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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Oct 13, 2006 02:00 PM The last day in Pakistan?
It is the laundry day... I want to look smart before I will cross the border to the next country. My jeans and shirts are drying on the roof of te hotel. I already bught a ticket to the border town of Taftan - the cost is 400 Rp. It is 12-hours night drive throuth the desert - close to the Afghan border - not very safe because the bands and rebels. I hope I'll survive.
Quetta is crowded, noisy capital o the Belochistan Province. Elderly people do not want do be photographed. The main street - Jinnah Road has traffic jams and a lot of pollution. I found the only working internet cafe - they charge 20 Rp for an hour of the very slow connection. But as you see - it works. There is not much to see in the town. I am getting ready for the evening departure. The next message (I hope) I'll send from Iran. Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Oct 12, 2006 02:00 PM Second day on the train to Quetta...
Horrible night!... Maybe it was better topay twice more and to travel in the highest. a/c class? I do not like a/c... Most of the time I travel alone in my bare compartment. The policemen - alwas on the train - visited me from time to time. On the station platforms nothing to buy - it is Ramadan so trere is no reason to sell food or fruits - nobody will buy them anyway. They do not know that there is the lonely hungry tourist on the train!... Change in the landscape: deserted mountains. Still 6 hours to the destination, Tunnels, stops in the middle of nowhere. Quetta! Tents of the nomads on the outskirts of the town. Station... 5 pm... I will take you to the hotel for 50 Rp! No thank you! - it is not so hot now so I'll put my dirty pack on my back and walk to the Fabs's Hotel - it is only 1 km!
Dirty, sweaty, covered by havy dust I landed in the hotel. Room with a bath, please! 250 Rp... Bugs on the walls but the only thing I think about is the shower. Wow! The great rail journey is over...
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Oct 11, 2006 02:00 PM By "First class sleeper" through Pakistan
They said that the train journey from Peshawar to Quetta will take 34 hours so I dedided to spent 1275 Rp /1USD is close to 60 Rp/ to buy first class sleeper ticket. They are computerized - I got outprinted paper: car: 11 comp: F berth: 1 lower, depart: 7 am.
When I arrived in the early morning to the station they showed me my car and berth: dusty cell with the bars in the little windows and plastic coverage of my berth...
Bells, whistles... We are going... "Quetta Experess" was very slow - stopping at almost every station... Great opportunity to see the landscape... And the heat of te metal box you travel in... More and more dust insude - you cannot lock the windows - there are gaps in them...
I expected they will bring to the 1st class at least one pillow and one blanket for the night - nothing like this... So if you plan to travel by 1st class bring all stuff with you and be prepared for the worst... What a night ahead!
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Oct 10, 2006 02:00 PM C 130 to Peshawar
It took me to much time to reach beautiful Chitral Valley in Hindukush so I decided now to fly out the mountains to Peshawar... If the weather is good there is daily flight from Chitral to Peshawar. The cost is not high - like 50 USD, but it is still twice more that the fare for locals. I was excited when they said that the flight is operated by the military C 130 aircraft because the hard terrain conditions... It was my first time in such a plane... They can take 80 passengers into the giant body... Impressive! The only disadvantage were very little and dirty windows so I had limited possibility to take the pictures of the mountains during the flight.
In the afternoon I was wandering again - after 31 years -around the famous Peshawar bazar... I found a lot of changes: no gun-sellers, much more noise and the pollution. After 3 hours walk in the smoke generated by auto-rikshaws and cars I has already the headache... Tomorrow I want to escape - by train...
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Oct 09, 2006 02:00 PM Chitral - the outback of Pakistan.
I was sleeping too long... When I came to the Mastuj bazaar - where all transport starts they said that all jeeps to Chitral town have already gone. - You can rent a private jeep! For 2000 Rp! I know that the price for the locals is 1500 but they also know that my choice is limited. In front of me I saw the white glaciers of Tirich Mir Peak - more then 7700 m high and I was thinking what to do... There were only one person - lovely Sandy from China to share the cost of the jeep. We decided to pay 1000 each...
The road up to Buni is horrible - only for the short and strong 4WD vehicles. We slowly passed through the swinging bridge and climbed picturesque, multi-colored slopes of the mountains. From Buni there were paved road with some bumps and landslides to pass but it was nothhing in comarison to the previous, hard day.
We reached Chitral township after 4 hours. I left my dirty pack in The Chinnar Inn - worth to recommend since it is located in the garden - far from the noice of the main street. I was wondering back streets of the little bazaar. The main attraction is the nice mosque. Close you will find the fort - now under restoration, but still impressive. Sorry, limited supply of the fruits and vegies - the transport is difficult. It is like frontier town - the border of Afghanistan is very close... I was waiting till 6.20 pm when the local eateries open (Ramadan restrictions) to buy something to eat...
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Oct 08, 2006 02:00 PM Hindukush - Shandur Pass - 3810 m
In the early morning I said Goodbye to Habib - the friendly manager of Madina Hotel in Gilgit. Remember this name - it is in my opinion the friendliest and nicest backpackers place in Pakistan!
From the dirty bus yard at the western oustkirts of the Gilgit town at 8 am we started our trip ti Chitral Valley one of the remotest in Pakistanis Hindukush. There are only two passes to go into the valley and both of them are blocked in the winter. 7 hours our roaring bus was climbing mountain road to the Shandur Pass with many nice views on the way. After Phandur it is stoney, tarmac road only... Then there was bumpy and breath-takin descent to the little village of Mastuj. We reached Mastuj at 6 pm - after 10 hours drive through the mountains. This daily bus Gilgit-Mastuj is not mentioned in the guide books - it cost only 300 Rp. But you need second day to proceed to Chitral town... In mastuj I can recommend "Tourist Gaden GH" - they charge 150 Rp per dorm bed and 80 for dinner...
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Oct 07, 2006 02:00 PM It is the Ramadan - do you know?
Yes, I am in the Moslem country, so from 3.30 am I hear competing calls from the different mosques... It is normal.
But in addition it is the holy month of Ramadan (some people say: Ramadan) - the locals do not eat whole day and in the evening they are so hungry that nothing is more important for them then to go to the table... I understand... Yesterday I tried to send few e-mails from the only internet cafe in Skardu. The computer was slow, so was the connection and I (the only client) worked really hard when the owner said - sorry - I must close and go now. You can come in the morning! In the morning there were no power... So it is not easy to comunicate with the world from Pakistan...
I took a public bus back to Gilgit. Public transport is dirty cheap in Pakistan (e.g. 4 USD per 7 hours drive) but the toyota microbuses they use take (hard to believe) -18 legal passengers plus the driver. When I was buying the ticket they suggested that for my comfort I should buy two places... Sorry!
The best places in the front are almost always occupied by ladies and officials. What you should do? In the back the little better is the seat no.10 - at the door. It will give you a chance to stretch your left leg - better then nothing for 7 hours drive in the heat! - That's what I do!
Tomorrow I plan to take the outback road through the mountains from Gilgit west to Chitral - probably it will take me 2 days to get there. I hope I'll get no. 10 seat again!
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Oct 06, 2006 02:00 PM The canyon of Indus River
I decided to make a side trip from Gilgit to Skardu. The crowded local bus cost me 240 Rp. Skargu is a little mountain village - a base for almost all expeditions heading to the highest summits of Karakoram like the famous K-2... No, those summints are not visible from Skardu - you must rent a jeep or walk few days to have them in front of you. But is is still worth to come there because your route to Skardu after an hour turns to the fantastic canyon of Indus river. Next 5 or 6 hours you follow narrow mountain road overlooking rapids, little settlements. Each turn is opening great views... After 6 of the dusty serpentines hours I was tired but happy. Even from the window of the public bus you can take interesting pictures on this georgeus route...
In Skardu there is nice panorama of the valley from the 17th contury fort. The fort itself is just the ruin but they still charge 100 Rp for entry. The local bazar - especially the old part - is more interesting then one in Gilgit... I can recommend Baltistan Tourist Cottage with the friendly manager Mohammed Iqbal - they charge 200 per room with cold shower /150 after bargain/. The only disadvantage of this place is the noise from the central street - bring your noise stoppers with you!
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Oct 05, 2006 02:00 PM Machine guns on the corners - where am I?
From Passu village I took a walk to the nearest suspension bridge on the Hunza river - one of the longest I saw in my life... Then I moved by minibus to Karimabad - former capital of Hunza. It is located on the slopes over the river. There is interesting fort to visit and many old stone-and-timber houses at the bottom. People are friendly but unfortunately almost all old bazar shops in the street climbing to the fort are converted - now they offer souvenirs and local handicrafts. I stayed in the Old Hunza Inn - worth to recommend where they charge 150 Rp - like 2.5 USD for the room with cold shower. From Karimabad it is another 1,5 hour drive down to the town of Gilgit. It is the biggest town in the area. I was so surprised when the stoped the bus at the check points asking for my passport (it was registere twice). Then I saw posts with machine guns on few corners. Where am I? I am in North Pakistan - very close to the fragile border with Indian Kashmir... They locals say: Machine guns - it is just a decoration... I hope they will not play the performance now...
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Oct 04, 2006 02:00 PM In the beautiful Karakoram Mountains
If you are coming by bus from China I do not recommend to stop in the village Sost (or Sust) where is easy-going Pakistani immigration control. Sust is noisy, crowded by vehicles and has only few hotels. Change your money here - the shopkeepers give better rate then down - in Hunza: 5.6 Rp per yuan and 60 Rp per USD. Go by public transport as far as Passu - beautifully located Hunza village with high mountains around. I stayed there just for 150 Rp in Passu Inn. The smiling host is so friendly that from the first -Hello! -you feel substantial difference to the Chineese you met on the other side of the border. He is 68 years old and has 2 years old son. Hunza people are well known for their longevity. They live high in the mountains - far from the noise and the stress. They follow special diet - eg. a lot of dried apricots... In the evening I met other travellers in the dining room - the plate of rice with vegies costs 60 Rp. Tea - 15 Rp. Full moon was shining over the summits. What a place!
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