Kashgar was unlike any other Chinese city we had been to so far and it felt as if we were in a totally different country! Due to the location in the far west of China, it borders Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan so Kashgar was an ethnic melting pot. There was even influences from Turkey but we assume this is all down to the old silk road with traders and merchants coming from all over to exchange their wares.
Initially the place felt a bit hostile as you don't see too many foreigners and there was more staring than normal. We had accepted the staring in China as Alex pretty much dwarfs the whole population added to the fact we are a western couple anyway. After reading accounts from the Danzinger book and a bit of the history, most of Kashgar is filled with Uighur people who have their own language and are mainly Afghan descendents (we think). The reason it put us a little on edge to begin with was we didn't know how we would be received and we knew they are regarded as second class citizens over the Chinese which means they take all the shit jobs. In Kashgar, you hardly ever see a Chinese man cleaning the streets, as a taxi driver or as an attendent at the bus station. I can imagine the Uighur's feel opressed just living there so on the whole they weren't the friendlist people we had come across. Once we started making more of an effort to greet people, most became very friendly back.
The night market was very chaotic, you could still find delicacies like sheep head but we opted for a slightly safer option of liver, sausage and god knows what kebabs. The etiquette for sitting paying and eating our kebabs with the locals was unknown so it was a little awkward to begin with but you soon learn watching everyone else even if most of them are watching you! We headed to the legendary Sunday Market on Sunday believe it or not which is known to be the biggest in Asia. You could pretty much find anything you possibly wanted there but we were there to people-watch and it seemed like such an interesting place to do so because you saw the cultural diversity of the place on a massive scale. Over the few days we found our first taste of Pakistan, right round the corner from our hotel was the Pakistan Cafe where we indulged in our first curry, chapati, chai (the most amazing tea made with all kinds of spices) and then lassi (sweetened curd) to finish it off.
Our most important concern was getting to Pakistan and quite a few people we had spoke to were telling us we would struggle to get to Sost which is the first town in Pakistan for customs and immigration. There was a direct bus that didn't go daily and wouldn't leave until full, we heard stories of people waiting days before giving up and this wasn't ideal seeing we only had a few days left on our visa before the Chinese start charging £50 each, everyday you overstay!! We decided to wing it and head for Tashkurgan which is closer to the border still and leave it to fate. We weren't entirely sure the bus would go as it needed over half a bus load to not get cancelled, fate was on our side and we headed off on a full bus.
Tashkurgan was just a small stopover and we managed to hear of a bus leaving for Sost the next day, definitely nowhere near as difficult as people were making out. Now for the strangest border crossing we have made, we cleared immigration for China in Tashkurgan then had to travel 2 hours to get to the Khunjerab Pass on the actual border and then a further 2 hours to reach immigration on the Pakistani side in Sost. This was and probably is one of the most spectacular bus rides we will ever have, starting fairly non-descript through afghan style villages in desert-like terrain but after an hour or so winding through snow-capped mountains before driving through snow-covered mountains with icy roads until you reach the Khunjerab Pass (actual border) before decending through the most mountainous region on earth on the Pakistani side, everywhere you turned it was immense.
It was nice to arrive in Sost and be greeted in English by plenty of friendly Pakistani's. A tiny hotel just off the one street town was found with some guidance and an old man trying to sell Jo the Shalwar Chamise (native dress) and exchange money with Alex. We were so excited to be in Pakistan and it felt like the Pakistani's were happy with us visiting their country!
We kept bumping into a Pakistani man we met at immigration on the Chinese side trying to get further south to Gilgit to see his family. Our paths crossed again at dinner and then the next morning when he was beside a minibus heading the direction we needed. After a quick discussion with the driver, space was made for us so a quick run to the bank (the old man we met on arrival who is known as the moneychanger) and check out from the hotel meant we were ready to get going. We always manage to get lucky and meet people who help us out, he even offered to show us round his home city of Lahore when we get there but we established he will be back in China on business so his brother wil show us!
A half an hour ride ensued until we reached a collapsed bridge on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which was a result of the recent floods. Out of the first bus, help everyone get the luggage and numerous boxes off the roof and back seats before walking across the collapsed bridge and re-negotiating the second bus onwards to Passu. We were dropped at the requested guesthouse only to realise no-one was around until after the minibus had driven off and no map to speak of. Again, more people to the rescue, this time two young policemen employed by a Chinese agency to police the highway. They walked us up the road to another place which was a far better location up on a hill overlooking the valley. Our initial disappointment of being told they had no rooms was shortlived because he didn't have any but he provided a tent, camping mat and sleeping bags. This definitely topped any camping spot view and all for £1.50 a night.
Ahmed, the guy who owned the place was really nice and we found it very interesting to finally start getting the chance to ask people about their culture. With 80% of the population being able to speak English, we shouldn't have a problem throughout the rest of the country. Much to our suprise so far, people didn't have any issues addressing Jo as we thought they might address Alex all the time especially when we only saw one woman on the street in the whole of Sost! On occasions, only Alex was spoken to but most seemed a lot more liberal than we first thought.
One of the issues we were unsure of about coming to Pakistan was if people would feel it insensitive to come after the disaster but most people want tourists coming through and spending money which is going directly into the hands of the locals. As for the disaster, some have even been joking about it's inconvienience and are just getting on with their life.
Seeing the surroundings were so beautiful and Ahmed was so informative, we decided to go on a full day hike with him as our guide through the mountains, past glaciers, lakes and villages. The scenery was incredible and we lost track of how many people we shook hands with who welcomed us to their country. Along the way we were able to pick apricots and apples from the trees which were the tastiest we had ever tried, Ahmed told us that everyone shares so you can pick fruit off any tree you fancy. We stopped off in two villages to have Chai and Bread with Ahmed's relatives who were very hospitable, we were grateful of the breaks to refuel as we knew it was 6-7 hours of walking! We had to have another 2 more chai stops as villagers had spotted us with Ahmed and invited us in, on one occasion he hurried around the corner of a dwelling not to be spotted again as we needed to finish the trek.
Near the end of the trek, we rested on what was an old fort that had been decimated in fighting between religious groups but with views over the town of Gulmit. The town was affected by the floods and almost half of it was underwater, which was a result of a landslide that blocked part of the Hunza River and created a lake. There was no denying it was a beautiful lake that will be there for good but we were astonished that it takes 2 hours to get to the other end by boat and this lake never existed before the landslide. Luckily, none of the villagers died but quite a few have had to move further inland.
After getting the boat over part of the lake with the intention to hitch a ride, we eventually got picked up by two men who knew Ahmed, later to find out they were policemen! Back at camp we ate with the policemen who were pretty dodgy characters, when we were picked up they looked like 2 del boy's with a pair of 6 x 9's in the back playing loud pakistani music. One kept apologising he was drunk and then offering us some Hunza wine which we politely declined to start with as if it were a trap to be drinking alcohol in a dry country. We have been informed Hunza wine is commonly consumed in that region!! Seeing they were such dodgy characters and they policed the region for illegal immigrants, he seemed to like the fact Alex pretended we didn't have a passport or visa. The policemen along with many other Pakistani's, have been hassling Alex about why we are not married but their way of doing things is far different from the west!
Off to Karimibad and then a trek to near the base camp of the 9th biggest mountain in the world, Nanga Parbat, also known as the killer mountain due to the amount of lives it has taken. This only applies to reaching the summit so we are not on a suicide mission, we promise!
Alex & Jo xx
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