We arrive at the Attari/Wagah border much later than
planned, but maybe we will be able to watch the border closing ceremony. India customs is great, if a tad slow. I had
applied for a new visa, as recommended, but it was declined, so I have to use
the old one. All the details about me pop up on their computer screen with the
letter I wrote at Mumbai Airport. I am infamous with Indian customs! Anyway, we
and the carnet are all stamped, and we head to the entry gates of Pakistan.
They are doing road works near their entry, so John must do a 45deg turn right
beside the very solid gates and drive along the footpath to customs. All goes
smoothly as I am back on my Aussie passport now! Don’t ask! It is closing time
when we finish, so we ask if we can camp in their compound. Yes! We head over to the stands to watch the
ceremony. The India side is all fancy with huge grandstands, while the Pakistan
side has concrete benches and crumbling plastic seats. But the enthusiasm is fantastic.
The crowd is hyped up (on both sides). Music is blasting and cheering has
started. At least we can join in with the words which consist mainly of
“PAKISTAN, PAKISTAN, PAKISTAN” The marching is the straight leg high kick
style, and they are wearing crazy plumage. When they open the gates both sides
glare at each other, wave their fists and generally try to outdo each other.
What a circus! Finally, the flags are lowered and the gates closed. Awesome. We
loved every minute!
Back at the truck we are told NO we can’t stay. They
say go to the petrol station, so we head there for the night. In the morning,
we are off through the sprawl of Lahore City. Fortunately, there is a great
ring road, so we can miss the worst of the traffic. What we love are the stunning buses and
trucks. The buses dazzle with flashing lights everywhere and the trucks are
decorated from top to bottom. GR2 needs a makeover! The urgent business for
today is to get a sim, get cash from an ATM and get an etoll card for the
motorways. The etoll is easily done near a toll booth. Our second town will let
us get cash, but the sim proves much harder. Finally, John meets Solomon who
sorts one out for us using his ID paperwork etc. Then he insists on paying for
it. Thank you, Solomon.
By the end of the day, we turn off the main road and
head to the Rohtas Fort. The camping on our App is down a very muddy track and
I suggest that no we don’t go as its over a km. So, we head to the Fort carpark
and John convinces the Police to let us stay. We head in to explore with a
friendly police man. He either wants to keep us safe or practice his English
(We think the latter). It’s an amazing structure built in a huge 12km loop.
Back at camp the police decide to move us into their compound for the night. In
the morning, we explore a few more gates and get the usual pics of GR2 at each
entry!
We plan to head to the big city of Islamabad today.
John has found a spot where we can camp, but as we drive along the main road,
we see long lines of trucks parked and when we stop for coffee a guy on a
motorbike tells us the city is closed.
We check online. They are protesting the imprisonment if Imran Khan and
the streets are gridlocked. As we
continue the police wave us on, but the rows of truck grow and then we get to
congested areas. Containers block the road. We stop, the police check our
passports and finally say we can continue. At the next container stop we turn
around and stop at a nearby restaurant. Locals advise going through at night or
early morning, so we settle in at the restaurant, It will be noisy, but safe. We
enjoy a late lunch of roti & chicken (our first meat for ages!) Much later
we met more Pakistani’s including one who was born in the UK and settle in for
a long chat over dinner. He tells us to contact his wife in Gilgit when we get
there.
In the night the trucks start moving and at first
light we join them, skirting the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Our
changed plans mean we will head north into the mountains. We have been told to
visit Murree perched high in the hills. It is where the British went to escape
the summer heat of the city. It is a tight narrow road winding uphill, and we
are rather disappointed. There are a few old colonial buildings in a very
scruffy state, but the area is a snarl of local traffic, markets and generally
grotty shops. We head back down a minor road – in hindsight a mistake as its
narrow, winding and clogged with crazy local traffic. No road rules apply here!
Phew, back on the main road we enter the Cashmere area. The tourist police stop
us and say we can proceed and suggest areas to visit. We follow the river to
the city of Muzaffarabad and find the Red Fort through the crazy maze of
traffic. Google maps says our planned route, a mere 80kms, will take 3 hours,
so we pass on that as we will have to return the same way. Instead, we head up
the mountains to Balakot. There is another El Noor Restaurant here that we can camp.
Another free camp ,free dinner & breakfast , they won’t accept any money so
John leaves a large tip for all the staff as their wages are very low.
More fabulous driving as we continue through the Kaunhar
Valley. Huge rocky mountains loom in every directions. The road is a mixture of
good and bad. Rockslides change conditions dramatically. After a chilly night
(we are over 3000m) we continue our drive up and over the pass and down through
miles of villages. There are stone houses and miles of terraces where the
potato crops are being harvested. Eventually we reach the Karakorum Highway near
Gilgit and decide to continue north into the Hunza Valley right to the Chinese
border before the winter starts. By now there are snowy mountains in every
direction. We just love it. When we start looking for a spot to camp everywhere
is steep and the carparks tiny. At the end of the town of Karimabad we find the
Rewayat Restaurant with a large carpark. They will let us stay. Perfect.
In the morning, we head straight into the mountains
following an icy river. Miles and miles of magic scenery with brilliant blue
skies as we head to the border. We won’t stop anywhere on the way; it can wait
for our return trip. There are some amazing Chinese tunnels beside Lake
Attabad, but more about that later! Incredible glaciers and a wow around every
corner. Finally, at Sost they check our carnet and let us continue. The last
stop is to pay our fees to enter the Khunjerab National Park that is just
before the border. Then lots of hairpins as we climb to the actual border.4600
m Snow is everywhere and its freezing. Of course we wander over to the Chinese
gates, have a late lunch then turn around and head back down the mountains. On
our way down we stop at one of the many suspension bridges. We meet a guy who
tells us to go to the Yak Café in Passau, so we head there, have yak for dinner
and stay the night. In the morning we pull out our hiking boots and head up the
tracks to the Passau Glacier, but it’s the wrong track. Apparently, the best track
is near Borit Lake. We drive up a row of very tight hairpins to the lake, but
the track then turns to a one lane gravel affair. Hmmm. We decide to get a
drive up and it’s just as well as there are some very low power lines across
the road. We would have taken them down very easily! At the end of the road,
it’s a 30min huff puff slog to the fabulous viewpoint. Worth every huff!
Next stop is the very touristy Hussaini Bridge. Another
swing bridge that has half the wooden planks missing to entice paying tourists
to walk across it. There are rows of buses and a string of people on the
bridge. We decide to give it a miss. Then on to the gorgeous aqua Lake Attabad.
A guy we met last night has invited us to his hotel for lunch. He said we can’t
miss it as its right on the main road. With no signs up its very hard to find! Anyway,
we eventually find it and he shows us the Hotel he has built and we enjoy
another free lunch, these Pakistanis are so generous. Much later we head to the
lake and overnight in the boat carpark. This gives us a chance to wander the
waterfront to admire all the boats. They range from very basic Pakistani made
jetskis to scruffy old jet boats to brightly painted wooden boats used to ferry
vehicles along the lake before the tunnels were built. In 2010 the road ran
beside the river, then a huge landslide buried the road, and the resulting lake
submerged the village.
Another big driving day, but this time stopping at all
the lookouts. We did intend to drive up to see the Nagar Glacier, but it’s a
long gravel track with lots of overhanging rocks. Back in Karimabad we park at
our restaurant and wander into the ancient town of Ganish for a tour. We check
out the old water supply, the caravanserai and walled town. Inside there are 7
tiny 1000year old wooden mosques, all intricately carved. The next stop is at
the lookout over the gorgeous Mt Rakaposhi, all covered in snow. We indulge in
cheese parathas (the Pakistani equivalent of toasted cheese sandwiches, but
much better) before heading on to Gilgit to meet Naheed and her family.
Annoyingly our sim stopped working before we got her address, so we have no
idea where to go. As we head into town, we find the usual snarl of traffic and
the road is filling up with markets and parked cars. Fortunately, we can do a
huge u-turn and then head to a slightly bigger road. On my map there is a
petrol station nearby, so we head there to get help. A local rings Naheed and
tells her where we are, and she comes to collect us. Phew.
Naheed and her daughter live with her Mum and numerous
family members in a huge home inside a gated compound. We can camp next door in
the oldest brothers’ workshop area. We stay 3 nights and are treated like special
family members, not allowed to lift a finger, fed way too much food and spend
lots of time chatting to many of the family. Naheed has 11 brothers and
sisters, and we meet quite a few. Then of course there are numerous children
and over 100 cousins, making it a very busy household. WE get ferried to town
to sort out our Sim and get various things we were looking for. We are also
taken to see a huge Buddha carved in a sheer rock face and then shown around
town a few times. Thank you all so much for your wonderful hospitality. We have
learned so much more about life in Northern Pakistan.
