Karimabad

Moving up the KKH, the next big stop was Karimabad. From here, the Hunza valley provides some of the most spectacular views of the Karakorum range. The hotel I stayed at was surrounded by numerous mountains.

The pictures speak for themselves.

The guard at the Baltit fort took his job very seriously but with the utmost courtesy.

One of the reasons we arrived here was to attempt the +4,000 meter Ultar trek. Sadly, a large part of the path had been washed away in the deluge of August 5th, 2006. The trek starts through the crevice in the picture below and ascends very steeply.

We decided to stay for a day and enjoy the scenery. The fact there was a coffee shop creating world-class cappuccinos with Lavazza coffee had nothing to do with this decision.

Pakistan never seizes to amaze me. Although there was barely an internet connection to be had, the hairdresser I visited had satellite TV. During my haircut, he was so captivated by a fake American wrestling match that on a few occasions the constantly snipping scissors chattered away mid-air for a full minute, while my hair was being combed over and over again in a robotic motion. It was only at the time he used a real blade to remove some accessory hairs that things got exciting, as an apparent "victory" caused an uproar in the tiny salon, with the many waiting customers jumping to their feet, bumping into the man holding a very sharp objects near my throat. But for one-hundredth the price of a haircut back home, I couldn't really complain.

Sarah and Anna, one of the Australians, made dinner for all of us in the van and we spent our last night crammed together enjoying a good meal and many laughs. A guitar appeared from behind the seat in the van and amid the quiet plucking on the strings, we enjoyed a near full moon.