Himalayan village adventures

by Muhammad Ahsan GULZAR (Pakistan)

Making a local connection Pakistan

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A week later I find myself on a very antique propeller plane heading to Gilgit, a small city in northern Pakistan. The plane is an experience of itself, cruising between incredibly high mountains and casually following the turns of small valleys as we fly over tiny villages and sprawling goat herds. I join a bunch of young Pakistanis from Lahore who are exploring their home country in a small van. We have a guide showing us around, which is a must. Not only do they know everything about the local security situation and take you to places which are impossible to find on the internet, but a tour also gives you the opportunity to make Pakistani friends. When the weather allows, we sit on the top of our small bus as we make our way deeper and deeper into the Himalayas. With the wind in my hair and the sun in my face, I think: this is freedom. After exploring the Karakorum highway and the beautiful mountain village of Karimabad, (Pakistan’s top honeymoon destination) we head to Skardu. This remote town in the middle of the mountains is the starting point of mountaineers aiming to conquer K2, the world’s second-highest mountain. It is a wild endeavor and none of the expeditions reached the summit in 2019. Walking through this almost forgotten town, a 16-hour drive from Islamabad, I discover the simple life. Fresh naan bread, spicy chicken and goat meat grilled over the open fire taste like an adventure – but those are the only dishes you can find in this remote place, where high altitude means little grows. Here, it feels like the world could collapse and you would know nothing of it. With sparse internet and phone reception, people live in a different reality: their days revolve around making a living from selling goats and drying apricots. I hire a guide to take me on hikes through the mountains and up to Deosai, the world’s largest plateau which sits at 4000m above sea level. The only way to get there is to hire a Jeep that takes you on a five-hour ride up deadly steep dirt tracks through open land. It’s not for the fainthearted, but when you reach the top you’re rewarded by soft hills carpeted in bright green, sprinkled with little purple flowers that can be blooming in the sun one second and swept over by a snowstorm the next. This is the best travel of my life which I did last year hope you guys like my story.