The Karakoram Highway runs from Kashgar in China all the way to Islamabad in Pakistan, and on it's way crosses the Khungerab Pass, making it the highest paved international road in the world.
It was opened in 1982 - and during it's construction (which took 20 years) almost 900 people died. Work still goes on to upgrade the road, and to deal with the many landslides that occur in this region.
You can read more about the highway by clicking this link.
Having said goodbye to Jay, I headed off to the customs building at the other side of town to buy my bus ticket to Sost, and to get stamped out of China.
Looking towards Pakistan from China:
The Karakoram Highway goes through incredible scenery, along a wide open valley, where people keep cattle, and golden marmots play at the side of the road as it climbs its way up to the Khungerab Pass.
It's name – pass of blood - comes from the silk route days when raiders would attack the camel trains at this remote and isolated location. Thankfully those days are now gone, and we reached the top of the pass, at 4693 metres, without incident.
At the top of the pass Alison, a Canadian whose cycling through SE Asia, China, and now Pakistan got her bike from the roof, and we waved goodbye, got back on the coach and headed off down the other side of the pass into Pakistan.
Welcome to Pakistan:
Those of you who follow my blog will know that I have a real fascination with borders, and the way the landscapes always seems to change (I'm still looking for one where it doesn't :-). And amazingly – as soon as we set off, there was a marked change as the walls of the pass began to crowd in and we dropped down into Pakistan following the course of the Indus River.
The scenery is truly amazing - like no where else I've been. Mountain peaks covered in snow crowd the skyline, as the road clings to the side of the mountain with the river rushing in the valley floor.
A rare glimpse of the Marco Polo sheep - named after the famous explorer. While they are currently endangered, a national park has been created to protect their natural habitat in an attempt to save the species:
And then finally we came to the check point at Dih, where our passports were checked and we paid the $4 national park fee.
From there it was on, through the narrow gorges – the walls closing in ever closer before finally the pass began to open out again.
And then, ahead, a line of traffic signalled problems – and a real change in the day.
A huge rock fall covered the road making it impossible for traffic to pass, and we all piled out to see what was happening. We'd been told that a rock fall had blocked the highway and would take a day to clear, but it turns out that they had blasted part of the rock face because of problems with landslides.
Our options were to wait on the coach until the next day, or walk around the road block and find onward transport. The driver told us it was only 4km to Sost, and Denis and Hugo (father and son from Quebec in Canada) decided that we'd set off on foot.
So we climbed around the rock pile and made our way along the mountain road on foot.
At a road building camp we asked the distance to Sost – and were told 20km – way further than we'd been told, but with no other options we set off for the long walk.
Denis and Hugo leading the way:
As we're walking, a Petrol Truck appears and we're greeted by three Pakistani men who are sitting on the front bumper of the truck. They shouted for us to get on, and so Denis and Hugo climbed up onto the roof while I took the final space on the bumper.
I'd like to say that I wasn't scared – but for the first few minutes I was terrified as we raced along the narrow road. But I soon got chatting to the other guys and started to really enjoy the ride.
At one point, the road straightened out, and the driver put his foot down and we were soon doing over 80km, holding onto the frame of the bumper as the wind rushed into our faces.
It was an amazing ride – no glass to obscure the view – and the continual thought that one bad bump in the road and it could all be over. But it was a total adrenaline rush, and 40 minutes later we pulled into Sost.
The other guys on the bumper were all trying to get to Gilgit, and as they waited for their bus I sat with them for several hours chatting. And the more we talked – the more my perceptions of this amazing country changed.
They were all highly educated – doctors on their way home for the summer vacation. I'd got some questions already running round my head, and they were quite happy for me to ask away.
Most of them were from the Swat valley – a place I would love to visit but won't be able to on this trip because of the fighting in the area. The Pakistan government have an offensive against the Taliban, and many of the local population have been moved to Islamabad and Peshawar to reduce civilian casualties.
I'd been told by a number of people I've met on the road about how kind and welcoming people in Pakistan are. And I was to see it twice on my first day here. My new friends were all Pashtuns, who are well known for their generosity both to each other and to strangers.
During the conversation I was telling my new friends about the problems in China, and that I'd been able to contact anyone at home and was waiting for an opportunity to call home so that I could let people know that I was OK. One of the men pulled out his mobile phone and insisted that I use it to call home – as he was adamant that I should let my family know that I was OK.
I offered to cover the costs of the call – but he refused any payment – saying that he was just glad to have been able to help me out.
New friends in Sost:
A short time later, Denis and Hugo came to where I was staying so we could go for dinner, and given that there was going to be no more buses to Gilgit we all decided to head out together. We sat in a tiny little hut and had Chicken curry, Dhal, and Sag with Tandoori Roti – the kind of food I've been craving my entire trip :-)
When we'd finished and it was time to leave we asked how much it was, and our new friends said that they had already paid for us. When we tried to offer something towards the meal, they were insistent that it was their pleasure to feed us.
An incredible end to an already amazing day. I couldn't have asked for a better first day in Pakistan.
One of the many "pimp my ride" Bedford trucks that run up and down the highway:
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