Hunza View Hotel

... so back to our hotel just on dusk. I mused at my situation while I was walking in the back lanes of Karimabad on my own. I was approached by a number of local men, all wanting to know where I was from and wishing me all the best for my travels before they departed on their way. I thought of my own stereotyping of "A Very Dangerous Pakistan" and that this was one thing that I was CERTAIN that I would never do on my own in this country. Pakistan was full of surprises for us both.

... He would beam, knowing exactly what we meant. Like Jabbar, he knew or was related to everyone in the valley and he was very much our "Mr Fix It" for any problems we encountered.<br><br>We never ceased to be amazed by the warmth of the Pakistanis not only to each other but also to us. Greetings between men were often more of a hug and everyone shook hands everywhere we went, regardless whether they knew each other or not. Women often kissed the hands ...

... gave us an invaluable insight into how local people live their day to day lives. By our standards the very cold conditions and rationed electricity made for pretty tough living.<br><br>Jabbar was a great guide for us. A caring and generous man, he is of Tajik origin and like many of the Tajik people in northern Pakistan, his family are from the Wakhi Corridor of present day Afghanistan. In fact, he still has family in Afghanistan. Always wearing a cap, Jabbar had a ...

... destination.<br><br>But like the restless tectonic plates that underpin this country, Pakistan continues to be a politically volatile nation precariously subject to the pressures of complex internal conflict and a long history of external discord with its neighbours. The resurgence of the Taliban (once supported by the USA), ongoing pressure from world powerbrokers following 9/11 to eradicate terrorists, a broken economy and a struggling infrastructure together with an ...

... country you could imagine. Snow began to fall and the road conditions looked icy and onerous. The Chinese passenger directly behind me choked, hurled and spat amazing gollies of mucous over our shoulders for the entire trip. I glared at him but it made no difference. Alan glared at me and that didn't help either.<br> <br>In seats in front of us a charming Polish backpacking couple Beata and Tomek kept us entertained with their trekking adventures. Their stay in a ...

... against the blue skies and sunshine. In town we made friends with a local guy, RF, who worked in the gem cutting business, V is a goldsmith and there are some amazing local gemstones here. We talked about the places we wanted to visit nearby and he invited us to join him and a friend that was visiting for a trip to upper Hunza. 8th February 2009 - Hussaini, Upper Hunza The next morning we met MS and together with RF he drove us by jeep to ...

... providing a constant reminder of the dangers of travelling along this artery between Pakistan and China. The snapped axles of overturned trucks give an indication of the strains put upon these beautifully decorated vehicles by the ever-growing rash of potholes. A strain that didn't appear to extend to the drivers, as they squatted nearby their stricken vehicles, drinking chai and calmly surveying the margin between life and death - never more than a few feet. A privilege that is ...

... some locals how to get there, and they apparently thought that we were capable of handling the 'shortcut', which involved scrambling over steep sandy banks along a gorge, while stones slipped out from under our hands and feet, tumbling a hundred meters into the river below. I was ****** when we got to the top and found out that there was a much easier path we could have taken. But, perhaps the adrenalin aided our appreciation of the tranquility once we finally ...

... Il faut dire que nous ne sommes qu'à 2500m, ce qui, en aout, et au Pakistan est trop bas. Le chemain passe au milieux d'alpages et de pentes recouvertes de petites fleurs avant de passer une crète où nous comprenons tout à coup pourquoi nous sommes venu. De l'autre coté de la crète : un sanctuaire ...

... to enthuse me even more about 'THE best trek in the world' he was doing in Pakistan and from there on I think the seeds were planted. After this I saw a sign saying bike hire and I couldn't think of a better way to explore this great road! So I asked the guy if I could hire the bike but as always it was not that simple, he said yes but the bike was not his, it turned out I took the bike, but had to give him a lift to the next town ...