Journey to Northern Pakistan (Podcast)

Hear about journey to Northern Pakistan and the Karakoram Freeway because the Beginner Traveler talks to David Harden from travelwornsatchel.com about his street journey on this distant and exquisite nation.

David began an overland journey throughout Asia when he was 18, however it acquired interrupted by the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. Since then he has been filling within the lacking bits together with Pakistan.

The unique plan was to do that journey on his personal on a bike, however he was satisfied by Pakistani mates to get a information and a driver as an alternative. The highways would have been harder with a bike. This gave him somebody who had native intelligence and will decide what areas had been secure at any given time. The information additionally then knew the place pictures was not appreciated.

We begin in Islamabad. David recommends a cease on the large Faisal Mosque which was financed by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It’s within the foothills overlooking Islamabad.

David’s journey began firstly of June as a result of among the highways are impassible a lot earlier than that.

Karimabad is simply south of the very best go on the earth that leads from Pakistan to China. “I knew I used to be in the appropriate place. I watched the solar come up. The solar caressed Rakaposhi Mountain which is snow-covered. The snow turned gold for a minute. It was great.” Karimabad is a lush valley in a rugged panorama.

David acquired partway out on the Hussaini Hanging Bridge which is a dangling pedestrian bridge. It has a repute as “the world’s most harmful bridge”. The bridge is by town of Passu. Passu is tower over by the Passu Cones. They visited a lake with stunning inexperienced water. Most of the rivers within the space are glacial soften and are a “cement grey”. David hiked to the Passu Glacier.

Alongside the Karakoram Freeway, you’ll be able to see brightly painted vans. In Rawalpindi, he visited a truck yard the place they assemble and paint the vans.

He traversed the Deosai Plaines in Deosai Nationwide Park that are the 2nd highest plains on the earth. From there he hiked to the bottom camp for the hike to Nanga Parbat.

His journey over the Shandur Move coincided with the Shandur Polo Competition on this excessive mountain go. 50 weeks of the yr you’ll solely a few momentary buildings however through the pageant, the valley fills with tents and polo followers (males).

One of many highlights of the journey was a go to to the Kalasha folks of Northern Pakistan. The Kalasha persons are not Muslim. They’re a small (3,000 folks) ethnic group.