a ruck but everything calmed down and were satisfied with making noises to put the other team off.
The town itself showed signs of what the tourist industry was like as there were so many hotels but hardly any foreigners to fill them. It's been a familiar story, after 9/11, Pakistan's reputation took a massive dent which is not suprising due to all the bad press they receive. Most of the people in the tourism industry are really struggling to keep afloat and now with the floods, it doesn't look like things will get much better. So far, the hospitality shown by many Pakistani's has been incredible and the west could learn a lot from their attitude to others. It's a shame the extremists and the taliban are ruining the country for the majority.
Our arrival in Gilgit was a little overwhelming as the place was crawling with Army and Police which put us a little on edge. We heard there had been some sectarian violence the week before but the main reason was the town was a stronghold for the road leading to Kashmir. This was just a hub for our mission to Fairy Meadows to do a 4 day trek near the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the Killer Mountain.
3 hours down the KKH, we arrived at Raikot Bridge, the dropping point for our adventure. We were faced with the decision to pay a heavy price for a jeep ride about an hour up into the mountains or a 4-5 hour walk to where the road was blocked from a landslide. This is before you embark on a further 2 hours to reach Fairy Point and the first possible place to sleep. The jeep seemed like the best option at the time and it still was as we climbed the rocky road for at least half an hour before the scariest moments of our life! With no barriers and the road dipping up and down, winding around the mountain, there were a number of heart in mouth moments where the jeep travelled inches from a drop that we wouldn't like to think how far you would tumble. We felt it a blessing that the road was blocked from where it dropped us as we were both on the edge of asking the driver to stop the car so we could get out and walk!
The remaining uphill walk from the block was pretty challenging in itself but there were many more parts affected by landslides. Eventually, we arrived at Fairy Point and decided that was enough for one day instead of continuing further to Fairy Meadows which is a lot more scenic but another 3 hours up a steeper path over a mountain! We did meet some Pakistani boys (wouldn't really call them men) who were around 21, from Multan in Punjab. They tried to get Jo to cook after they made us chai because the men shouldn't if women are present. The look on Jo's face when one of them tried to get her to man the stove, to her further disgust, when she refused they looked at Alex as if to say 'sort your woman out and get her cooking' much to his amusement. Obviously, they were left cooking for themselves!
The second day was a 3 hour climb up and over a mountain through a beautiful village that grew all kinds of things but mainly wheat before reaching Fairy Meadows with a view of Nanga Parbat which was breathtaking. The intention was to have lunch and push on through to the next stop called Beyal which was closer again to the base camp but the mountains became shrouded with clouds and the propect of a wooden hut with a fire was too tempting not to stay for. The people who ran and helped around the hotel 'Raikot Serai' were so friendly and it was interesting talking to them about everything from expeditions that had reached the summit to more political topics about the country and life as a local. It was pretty surreal but one of the men who came to light our fire in the evening also helped organise our matresses, blankets and pillows. The surreal part was he looked like Osama Bin Laden and Jo was tucked in by him!
Waking up to the clearest view of Nanga Parbat on the third day was the highlight. Base camp proved to much as a 3 and a 1/2 hour round trip to a view point near it was enough, knowing we would have another 2 back down to Fairy Point after a spot of lunch and a rest back at the Fairy Meadows. Alex had sickness that night so the walk all the way back down to Raikot Bridge for our bus back was a tough slog on sugary water and a few handfulls of sultanas. Thankfully at the bottom, we met a tour group that gave us a lift back in their jeep which cut the journey time.
Of all places, the guy whose tour company it was is from Putney in London!! He's half Pakistani with family out here but years ago he brought a group of mates out to show them round and they told him he should set up a tour company, so he did. On this occasion he was sponsoring journalists to promote his company, one of the British women has written for Time Out, The Guardian and lots more respectable publications. She seemed interested that Alex has been taking photos out here so there could be potential to feature some of them in articles she is writing. We got on so well with them that we are going to cross paths with them in Lahore so Sohail (guy from Putney) can show us round. Jo's extremely happy as he has informed us that we can get the kind of legendary lamb chops you find at Tayyabs in London!! Looks like we will be spending at least a week in Lahore.
Alex & Jo
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