Pakistanistan, Day 1, to Skardu

😴

It's 03h15.

😵‍💫

We leave by 03h30.

😵‍💫🥱

Checked-in and airborne by 6am.

🥱🥱

Soon we are flying over the Karakorums.

👀

...and are treated to the most spectacular up close views of Nunga Parbat (naked mountain) and surrounding peaks; just stunning. The peaks are so high that as we start to descend to land, we are below their tops.

The aircraft makes a relatively dramatic descent in a series of loops within the valley and we land at what I think is a Pakistan Air Force base. 

We arrive at the Qayam Skardu hotel and have breakfast, but as the rooms are not ready yet, we drive into town and climb up to see the Kharpocho Fort. From there we have a commanding view of the Indus river valley below, vital for controlling the area in the past.

A well earned lunch for our calorific expenditure and then we get to ride what will be our iron horses for the next ten days or so. We're riding GSs! Alas it's the Suzuki GS150, a bike with an engine of 150cc, more than ten times smaller than the one I rode yesterday. 🫤 

It's capable enough for these roads, but has a weird gearshift that we will spend the next week getting used to, and it has relatively limited suspension travel, making the ride over rough surfaces a challenge - but we like a challenge.

It's a short rather pedestrian ride to some local, large sand banks formed by the river. A brief stop and we turn around. 

One the way back a few of us detour to have a look around the town. This is a predominant Shia Muslim area and we notice the worrying influence of a powerful neighbour.

I detour even further, riding over the mighty Indus river to see the view up to the fort. 

Getting back was longer than expected and I was on the verge of asking for directions (!! 😱 !!) when the hotel came into view.

A short run using my own leg power, dinner, then an early-ish night. A civilised reveille tomorrow, but sleep needed to recover from the last few days.