1HaytchZed
Active member
Amazing, seems like y'all had a blast! Loving the videos!
PAKISTAN: NOT QUITE OVERLAND BUT WHAT AN ADVENTURE!
- Thread starter jim65wagon
- Start date
jim65wagon
Well-known member
Thank you! Glad you enjoy the videos. Pakistan was incredibly fun and beautiful.
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jim65wagon
Well-known member
Also, here's the next video of the series.
Americans in Pakistan Part 7
Hussaini Suspension Bridge, Attabad Lake and Eagles Nest Viewpoint
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Americans in Pakistan Part 7
Hussaini Suspension Bridge, Attabad Lake and Eagles Nest Viewpoint
Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk
jim65wagon
Well-known member
After a good brekky of fried eggs, toast and coffee, we all loaded back onto the bus. Our journey today would take us to Skardu. To get there we had to backtrack down the KKH a bit then pick up S-1 and head East. The S-1 is a once upon a time mountain shelf road that follows high above the Indus River. After just a few miles on S-1 we found ourselves suddenly in a traffic jam. Up ahead of the line of cars we were behind we could see people working, hearing their shouts and occasionally we could see rocks tumbling down the hillside. Of course we all exited the bus to see what was going on. If you haven't figured it out yet, there had been a landslide that pretty much covered the highway pretty deep. The people working at removing rocks were the people from all the other cars. I don't know how long they'd been moving rocks but they almost had a pathway cut through the slide.
There seemed to be two groups of people, one group actively moving rocks and one group watching the hillside, shouting whenever more rocks started falling. Rizwan and Ali jumped in to help and Elizabeth and I moved in to help. There was shouting and fast talking going on near us, Umar told us the locals did not want us helping move the rocks. They did not want to be responsible for the death of a tourist. After arguing a bit we relented and became spectators of rocks, we could at least shout and point when a new fall started. After a bit more work, the crew had a truck drive over their path. It bounced over the rocks and made it safely to the other side. The rock removers stood back and watched as several cars started crossing the path, each waiting for the one in front to get all the way across before starting across themselves. All the passengers crossed at a jog with only the drivers in the cars.
Some new rocks came tumbling down and once the mountain settled down they quickly removed the new rocks, and cars started rolling through again. The lines on each side of the landslide dwindled slowly and soon our bus was at the front of the line. The crew decided they had to move a few more rocks to flatten the pathway for the bus. Then they had a few more trucks drive over to compact the base a bit more.
Our group started across the slide at a jog, with all the work crew shouting in unison and waving their arms as we went. Once we were across Mustafa brought the big bus through. The path was just wide enough and with lots of bouncing and swaying the bus was across. We all cheered with relief as the bus came to a halt for us to climb back aboard. Keep in mind that this whole time little slides kept falling, rocks the size of your head rolling down the mountain from a hundred feet above. People would shout, people would run, rocks would roll. Once all the rolling stopped the people would jump right back in and removed the new debris. All the people involved worked well together in the common goal of clearing the road enough to pass.
There seemed to be two groups of people, one group actively moving rocks and one group watching the hillside, shouting whenever more rocks started falling. Rizwan and Ali jumped in to help and Elizabeth and I moved in to help. There was shouting and fast talking going on near us, Umar told us the locals did not want us helping move the rocks. They did not want to be responsible for the death of a tourist. After arguing a bit we relented and became spectators of rocks, we could at least shout and point when a new fall started. After a bit more work, the crew had a truck drive over their path. It bounced over the rocks and made it safely to the other side. The rock removers stood back and watched as several cars started crossing the path, each waiting for the one in front to get all the way across before starting across themselves. All the passengers crossed at a jog with only the drivers in the cars.
Some new rocks came tumbling down and once the mountain settled down they quickly removed the new rocks, and cars started rolling through again. The lines on each side of the landslide dwindled slowly and soon our bus was at the front of the line. The crew decided they had to move a few more rocks to flatten the pathway for the bus. Then they had a few more trucks drive over to compact the base a bit more.
Our group started across the slide at a jog, with all the work crew shouting in unison and waving their arms as we went. Once we were across Mustafa brought the big bus through. The path was just wide enough and with lots of bouncing and swaying the bus was across. We all cheered with relief as the bus came to a halt for us to climb back aboard. Keep in mind that this whole time little slides kept falling, rocks the size of your head rolling down the mountain from a hundred feet above. People would shout, people would run, rocks would roll. Once all the rolling stopped the people would jump right back in and removed the new debris. All the people involved worked well together in the common goal of clearing the road enough to pass.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
Further down the road we came to another police checkpoint. Of course the passports and visas for the US people were checked. An Officer boarded the bus and checked all the Ids of the male Pakistanis on the bus. He looked at me and said something I didn't understand but I heard the words “Cha Cha” Umar said something back to him, and he looked at me again then laughed. Umar told me the officer was asking for my ID and called me “Cha Cha” which is roughly the Older Uncle. I had been warned earlier in the trip that with my complexion and blue eyes I looked like some of the citizens of Gilgit-Baltistan. I guess they were right...
Along the way to Skardu we passed a lot more older rock slides that had been cleared off the road but piled up on the edges almost as high as the bus was tall.
We turned off the main road and onto a sandy track of the Katpana desert. We made our way out to some dunes and a place called Glamp Pakistan. For tonight we went all out, sparing no expense. We picked the fancy Geodesic Domes of Glamp Pakistan overlooking the valley below the dunes. Situated in the Katpana Desert and within sight of several well known mountaintops – Koser Gunge, Mango Gusar, B21 and further in the distance, the mighty K2.
The dome was nicely appointed and well insulated, and had the best shower of the trip. Actual hot water came out of the several shower heads in the stone walls of the bathroom. Nice. The electricals were a little wonky, like most of the electricals in the country. We managed, with a little wiggling and the propping up of the charging block so that it sat “just right” we could get our phones and computer to charge.
We ordered dinner and then waited by playing several rounds of UNO with the family. It was 7PM when we ordered and we finally got the call at 9PM. We all made our way to the dining hall. The Yak burgers were spiced to the point that you couldn't taste the yak at all. The Boti Chicken was good but the best dish on the table was the Yak Nehari. Elizabeth and I ordered tea to drink with dinner, but the culture does not understand drinks WITH dinner. Our tea was served with everyone elses – after dinner.
After supper we walked up the dunes and enjoyed a bonfire and “fireworks”. The bonfire was really nice with all of us sitting in camp chairs and talking about all the things we've seen and done. The fireworks consisted of four tubes of Roman Candles that Umar was allowed to hold and fire them off into the air. It was a fun evening by the fire.
Breakfast the next morning was interesting. Elizabeth and I wound up in the mess hall before anyone else. The servers would come in, see the two of us, turn around and leave. After seeing this happen twice I finally got one man's attention and called him over. He looked wide eyed when we said we would like two coffees. He said “Me?” We both said “Yes!” and he bounced out quick returning a short time later with a tray of coffees. Finally!
We walked the dunes behind the camp taking photos then it was back to the bus and repacking our luggage into it.
Along the way to Skardu we passed a lot more older rock slides that had been cleared off the road but piled up on the edges almost as high as the bus was tall.
We turned off the main road and onto a sandy track of the Katpana desert. We made our way out to some dunes and a place called Glamp Pakistan. For tonight we went all out, sparing no expense. We picked the fancy Geodesic Domes of Glamp Pakistan overlooking the valley below the dunes. Situated in the Katpana Desert and within sight of several well known mountaintops – Koser Gunge, Mango Gusar, B21 and further in the distance, the mighty K2.
The dome was nicely appointed and well insulated, and had the best shower of the trip. Actual hot water came out of the several shower heads in the stone walls of the bathroom. Nice. The electricals were a little wonky, like most of the electricals in the country. We managed, with a little wiggling and the propping up of the charging block so that it sat “just right” we could get our phones and computer to charge.
We ordered dinner and then waited by playing several rounds of UNO with the family. It was 7PM when we ordered and we finally got the call at 9PM. We all made our way to the dining hall. The Yak burgers were spiced to the point that you couldn't taste the yak at all. The Boti Chicken was good but the best dish on the table was the Yak Nehari. Elizabeth and I ordered tea to drink with dinner, but the culture does not understand drinks WITH dinner. Our tea was served with everyone elses – after dinner.
After supper we walked up the dunes and enjoyed a bonfire and “fireworks”. The bonfire was really nice with all of us sitting in camp chairs and talking about all the things we've seen and done. The fireworks consisted of four tubes of Roman Candles that Umar was allowed to hold and fire them off into the air. It was a fun evening by the fire.
Breakfast the next morning was interesting. Elizabeth and I wound up in the mess hall before anyone else. The servers would come in, see the two of us, turn around and leave. After seeing this happen twice I finally got one man's attention and called him over. He looked wide eyed when we said we would like two coffees. He said “Me?” We both said “Yes!” and he bounced out quick returning a short time later with a tray of coffees. Finally!
We walked the dunes behind the camp taking photos then it was back to the bus and repacking our luggage into it.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
We all piled in and Mustafa started hauling us across the dunes. Then we came to a stop. Our driver slung the bus in reverse and backed up in the sand a bit, then roared forward. A little farther but the wheels sunk and that was it. We were stuck.
We all climbed out.
The driver started digging sand from the tires with his hands. Some of our group wanted to send Ali back to camp for someone to find a tractor. After some emphatic conversation I convinced them we could get unstuck and dropped down (to Mustafa's protest) and began digging sand with my hands. Eveyone followed suit digging down to a hard pan of earth under the sand, We dug for a while, then Mustafa jumped in and as we all pushed the bus he put some power to the wheels.
We moved slowly about 5 feet, then 10, the bus slid a little sideways but finally with us all pushing it broke free and was driven to firmer terra firma. YAY! High fives and and congratulations went all around. Mustafa was smiling and laughing with a thumbs up as we climbed back aboard.
We all climbed out.
The driver started digging sand from the tires with his hands. Some of our group wanted to send Ali back to camp for someone to find a tractor. After some emphatic conversation I convinced them we could get unstuck and dropped down (to Mustafa's protest) and began digging sand with my hands. Eveyone followed suit digging down to a hard pan of earth under the sand, We dug for a while, then Mustafa jumped in and as we all pushed the bus he put some power to the wheels.
We moved slowly about 5 feet, then 10, the bus slid a little sideways but finally with us all pushing it broke free and was driven to firmer terra firma. YAY! High fives and and congratulations went all around. Mustafa was smiling and laughing with a thumbs up as we climbed back aboard.
the deputy
Well-known member
Thank you, Older Uncle, for the great trip report!
jim65wagon
Well-known member
From there we headed out to the Safranga Desert. Katpana and Safranga are the highest elevation deserts in the world and really really beautiful to see. As we walked up the dunes Mike took to “Sand Walking” so as to not attract the sand worms, then for some odd reason he dropped to the sand and began pounding his fist on the ground. Elizabeth asked him what he was doing. He replied “I'm calling the sand worms so we can ride them!” Luckily, it didn't work.
Umar convinced a local man to let him rent his motor bike for a ride into the dunes. Rizwan and Ali hiked down the dune to check out the Indus River. The rest of us just walked the dunes watching Umar in the distance. Eric followed him with his drone. For his first time riding a bike in the sand he did well, only wrecking once and even then he wrecked gently. He made it back to our group and we all watched, waited and laughed as Rizwan and Ali learned just how hard it is to climb a huge sand dune coming back from their river adventure.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
From the desert we drove up into the mountains, watching the countryside change from tan, to green. Our next stop was the Serena Shigar Fort. For 1000 rupees we got a short tour and a long advertisement for their rooms to rent inside the fortress. Our tour guide was an interesting fellow with an infectious laugh (see our video Americans in Pakistan Part 8). At one point he led us to the rooftop showing us various rooms, then he disappeared into another room. Beth and I followed him inside – right into his living room. He was taking a short break from the tour, we did not realize he had excused himself, and after some brief confusion and hand waving he ushered us out of his house. That was good for a laugh from all of us.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
From Shigar we headed to our next stay in the very fancy Shangrila Resort in the Shangrila Valley. From our brief research this was supposedly the very valley that the Shangrila of Hilton's “Lost Horizon” is based on. With the Lower Kachura Lake, the Tibetan style restaurant on the lake-shore, and green trees nestled in the valley of the mountains, I could believe it's true.
We all divided up into our individual accommodations, some of us went for the Swiss Style Cottage, Beth and I chose the more modest Lakeshore Deluxe room. It had a great view of the lake and was appointed with a nice little coffee maker....a coffee maker! We wouldn't have to wait for someone else to wake up and make us coffee! It was awesome!
jim65wagon
Well-known member
The next day most of us took a field trip to the Upper Kachura Lake, Elizabeth stayed behind and began the long process of editing our gigabytes of video and photographic materials. The access to Upper Kachura Lake leads through a stone wall lined path between the stone houses of a small village. The village ladies were washing clothes in the stream beside the pathway. They would look up and smile as we passed by.
We walked down a long long flight of stone stairs to get to the waters edge. I put out of my mind the need to get back up the stairs when it was to leave. The main attraction at the lake, besides it's incredible view of the water contrasted with the mountains, is boating. Speed boats and paddle boats. The speed boats would fill up with people and run through the lake turning this way and that, avoiding (sometimes barely) the paddle boats. There was much screaming emanating from both types of boats. Our group decided the paddle boats were the way to go, Eric and I sat on the shore and recorded the events with his drone and my bridge camera.
The boats weren't all in pristine condition. Madeline and Umar's paddle boat, for example, only had one functioning set of pedals. They started out in unison, but quickly learned that Umar's pedals were not supplying any propulsion. Madeline pedaled them out into the deeper waters. Mike and Ali's boat had a broken rudder. They were provided with a cricket bat for steerage. They used it occasionally but they mostly brandished it about like a weapon and used it to splash other boaters.
Rizwan, Hadiqa and Sabrina paddled around avoiding the splashing from the others, while Beenish and Iffat took off across the lake. They were so far out my lens at full zoom couldn't hardly pick them up. It took them a long long time to come back to shore and the boat vendor wasn't happy that they went far beyond the rope defining the “Boating Area” The ladies just shrugged their shoulders and laughed and laughed. Eventually, everyone made it back to shore.
We hiked back up the long stairs, stopping several times along the way to catch our breath. At the top we all rested a bit. Ali said something about Madeline's strength and speed climbing the stairs and they got into a short debate. The debate was settled when Ali climbed on her back and she carried him quite a long distance up the path. The debate was settled, Madeline won the argument. We walked back to the bus and were transported back to Shangrila.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
When we got back to our room, we learned of the plan for a surprise birthday party for Ali. We were to be on the lawn of his cottage just before midnight. The family tradition is to celebrate the birthday at midnight the day of the birthday. We all relaxed until a little after 11PM then made our way over to Ali's. The resort crew quietly set up a table, chairs and provided a cake and candles.
Umar went in and with a fabricated story about one of the girls being in trouble. Ali ran out of the house and we all jumped out of the bushes shouting “Happy Birthday!!” fear, understanding, relief, and joy spread across his face in quick succession. Ali grabbed his heart and thanked everyone giving us each a hug in turn. He then read his cake “Happy Birthday Son of an Owl” (to Pakistan that is basically saying “Happy Birthday, Idiot!” and blew out his candles. Ali grabbed the knife and cut a piece of cake, which I thought he would eat. He did not, instead he picked it up in his hands and offered it to his mother. She took a bite, then he offered it to his sister. She took a bite.
He offered a bite from the one piece of cake to each of us in turn. We all took our bite, Ali was supposed to get the last bite, but Mike took the last of the cake piece, leaving Ali the frosting stuck to his own fingers. We all laughed and ate cake, and drank tea there in front of all the cottages soaking in the stars reflecting on the lake then we all trundled back off to bed
jim65wagon
Well-known member
The next morning Beth and I checked into our Turkish airlines flight for our return trip home. We packed up and hauled our luggage to the bus. (The Bell Boy was supposed to pick it up, but with our group so spread out through the reort I got tired of waiting) With the bus packed with our bags, we loaded up and left Shangrila. The bus dropped us off at the Skardu Airport. Umar gave Mustafa some cash and we all thanked him for his driving, then we walked into the Airport. Skardu is one of the smallest airports I've ever seen.
Our passports and visas were checked once again, our bags went through a scanner and we all stepped through a metal detector. The ladies were separated from the men and we all got a quick pat down, with the women being taken to a room by a female officer for a discreet check. After that we were all reunited and checked our bags at the desk. We all went through another metal detector and another frisk check then waited on our flight.
The plane finally taxied on the lone runway and we all loaded on a bus and were driven out to the tarmac. Once loaded the plane took off down the runway and we were up in the air, but just barely it seemed, as the plane just skimmed above the jagged peaks of the Karakoram Mountains you could imagine the belly bouncing off the snow covered peaks.
Back in Islamabad, we grabbed our luggage went through yet again another security scan and left the airport for Iffat's house. There we had time to repack our luggage (reunited with our third suitcase) and rest a couple of hours before our flight out of the country.
Our passports and visas were checked once again, our bags went through a scanner and we all stepped through a metal detector. The ladies were separated from the men and we all got a quick pat down, with the women being taken to a room by a female officer for a discreet check. After that we were all reunited and checked our bags at the desk. We all went through another metal detector and another frisk check then waited on our flight.
The plane finally taxied on the lone runway and we all loaded on a bus and were driven out to the tarmac. Once loaded the plane took off down the runway and we were up in the air, but just barely it seemed, as the plane just skimmed above the jagged peaks of the Karakoram Mountains you could imagine the belly bouncing off the snow covered peaks.
Back in Islamabad, we grabbed our luggage went through yet again another security scan and left the airport for Iffat's house. There we had time to repack our luggage (reunited with our third suitcase) and rest a couple of hours before our flight out of the country.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
Umar Madeline and Eric's flight was leaving at 1AM, so we were all at the airport by 11PM. Our handler grabbed us all and took us through the first checkpoint, where, once again, the ladies (Madeline and Elizabeth) were separated. Once reunited the handler took us to a seating area and led Madleine, Umar and Eric to their check in. Beth, Mike and I waited until 2AM until the handler came back and took us to the bag check that opened for our flight, where we found out it was delayed until 6:30AM. From there he led us through passport control and then we were on our own. Mike upgraded his status so headed to the Business Class lounge for a nap, while Elizabeth and I found table in the common area to rest our heads on
We finally boarded our flight and flew to Istanbul. We had a four hour layover so we grabbed a pizza (with real pepperoni!) for lunch. Beth and I found a pair of lounge chairs while Mike went up to the Business Class lounge where he was more than happy to send us videos of the treatment he was getting. Live piano music, free pizza, glasses of wine, big comfy chairs....the jerk.
Our last flight finally started boarding. To get on our flight back to the states we had to go through a security check at the gate itself. Our passports got checked and verified, our bags got scanned and swabbed, we received another pat-down, a scan with a wand and got asked a few questions about our trip. Mike was, of course, boarding before us, once again sending us video of him sipping on a cocktail, then a snack of charcuterie with wine while he sat with tons of legroom while we were in the line heading to our cramped seats. At least we weren't lonely, and they served us a cookie......
The flight was long, about 11 hours, the food was not nearly as good as our flight out but at least we got a glass of wine with dinner. Eventually we landed in Dulles and got into the Passport Control line. We waited and shuffled and waited for what felt like hours with hundreds of other people. It sure would have been nice to have that Expediter here! We finally made to the Border agent who asked us a few questions about the trip, and about how th Pakistani family felt about losing the Cricket Match. Then he said “Welcome Home” and let us go.
We grabbed our bags from baggage claims, our friends Bill and Denise were waiting at the door for us and took us back down to Fredericksburg, where we were reunited (finally!) with our truck and the teardrop. And that, my friends, ends the tale of our amazingly fun filled “Not an Overland Adventure” in Pakistan!
We finally boarded our flight and flew to Istanbul. We had a four hour layover so we grabbed a pizza (with real pepperoni!) for lunch. Beth and I found a pair of lounge chairs while Mike went up to the Business Class lounge where he was more than happy to send us videos of the treatment he was getting. Live piano music, free pizza, glasses of wine, big comfy chairs....the jerk.
Our last flight finally started boarding. To get on our flight back to the states we had to go through a security check at the gate itself. Our passports got checked and verified, our bags got scanned and swabbed, we received another pat-down, a scan with a wand and got asked a few questions about our trip. Mike was, of course, boarding before us, once again sending us video of him sipping on a cocktail, then a snack of charcuterie with wine while he sat with tons of legroom while we were in the line heading to our cramped seats. At least we weren't lonely, and they served us a cookie......
The flight was long, about 11 hours, the food was not nearly as good as our flight out but at least we got a glass of wine with dinner. Eventually we landed in Dulles and got into the Passport Control line. We waited and shuffled and waited for what felt like hours with hundreds of other people. It sure would have been nice to have that Expediter here! We finally made to the Border agent who asked us a few questions about the trip, and about how th Pakistani family felt about losing the Cricket Match. Then he said “Welcome Home” and let us go.
We grabbed our bags from baggage claims, our friends Bill and Denise were waiting at the door for us and took us back down to Fredericksburg, where we were reunited (finally!) with our truck and the teardrop. And that, my friends, ends the tale of our amazingly fun filled “Not an Overland Adventure” in Pakistan!
jim65wagon
Well-known member
The final episode of our Americans in Pakistan series is up on our youtube channel.
Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Tapatalk