Himalayas & China 2005: 8 - Gilgit to Karimabad, Pakistan

Monday, September 26, 2005

After breakfast we climbed into a WWII vintage Willies Jeep for a trip into nearby hills to see a large carving of a Buddha on the cliff face. Apparently in the days of the Gandhara civilization there was a monastery on top of the cliff, and Buddhists populated the area. This was the route used by Chinese Buddhists to travel to Gandhara.

On the way we went through checkpoints and barricades which necessitated a slalom course through them. Sand bagged pillboxes were manned by vigilant troops. In addition to the army, the Frontier Constabulary from Frontier Province polices this area. People have not been happy with this arrangement, so a new force has been formed, called the Northern Areas Scouts. They will be taking over from the Constabulary.

Marilynn had not been feeling great, and bumping around in the jeep finished her off, so we headed back to the hotel instead of doing the bazaar. After lunch in the hotel, where three army guys with automatic rifles occupied the adjoining table, we headed north through deep canyons along the Hunza River. There was fresh snow on the mountains, and it was snowing on several of the peaks. We are just going to escape the coming of winter here, but will be in for it in Tibet where we will be at twice this altitude..

Pepsi has taken Pakistan in the cola wars. Marilynn has not been able to get diet Coke anywhere in Pakistan, and I've seen no Coke products for sale. Cans of pop still have the old pull tab tops that separate from the cans.

The valley at Gilgit is very green, watered by the river and by aqueduct systems from the river. Any green space in this usually barren area will have an aqueduct leading to it, sometimes running high along a cliff face for miles. Aqueducts are easy to spot, as there is a thin line of rich, dark green growth contrasting with the otherwise bare cliffs.

At one stop garnets were lying along the shoulder of the road, and up the embankment. Marilynn ended up with a whole handful of them.

We mounted a concrete viewing platform where the Gilgit River joins the Indus River. On our side of the river the Hindu Kush mountain range ended, on the other side of the Indus are the Himalayas, and across the Gilgit River is the Karakoram Range. We won't see the Himalayas again until Tibet, but will be travelling through the high, jagged Karakorams until we descend into China.

After about four hours we left the main road and climbed to the mountain town of Karimabad, where we checked into the Hunza Baltit Inn for three nights. It is a pretty basic hotel with a great view over the valley. The lowing of cattle and booms of calving glaciers were the main sounds to break the tranquillity. Temperatures are a lot lower here, we are at about 2,300 meters (7,550'), and although the inn usually has hot water, there is no heat and frequent power outages. We are among the last of the tourists they will see this year, everything shuts down for the winter.

Marilynn and I took a walk up the steep, winding main street through town. There are a number of trekking outfitters and quite a few trekkers from Europe. We have yet to meet anyone from the US on this trip. Although the town is small, most things can be purchased here, including Chinese beer. This is the first alcoholic beer I've seen in Pakistan, as the possession of alcohol is illegal. I promptly bought a can. I'd expected the drought to last until China!

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Last night it was cold with two blankets on the bed, so piled a thick bedspread on as well. I was very reluctant to crawl out of that warm cocoon into the zero degree morning temperature!

Today we drove to Gulmit Village in Upper Hunza, where they speak their own language. The driver parked at a roadside inn and we walked 15 minutes to reach the village community school after purchasing some school supplies as a donation. The vice-principal gave a preamble, and then we were given a tour. The school has classes from primary to grade 10. There are 27 staff and 435 students, 42% girls.

The land for the school was purchased by an assessment of 5,000 Rupees ($84) on each household in the village. The government paid for the first school building, Britain the second and Germany the third. Operations are funded by fees from the parents, which vary from 150 rupees ($2.50) to 450 rupees ($7.50) per month. They are associated with England for part of the curriculum, and use a lot of Oxford Press schoolbooks.

In each classroom the uniformed students stood when we entered. The primary class sang a welcome song and the boys and girls in senior class asked questions between answering our questions. The school, which has a science lab, library and computer lab, was quite impressive.

Education and health care is a priority of the Agha Khan, the head of the Ismali sect of the Shi'ite Moslems. He has constructed clinics and schools in most villages, which accounts for the almost 100% literacy rate in Hunza, quite an accomplishment in a country with only 45% literacy. Due to his liberal outlook women are not required to cover their heads in this area. The health of the populace is evident from looking at them.

The village also does carpet weaving in the traditional style. About 9 women working at looms in an 800-year-old building weave the carpets. Huge, red potatoes are the main crop, which they were harvesting. There were sacks of potatoes piled all around awaiting shipment to Islamabad.

We drove further up the Hunza River Canyon, which the Karakoram Highway follows, until we reached first the Gulkin Glacier and then the Pasu Glacier. Both were quite near to the road, but were small so we didn't bother walking to them. The mountains along both sides of the river are steep and high. Wherever there was a slope or bit of flat land with water poplar trees grew, many now sporting their fall colours.

Back in Karimabad we drove to the top of the town, then climbed steeply by foot for a considerable distance to reach the Baltit Fort at 8000 feet altitude. This was the traditional residence of the rulers of the Hunza area from the 11th century until 1974 when it became part of Pakistan. The fort was never captured in battle.

At the fort was a tour of 150 students from all over Pakistan, sponsored by the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party. Many introduced themselves and talked with us. It was turnabout time for Marilynn and I, as many wanted to take our photos!

After chatting with students for half an hour we climbed the steps to the fort, which has won various international awards for its restoration. The walk through the various rooms gave a good feel for how life must have been, and our local guide was excellent.

At dinner tonight we received bad news. Ali, our guide, received word that his mother was ill and he needed to return to Islamabad. We will miss both Ali and our driver Mamodranzan, they did a great job. Ali introduced us to another guide, Shahid Hussain, who will look after us for the rest of our time in Pakistan.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Shahid had a 1964 Willies jeep and driver waiting for us this morning. These jeeps were built in Pakistan for years, but have been discontinued now.

We headed off to explore the Nagar Valley, but before we were 15 minutes up the valley the road was blocked by a fresh mud and rockslide. Shahid headed off on foot over the slide to see if he could find transportation on the other side.

Other jeeps and vans appeared, some with locals and some with tourists. An Italian lady journalist was in another jeep, and being a client of Sitara Tours joined us. Shahid returned to guide us over a longer but safer trail around the slide, as rock and dirt was still coming down in clouds of dust. A local mini-bus had been hired to get us to the glacier at Hoper where the road ends. Sitara was the only tour company to hire another vehicle, others just gave up and went back.

The road was dramatic. It was a dirt track wide enough for one vehicle. Marilynn spent a lot of time studying the cliff face on the high side; the river was a long way below on the other side as we climbed through a series of switchbacks. We forded mountain streams which flowed down side canyons, across the road and then arced out in a waterfall as they dropped to the river far below. When we met other vehicles there was always jockeying to find a spot to get by.

Even in this remote valley the two small towns had schools, and Nagar had a hospital/clinic with a 4 X 4 ambulance. Kids along the route shouted and waved as we went by, while their parents brought in the cash crops, potatoes and apples. The main transport is by Massey Ferguson tractor, with the Willies Jeep second in popularity. In winter these high altitude villages are completely cut off by snow, although now and then a Jeep with chains will make the dangerous trip out.

At the end of the road is the Hoper Hilton Hotel at about 2,700 meters (8,860'), obviously borrowing the name. It is a trekker hotel for those wanting to hike to the various glaciers in the area. A five-minute walk up the hill behind the hotel reaches a ridge looking down onto a glacier, well covered with dirt and rocks from the summer melt. Here we ran into the first pushy souvenir and jewellery vendors - these people were desperate, as we were among the last tourists they would see this season.

When we returned to the slide a dozen men were attacking it with shovels, but with the size of the slide they could still be plugging away by Spring!

Back at the hotel the warm, sunny weather of the morning suddenly turned freezing cold. Snow clouds rapidly obliterated the top half of the mountain range across from the hotel, giving an idea of how treacherously fast weather can change in these mountains. There will be snow a lot lower on the slopes tomorrow morning!

We have the afternoon free before our long drive tomorrow, so are in the room with no electricity or heat, bundled up in coats, catching up on writing. Hopefully village power will be restored so I can get this away at the local internet café.

We really have no idea what to expect in China. A fellow from Belgium said the food is horrible, conditions filthy and absolutely no one speaks English. The Italian journalist we talked to today confirmed this. We leave at 6 AM for the approximately 10-hour drive to Taskhurgan, China.