Pakistan - Your Travel Destination in 2019: Part VI - Gilgit Baltistan

Pakistan is a country which has everything a tourist may want: landscape, warm hearted people, hospitality and lot to see. You may travel by road to your travel destinations or take regular flights closer to your start point and then use sturdy and rugged jeeps that can withstand the rigours of mountain tracks under their wheels.

I have written many posts on the northern areas of Pakistan, the Karakoram Mountains and a series of posts on the Hindu Kush Mountain in my Mar Loosemore series of posts. No matter which travel destination you choose, you will be awe inspired and take back a nostalgia that will stay with you for the rest of your lives.

Gilgit Baltistan in the northern areas of Pakistan is a region of immense travel importance and countless travel destinations. From ordinary tourists to trekkers and mountaineers, the area presents innumerable destinations and sights that one may have never seen before. The Karakoram Highway is the heart line to all these travel destinations, astride which one comes across Gilgit city, some call it Chinatown of Pakistan, Hunza known for its freshness, a secret behind longevity of its people, the Passu Cones, and finally the Khunjrab border post between China and Pakistan. En route one comes across spectacular view of the Rakaposhi Mountain and junction point of three mighty mountain ranges: The Himalaya, the Hindukush and the Karakorum.

And if you have a flare for fishing you can fish Trout right from the ice cold waters of streams running close to tracks and roads.

And before I forget to mention, Pakistan has five of the fourteen eight thousnaders, mountain peaks towering more than 8,000 meters, including the mighty K2, second to Mt Everest.

You may surf my blog and find many posts on the beauty of travel destinations in the northern areas and Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. But for now, see this beautiful video about tourists' remarks and their views on the travel destinations in Pakistan:

Whenever are you visiting Pakistan next?

Photo (Ladyfinger Mountain) | References | 1 | 2 |

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Close encounter with hungry lions at Lal Sohanra National Park

We often see hosts on Discovery, Animal World or National Geographic channels confronting wild and deadly animals - sometimes even to the extent of risking their lives. But they generally remain safe as all safeguards are taken by the team filming the event and guards at right nearby to prevent an ugly situation.

But what do you call an adventure, closing on to a group of hungry lions completely unprepared at very close quarters? Madness of course, but such adventures have their own charm and life time memories.. And this is exactly what I did and while I still enjoy my adventure, I sometimes think what if the lioness sitting close to me had jumped and got hold of me - well if she had, I would not have been writing this post today.

Lal Sohanra is a man made jungle spread over thousands of acres 35 kilometres east of Bahawalpur district of Punjab province of Pakistan and is considered to be the largest national parks of south Asia. UNESCO has declared Lal Sohanra national park as a Biosphere Reserve. Beside breeding rare back bucks and Neil Guy, the park also has an enclosed area where a lion and his four lionesses roam freely.

As per Wikipedia, there is a large variety of wild life that include wildcats, jackals, rabbits and bustards. The park is littered with a large number of reptiles like monitor lizard, Russell's viper, Indian cobra, saw-scaled viper, wolf snake, John's sand boa, and spiny-tailed lizard. As for birds, there are over 150 species of birds including the largely extinct houbara bustard, griffin vulture, crested honey buzzard, marsh harrier, hen harrier, laggard falcon, peregrine falcon, kestrel, Eurasian sparrow hawk, Egyptian vulture, lark, shrike, wheat-ear, and barn owl. Lake Patisar, a large body of water in the center of the park, is ideal for bird watching. In mid-winter, the lake is regularly home to between 10,000 and 30,000 ducks and common coot.

Now coming back to the lions and my adventure. While visiting the park, we saw a pride of a lion and four lionesses resting some distance away from the dirt track we were riding. Finding this a lifetime opportunity as tourists find during lion safari in the African jungles, I stopped the car and came out and asked my family to follow the suit, who reluctantly also came out. Now there we were standing some 30 feet from the nearest lioness as can be seen in the photo above. I took a snap and asked one family member to take my photo with the lions in the background.

Perhaps the photographer panicked and shoot a photo with nothing in it. And during this time I had my back towards the lioness who could have easily jumped and grabbed me - luckily she did not and we hurriedly got in the car and slowly moved on. I can still feel those gazing pale eyes of the big cat who spared me for God knows why.Unknown to us, it was almost the meal time of the lions and soon we saw a truck coming with fresh meat pieces and threw in front of the lions.

That was my adventure that nearly cost me my life - and ain't gonna take such adventure ever..Would you ever?

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Here come the solo passenger drones for you

The dreaded word drones have plagued the world for long as the military drones armed with missiles have been targeting terrorists but often killing the wrong ones and killing civilians, children and women instead.

But here comes another dimension to these machines: Now you can fly a drone all by yourself and go up to heights of 11,000 feet - a height that an ordinary cessna plane can go to.

When this happens and these passenger drones are available in the market, life will be much more busy and easy at the same time. Busy for the reason that almost everyone loves to fly but due to heavy cost of an airplane, one is kept at bay. But these low cost drone will let those with a little extra to afford one and make their lives enjoyable and easy - and fun loving too.

Watch the video below I came across on Facebook and see how these drones would revolutionise the fun of flying and life:

Passenger Drones and High-Tech Gizmos
Passenger drones, aromatic alarm clocks, throwable panoramic cameras and other gizmos from the Consumer Electronics Show.
Posted by AJ+ on Friday, January 8, 2016

Can you beat this simple technology? Are you already thinking of buying and flying one?

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Khunjrab to Islamabad: A spectacular journey from top of the world on bicycle

Karakoram Highway is one of the unique highways in the world for it connects Pakistan's capital Islamabad to China at Khunjrab - the highest place in the world connected by a metalled road. 

Part of the old fairy tale Silk Route, which had long vanished,  Pakistan and China agreed to construct the Karakoram Highway, commonly called the KKH, in 1966. The area had never been visited by machines and automobile and it was the first time that people of region came to know about automation.  One of the workers narrates an interesting anecdote about the remoteness of the area: 

When after lot of difficulties, a Pakistan Army jeep managed to reach a so far inaccessible village, a villager ran and brought a vase full of water and placed under the front of the jeep. When asked what he was doing, the villager innocently replied, "Sahib, your animal must be thirsty."

The 1300 kilometres (800 miles) long KKH, or the N-35, originates from Hassan Abdal, a place some 45 kilometres from Islamabad on the Islamabad - Peshawar Highway, goes through Abbotabad, Manshera, crosses the River Indus at Thakot, on to Gilgit (through Besham, Pattan and Sazin) and then to Chilas, Hunza and Sost before crossing the Khunjerab Pass at the height of some 4800 metres (15,750ft) - the Zero Point between Pakistan and China.

It is a marvel of human endurance, ingenuity and determination. Both Pakistani and Chinese workers and engineers worked day and night over some of the most formidable and inaccessible mountain ranges of the world, with deep gorges and torrential Indus running along the track with its full might. 

The Indus River flows northwest, dividing the Himalaya from the Karakoram. The KKH runs along the Indus for 310 kilometres of its climb north, winding around the foot of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world.  Not far north of Jaglot the Gilgit river joins the Indus from the west. The highway then leaves the Indus for Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjrab rivers to take on the Karakoram Range - where 12 of the 30 highest mountains in the world overlook the KKH. 

At Khunjrab Pass, the KKH proudly stands as the highest metalled border crossing in the world. En route to Khunjrab, before Gilgit, there is a road sign inviting the attention of the tourists to stop and see the the Hindu Kush mountains converge with the Karakoram Range, a part of the Himalayan mountain system (see the board above). 

The Karakoram (the 'crumbling rock' in Turkish language) Highway is an incredible feat of engineering and an enduring monuments to the 810 Pakistanis and 82 Chinese who died forcing it through  the world's most difficult and unstable terrain, making it possible to surface on earth the Eighth Wonder of the World.  Karakoram Highway has a strategic importance that overarches the whole region. It forms the Asian 'high road' loop that binds Pakistan and China and can also serve as a link between China and the Central Asian states. In 2003, the Silver Jubilee celebrations (1978-2003) of the construction of the road were held both in Pakistan and China.

Huawei Mobile Pakistan has recently covered and sponsored a solo bicycle adventure by on Moin Khan from the freezing cold Khunjrab at the Zero Pint of Pakistan-China border to Islamabad. This post covers the spectacular bicycle adventure that covers journey from The Pak-China border to Battagram on KKH.

The video below shows part of the journey through the border custom post Sost, Bay Bar, the famous Passu Cones, the Attabad Lake, Hunza and finally ends at Battagram. 

A massive landslide on 4 January 2010 blocked the Hunza River at Attabad, 9 miles (14 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad Hunza, and made a huge lake called Attabad Lake (above) or the Gojal Lake, for the lake lies in the Gojal Valley of northern Pakistan. The lake flooding has displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, and inundated over 12 miles (19 km) of the Karakoram Highway - thus cutting the Pakistan-China road link. Although, ferry services promptly came in transporting people and goods across the lake, it badly hampered Pakistan-China trade.

With Chinese help, the part of the submerged KKH was realigned and 24 new road with five tunnels, totalling seven kilometres, was constructed and inaugurated on 14 September 2015. The realignment restored the road link between Pakistan and China and it is expected that significant amount of trade will be conducted between China and Pakistan through KKH. KKH is also a part of Pakistan China Economic Corridor, and is expected to significantly increase economic integration between China and Pakistan. 

Watch the video below:

My Huawei My Pakistan - Khunjerab to Islamabad
Posted by Huawei Mobile Pakistan on Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Related References:
The karakoram Highway (Pakistanpaedia)
Making of the KKH
Attabad Lake (Wikipedia)

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Tracey Curtis's biplane touches down in Pakistan

(PHOTO: AYSHA SALEEM/Express)

Pakistan's Arabian Sea coastline has always been a touchdown must for many aviation expeditions and record breaking flights. Lat Tuesday, a Canadian female aviator Tracey Curtis touched down in Karachi in a 1942 Boeing Stearman bi-plane 'Spirit of Artemis.'

Tracey Curtis' journey in her bi-plane is a sort of dedication and paying homage to Amy Johnson, the pioneering British aviator, and emulate Johnson’s epic solo flight from Britain to Australia in 1930 by following Johnson’s route to relive her dramatic adventures.

The 53-year-old Miss Curtis embarked upon a 13,000-mile solo flight in a vintage open-cockpit biplane on October 1, 2015. She was received on the Quaid-e-Azam International airport by Air Marshal Salman Ahsan Bukhari of Pakistan Air Force (Pictured above), John A Tucknott, British deputy high commissioner of Pakistan and Engro chairperson Hussain Dawood.

Curtis’ flight is expected to take 12 to14 weeks with her arrival in Sydney in early 2016. Her flight from Farnborough, England, has so far touched down destinations across Europe and the Mediterranean to Jordan, over the Arabian Desert, across the Gulf of Oman to Pakistan. Continuing her journey to India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, she will finally cross the Timor Sea to Australia.

Tracy with Pakistan Air Force officer  Squadron Leader Saira Batool at Gwader airport (Photo APP)

Earlier, Tracey Curtis touched down at Gwader seaport of Pakistan on Monday. On her arrival she was received by Squadron Leader Saira Batool, a lady pilot of Pakistan Air Force. Later Tracy endorsed her remarks on her Facebook: "Overwhelming reception in ‪Gwadar. Unbelievable welcome by C-47 and honoured to meet Air Force pilot Saira and now high on cliffs overlooking the Arabian Sea. Blown away by it all."

During her short stay in Karachi, Curtis will visit Dawood Public School and interact with more than 2,000 female students. The event is being organised by Engro Corporation, Habib Bank Limited and the Dawood Foundation.

Welcoming Tracy Curtis, John A Tucknott, British deputy high commissioner of Pakistan, said that he was delighted to welcome Curtis to Pakistan. “I have been living in Pakistan for the last two years, and I find it to be one of the most colourful and culturally rich nations.”

Sources |Express Tribune-17 November|Express Tribune-18 November

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Skiing Resorts of Pakistan

You want to ski in Pakistan - if yes, then what sort of skiing you would like to do: Water skiing, sand skiing or snow skiing. Amazed at the dearth of skiing option you have when visiting Pakistan? Well you would be as Pakistan's varying landscape allows you multiple options to choose from depending on your choice.

Herein under is a post that I once wrote for skiing hobbyists in my blog Hobby Shobbys and am sharing it for those who love skiing on the snow covered slopes specially of the Himalaya and the Karakoram.

Read the post at the link given below and see what is in store for you in Pakistan.

Hobby Shobbys: Skiing in Pakistan: Pakistan’s north has some of the most challenging and difficult, yet awesome mountain slopes covered with snow round the year for skiers to ...
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Motorcycle diary of the first Pakistani girl who dared to ride solo through northern areas

The Northern Areas of Pakistan offer some of the most spectacular scenic views one can ever see anywhere in the world. The roads passing through rocky mountains with jagged edges jutting out and boulders falling down at places make the journey both dangerous, yet adventurous and memorable. The due to frequent rocks falling, the roads at places have turned into dirt tracks, making it difficult to ride a jeep or a car.

But what about motor cycling or even mere cycling along these treacherous roads? Well many adventure seekers both local and abroad prefer heavy motor bikes as these offer flexibility in negotiating the fallen debris and boulders. awhile ago, I shared a post about 'Mountain biking on top of the world' wherein I had mentioned about adventure seekers riding atop the world on such treks on heavy mountain bikes.

Now coming back to motorbikes, the travel becomes more interesting and attractive if a lone girl and that too from Pakistan elects to dare these treacherous roads and tracks. Yes that is true: A 20 years old Lahore-based Zenith Irfan has taken the challenge recently and traveled through Kashmir, riding different motorcycle models including Honda 125, Honda CD -70 and Suzuki GS-150 - and making history.

Read more about her travel adventures at:
Motorcycle diary of the first Pakistani girl who dared to ride solo through northern areas

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Guoliang Tunnel - a marvel of a dozen determined men

Miracles happen once in a while, but sometimes a handful of determined men make miracles happen that take the onlookers with an awe. And this is exactly a dozen of Chinese villagers did to connect their lonesome village at the top of a mountain to the outside world.

The village Guoliang is situated on top of the the Taihang Mountains which are situated in Huixian, Xinxiang, Henan Province of China. Until 1972, the village had no access to the outside world or the nearest road-head and the villagers had to brave their way to and from to the nearest 'civilization' through a treacherous mountain track.

So one day, a bunch of 13 determined villagers thought of a miracle to happen. Without any help from the local government or the outside world, the viullagers sold their belongings to buy tools and equipment to undertake one of the wonders of the world. Merely with the help of hand held tools and the human endurance and determination, the began carving a road - one meter in three days. 

This looked not only gigantic task but also seemingly impossible. But after five years and with the loss of one of their comrades, the remaining tweleve men vfinally connected to the nearest roadhead. The extremely treacherous Guoliang Tunnel which is 1.2 kilometers long and four meres wide with an overhead clearance of five meters was opened on 1 May 1977 - the Labor Day for the rest of the world, but a day of reckoning and jubilation for the villagers of Guoliang.

Today, the Guoliang Tunnel is a tourist attraction and daring tourists from around the world visiting China do venture out to visit the Guoliang Tunnel and the village at the top of the Taihang Mountains to pay tribute to those dozen men for their sheer determination to provide their future generations an access to the outside world.

Watch the video below, shared at YouTube by Goomey:

I haven't been to China yet - but if I ever do, I will make an endeavour to go to Guoliang village through Guoliang Tunnel to pay tribute to the men who carved out one of the most treacherous roads of the world - with their hands.

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The Best Adventures to Experience When you are in Puerto Rico

By: Azel Bailey

The Caribbean National Forest offers some exciting adventure opportunities as you hike and dive through this exciting rainforest. The 28,000 gigantic mountainous rainwater terrains can challenge your physical and mental abilities with the numerous trailheads. Some of these can lead to hidden natural waterfalls where you can take a refreshing plunge. Climbing through the diverse terrains to reach the mountain summit is an experience that could be hard to beat.

Caribbean National Forest [Photo: Butterfunk ]

The Stingray City on Grand Cayman is an adventure most tourists can ill afford to miss. The open water site is the dining place for huge Atlantic southern stingrays. There are snorkeling excursions held daily where divers can reach a 12-foot deep portion to find an assortment of fish reef. On your lucky day you might even spot a moray or sea turtle.

Stingray City snorkeling [Photo: Stingray City ] 

Long Island’s Stella Maris Shark Reef is a must see place on your list. You can see bull shark, hammerheads, makos and even reef sharks from close quarters here. The shark dive is considered by many as the best adventure San Juan has to offer.

Do not miss the famous shipwreck of the RMS Rhone, immortalized by the movie, The Deep. The site where the 310 feet steamer broke into two and sank is a national park today. You can swim inside to have a closer look at the rooms, now the abode of parrotfish, grunts and snappers.

Shipwreck of RMS Rhone [Photo: Panoramio ]

This is easily the best 12-meter challenge you will ever encounter. The excitement of actually getting to race a yacht can be experienced only at the Marina in Philipsburg. You can choose to operate the hydraulic primer or trimmer to move the sails and ropes. Either way it is a great experience.

The tiny island of Aruba offers some great boardsailing experience. The Fisherman’s Hut and the Arashi are easily the top spots here. The best time to visit is June.

Jamaica Blue Mountains is a great place to hike and experience this cool and rugged region. Walking through the coffee fields has an excitement of its own. Challenge adventures such as hiking, mountain biking and birding can be experienced on the Blue Mountains.

The Grand Cayman’s Mastic is the place where you can see the colourful presence of doves, woodpeckers and parrots along with snakes and lizards. This lush forest offers an exciting tracking experience.

Virgin Islands National Park [Photo: Virgin Islands Online ]

The Virgin Islands National Park is another must-visit site. All of 11,560 acres, this Park encompasses the best of nature with perfect beaches and marine life. Snorkeling and guided under water trail can be fun.

Author Resource: If you want to visit exotic and beautiful places and enjoy Puerto Rico adventure? Just check out adventures Puerto Rico and some more awesome places. And visit fantastic Puerto Rico golf courses and enjoy your holidays.

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Climbing St Johns Head - A feat for the Fearless

Ordinary people watch the brave to attempt things that have never been attempted before or are too scary to be attempted by a few brave men. Such brave men have scaled K2, though second highest after Everest, but much more difficult and killing. While such feats are for the professional mountaineers involving lot of funds and efforts, there are places all around the world that take individuals to test their fearlessness and bravery.

St Johns Head, Hoy, Orkney, Scotland [Photo: John Dera / Flickr ]

One such place is the St Johns Head, a 346 metres or 1150 feet sheer vertical cliff that lies 3km to the north-east of the Old Man of Hoy. When looking from down below, one may not feel the awe and fear, but when standing atop the Head, one's heart murmurs and may even skip a few beats.

The Head was first climbed in 1970 by climber and poet Ed Drummond together with Oliver Hill. They took 7 days to climb the cliff, sleeping on ledges and in hammocks along the way. Now, 40 years later, one of the World's top climbers, Dave MacLeod, sets out to climb the cliff in a single day, finishing with a new desperately hard final pitch up the head wall.

Screen shot of video of MacLeod climbing the St Johns Head

And what is more: Dave became the first person to ever free-climb - using just his hands and feet with ropes only as a safety precaution.

 MacLeod  climbing the cliff with bear hands

People may ask what is so different with St Johns Head as there are many sheer cliffs all around the world. Well for many reasons, these clifffs are different; for one there is a strong coastal gale that blows with its fearsome intensity the whole year long. Then its more rainy than other places of the world besides the overhang.

Watch the video below of the MacLeod's adventure to scale the st Johns Head with bare hands:

If you ever happen to be visiting Hoy, Scotland, do drop by to see these sheer cliffs and the St Johns Head - may be you find MacLeod or any climber or fearless adventurer inching his way upwards with the power of his bare hands and legs. This is the world of adventure and achievement. 


But before I finish this post, may  ask do you anything about the Trango Towers - the most sheer and highest verticals in the world? If not, do read my post "Trango Towers - the Most Sheer Verticals of the World." You will be amazed to find the enormity of these verticals and the courage of those brave men and women who attempt these in the most remote and desolate mountains in the Karakorams in Pakistan.

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