10%

Pakistan - Big Surprise

Two weeks in 2011, exploring Islamabad, Karakoram Highway and Lahore

By Beyond All Maps - Portraits of our Planet by Thorsten Mehret

December 9^th, 2017

The ItineRary

When my girlfriend came up with the idea in 2010 to visit a friend in Pakistan who was working for the EU embassy in Islamabad, I was kinda shocked for a moment. "Pakistan, are you crazy? No way", was my first reply. I mean I´m not faint-hearted when it comes to travel destinations, but come on, Pakistan, the back-door of the Taliban, supposed host of Usama Bin Ladin, a country full of tensions, corrupt military and politicians, potential terrorist attacks or coups? Obviously only a travel destination for suicides. Fortunately (in this case ;-) my girlfriend can be quite persistent and when her friend told us that some areas were perfectly fine for travelling and people were fantastic, I finally agreed to join in.

Our friend organised a tour with driver and guide along the famous Karakoram Highway (KKH) and another tour to Lahore, one of the biggest and most fascinating cities in Pakistan. Now, I even started to look forward to a real cool adventure.

But when Osame Bin Laden was finally caught in Abbottabad, 10 days before our planned arrival, I startet to get nervous again, not knowing how the situation would develop. And finally being picked up from the airport with an armoured Toyota SUV, driving to Islamabad to the walled and 24h guarded compound of our friend did somehow not make me feel more relaxed. But beside this standard security measures for the EU associates, seeing how "normal" our friend moved around Islamabad, I started to feel much more comfortable and enjoying the breathtaking beauty of the country and the warm hospitality of the locals in the next 14 days. This even made me feel guilty about my prejudice against this country. Even six years later, writing this travel story, I can wholeheartedly say that this was one of the most positive, surprising and memorable trips I've ever done.

Btw, the KKH tour was done with www.himalayanholidays.pk and I can absolutely recommend them. The owner Najeeb our driver Sataj and our guide Fida, they all were fantastic and everything was perfectly organised.

Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the seat of the government. Founded only in the 1960th, it's a rather modern, clean and kinda boring city, with wide main roads in a chessboard pattern. Big hotels, embassies and government buildings are heavily secured, but walking around felt perfectly save, with friendly people and a quite relaxed atmosphere for a capital. We visited the Faisal Mosque, the biggest covered mosque in the world. We were told a story: when the mosque was finished in 1984, the CIA suspected the four minarets to be launch platforms for rockets. Well, we can not confirm. Instead, children played around and soon we were in chats with a friendly lady and later two young lads who were curious about the two strangers. They told us that they were airplane mechanics in the army and on holiday leave at home. Both were hoping that their parents soon would find good wives for them. Aha! They insisted to wait with us for our friend to pick us up and even invited us for an apple juice (hey, it's a dry country). Now, six years later, I can only hope their parents did a good job. Inshallah!!!

Karakoram Highway

On the Road

Our flight from Islamabad to Gilgit was without problems. One the way, we had a fantastic view on the stunning Nanga Parbat, with 8,125m the 9th highest mountain in the world. A few days later we should make our way to its base camp.

On the way to the Hunza Valley, we passed a sign with the direction to Abbottabad, where Navi Seals had killed Usama Bin Ladin just a few days ago. The most wanted person on this planet hid himself just a stone's throw away from a huge Pakistani military camp.

Karimabad

Karimabad is in the heart of the KKH (Karakoram Highway). The surrounding Hunza valley is one of the most beautiful and stunning valleys I've ever seen. Especially around May, when the trees in the valley shine in fresh green and are the perfect contrast to the reddish valley slopes and the snow covered mountains in the background. In other times, such a breathtaking landscape would be attracting thousands of foreign tourists, we had it for ourselves.

The Hunza Valley is flanked in the north by the 7,788m high Rakaposhi. Rising almost 6,000m from the bottom of the Hunza Valley, it´s the highest mountain flank worldwide. A majestic view.

A stroll through the village

The majestic Baltic Fort overlooking the village

Baltic Fort

Overlooking the village of Karimabad, Baltic Fort is an impressive sight. The foundation is about 700 years old. These times, the northern parts of Pakistan were divided into several small independent states, each ruled by a Mir (a kind of local king). Strongholds like the Baltic Fort were built to consolidate their power.

The structure of the fort is strongly influenced by the Tibetan architecture, even reminding a bit of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. It's now a museum and definitely worth a visit.

At the entrance a very charismatic looking guard caught my attention and willingly posed for a picture. A couple of years later I saw another picture of him on the internet, obviously he enjoys his model role.

Excursion to HopEr Valley

Nothing of this grey, dirty mass down in the valley would remind you on a glacier, except the ice-cold wind that is hammering right into your face while looking down the valley. Almost like sticking your face right into a freezer.

Unfortunately, the Hoper Hilton was closed, so we could not stay overnight.

Excursion to the Hunza River Landslide blockage

In 2010, a landslide blocked the river and created Attabad Lake, which threatened the life of 15,000 people in the valley below. Since then, is has effectively blocked 27 km of the Karakoram Highway. A complete new commercial sector appeared almost overnight. A steady stream of tractors and jeeps, going up and down the landslide like ants, now ensures the continuous flow of goods coming all the way from China. All these goods now have to be reloaded to ships on this stretch of the KKH. A huge job creation program.

The place of the landslide was so incredible dusty that walking up to the ankle deep into powdery material almost felt like one would expect walking on the moon. Back in town, our driver Sataj directly headed to a repair station to get the air filter of the car cleaned.

on the Way to Nanga Parbat

Detour - The "Exotic" Naltar Valley

Asking our guide Fida and driver Sataj for their favourite place in the area, they both immediately mentioned Naltar Valley. Highly curious about this place, we spontaneously decided to make the detour of several hours one way on bad roads, just to see this "incredibly beautiful and unique place" with our own eyes.

What shall I say, maybe we fell asleep for a couple of days during the long drive, but waking up on arrival we found ourselves in the middle of the foothills of the German Alps or at least what looked like them. We had to laugh: that's the reason why they considered this an exotic and beautiful place. In the past, this place was exclusively reserved for the military. A kind of training camp, including ski lifts, aha!!!

Many hours later (or maybe days, as we might had fallen asleep again) we were back in Pakistan.

Indus and Gilgit River

A rather unspectacular junction for a famous river like the Indus. Hm, maybe I should adjust my expectations a bit. A truck accident close by (fortunately, nobody was hurt) was far more exciting. Seeing the many completely overloaded trucks on the roads, I had wondered all the time how the Pakistani truck drivers managed to outwit physics. Well, they do not!

The Road to Death

If you suffer from acrophobia, the access road up to Nanga Parbat will definitely kill you. Either by tumbling down the several hundred meters steep cliffs with your jeep (like a couple of car wrecks down there prove), or by getting a heart attack when watching the wheels not more than 20 cm away from crumbling looking road edge, which directly leads into the abyss. This is the moment when you start to pray that your driver is a good muslim and refrains from alcohol. Fortunately he was and did a great job! Unfortunately, the road was damaged by a landslide and so we had to walk the last stretch to Fairy Meadows.

Fairy Meadow and nanga parbat

Fairy Meadow is a beautiful piece of grassland near the base camp site of Nanga Parbat. At 3,300 m, it offers a spectacular view to the majestic mountain, once the cloud cover vanishes. A couple of guesthouses care for guests, although again no other guest were around, as the mountaineer season usually does not start before June.

This is a very harsh, poor and conservative area, and a Kalashnikov over the shoulder obviously is a piece of standard equipment for shepherds. A bit strange at first I have to admit, but the only creature for which the weapon really was a threat was a poor balky donkey, which could only be convinced to follow by a stroke with the gun.

The altitude had its effects on me, causing headache and nausea. The first night was a nightmare. Feeling a bit better the next day, we made our way to the Base Camp at 4,200 m. The scenery was absolutely stunning, and seeing and hearing several avalanches rumbling down the mountain was not only spectacular but also made its nickname "Killer Mountain" very convincing.

Flight back to Islamabad

Lahore

After a stopover back in Islamabad, we made our way to Lahore with our new guide Emi. He was working as driver for the German embassy and took some days off to join us. He was a nice lad, but somehow considered himself being not only a guide but also a personal bodyguard, proudly showing us his pistol. When we had to draw money from an ATM we were secured by him carrying his weapon openly visible to everyone around, causing strange gazes from harmless pedestrians. In the hotel, passing several security checks, he triumphantly showed his pistol saying "you see, security all bullshit". Well, regarding this point he was obviously right. Nevertheless, having always a walking pistol beside you, does not make you feel more comfortable. And we had felt perfectly save before!

WAgah BORDER

Without a doubt, one of the most unique, weird and entertaining events I've ever participated in. The daily Wagah Border closing ceremony between India and Pakistan feels like a huge cock fight performed by humans. Only the mightiest, best looking warriors are chosen to perform in it, as it's all about impressing the archenemy on the other side.

On both sides of the border, hundreds if not thousands of spectators watch the spectacle on tribunes. The Indian crowd was definitely higher in count but the cheering seemed to be louder on the Pakistani side. "Imran - Pakistan, Imran - Pakistan, Imran - Pakistan".

Warming up the crowd

Full of pride

It's all about posing

Archenemy on the other side.

Saving the flag for the night.

Posing

Night Food Market

Badshashi Mosque and Lahore Fort

The mosque and the fort are just beside each other and a must do for all Lahore visitors. The mosque is the second biggest in Pakistan and can host up to 100,000 people in its courtyard for prayer. There is an especially nice view from the top of a restaurant just beside the mosque. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name. Up there, we encountered a classical Lahore problem: two complete blackouts within one hour.

The foundation of Lahore Fort dates to 1566. It's a huge complex with several buildings. Since 1981, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

It never took long until we found ourselves surrounded by curious locals, asking where we came from, how we liked Pakistan, etc. Obviously, tourist were a rare sight.

On the Street

Shop until you Drop

Lahore is full of shopping opportunities, including the famous Anarkali Bazaar, one of the oldest surviving markets in South Asia, dating back at least 200 years. I couldn't count the numerous miles we walked in the endless streets. Without our guide Emi we would have been completely lost. People were friendly, some even inviting us for a cup of tea. Fascinating to explore.

Faces of Pakistan

Located in the eastern part of Lahore´s Old City, Wazir Khan Mosque is a beautiful example of Mughal architecture. It's especially famous for its tile work.

The End

As already mentioned, we had a fantastic time. Pakistan does not deserve the bad reputation it has in western world, causing tourists to almost completely stay away. Sure, there is the latent risk of terrorist attacks, but this is also the case in many western countries, as the recent past has shown. However theft and similar crimes (which many tourists encounter) are not common at all in Pakistan and people are very hospitable and warm. All in all, we felt very comfortable and definitely would go again and most probably will, inshallah. The Deoasi National Park, the Skardu area (K2) and Shandur Polo Festival are highly ranked on our bucket list, maybe in combination with following the Karakoram Highway all the way up to Kaxgar in China. Another adventure!

Imran Pakistan

Button Label

Story Told With

Start publishing stories like this