26 October 2008, Islamabad, Pakistan

Some of you have already spotted that the photos are FINALLY up - we arrived in Islamabad yesterday late morning and went straight to an international hotel with expensive but fast internet to at least get the photos all downloaded. Unfortunately there was a power cut during the last download so the most recent batch of photos are not in order - sorry - it was more than we could cope with by that stage to re-jig them, but I hope I can give enough context here for you to figure it out.



Once again, we logged on to wonderful comments to our blog and emails from many of you which we absolutely LOVE to receive, so thank you. It's good to hear that as far as we can tell, you're all well and doing ok. Eleanor - I wish I could give you some sensible advice for scary hideous interview, but all I can say is I feel your pain (no doubt literally when I get back myself to dismal job market!).



Anyway - don't need to think about that for quite some time yet - so! Here is a synopsis of the last stage in our adventure:

We left Gilgit to head down toward Nanga Parbat in time for Andrew's birthday. A terrifying jeep ride up an unfeasible road (I DID keep my eyes closed most of the way, which made it MUCH more relaxing!) takes you to a dropping off point, from where it's a 1.5-2 hour hike up to Fairy Meadows.....or 3 hours if you have to shove 2 fully laden bikes, even with the help of 2 local porters. HARD WORK! But it's worth it for the staggering views of Nanga Parbat, and the enchanting and appropriately named Fairy Meadows - a collection of 5 'resorts' (ha ha, they mean 5 groups of wooden sheds) on a grassy green plateau among pine and birch forest. From here it is a 1.5 hour wander up to 'viewpoint' (makes me laugh - like there isn't a view everywhere you look!?) or a full day to basecamp (we were too lazy to do this - we're on a cycling trip, not a trekking trip), both passing through the lovely but now deserted for winter, village of Bayal. On our first night (Andrew's birthday) we camped with the best views in the world of Nanga Parbat - lit by the moon all night and stunning at dawn. The next night we were the only people in the resort so were given the dormitory to sleep in for a cheaper rate (Fairy Meadows is the most expensive place in Pakistan) complete with wood burning stove where we sweltered the night away while a thin layer of snow fell! Here we were joined by our lovely American friends; Tim, Mari and Bonny (TMB - we met them first in Kashgar, then again in Minapin where they took part in our show as well, and then again in Gilgit) who were staying in a different set of wooden huts but came round to huddle by our stove and play cards. The 5 of us are the only visitors at Fairy Meadows and it's the last week they will stay open before closing down for winter.

The next day we descended by bike - an exhausting and often hair raising ride that shook us to smithereens. But eventually we got to the bottom (4 hours of juddering) and had a long ride back on the KKH down to the town of Chilas. Here again we hooked up with TMB as we all wanted to try to get over Barbusa Pass instead of using the KKH south, for safety issues and a more scenic ride. With their help, we managed to all pile into a jeep (whizzing us past the extremist Kohistani villages, with the added benefit of avoiding a truly awful climb) for the ride up and over this high 4000m plus peak which fortunately wasn't snowbound yet. Some distance down the other side, when we decided we would be able to reach our destination for that day by bike before darkness, we parted company and they continued on to the town of Manshera. They have been the most wonderful company on this trip and we're going to miss their company, but may well hook up with them in India at some point, Inshallah.

Once over Barbusa Pass we could immediately sense the change in people but also the landscape which became much more alpine in feel. The people are staggeringly hospitable here - very warm and friendly, which is made even more poignant by the fact that this was the epicentre for the horrendous 2005 earthquake - evidence of which is everywhere. We cycled for around 5 days once over Barbusa to reach Islamabad, the weather gradually getting warmer and warmer as we come out of the mountains. This really marks the end of the big mountains in this journey. Laos is hilly in the North, but our journey so far has been all about mountains - seeing them and getting over them before the winter sets in and closes the passes. In a week we will be in India (we leave tomorrow for a 3 day cycle to Lahore where we will spend a couple of days before crossing the border to Amritsar) and then it'll be pretty flat for a month or more! So - phase one complete! Safe and sound and having had a wonderful, extraordinary journey through Asia so far.

As usual, we have selected 2 diary entries that we hope will give you a flavour of the last 10 days. The photos are all up there, but we haven't yet managed to load the photos taken here yesterday of Andrew getting his beard shaved off! He went into the barbers wild and woolly, and came out with caved in cheeks - waffer thin! Quite shocking, but don't worry - we're not actually too thin and we're stuffing ourselves with curry in Pakistan. Bottoms still holding out which is great! So far so good!

Happy reading! Can we suggest you have a proper Pakistani milk tea while you read the diary entries - just to get the flavour of the thing! LOTS of sugar, remember! If it doesn't stick to your teeth, add more.

Love to you all as ever from us both.

Monday 20 October 2008 - Fairy Meadow, Nanga Parbat to Chilas
We woke this morning to a fine layer of snow that will no doubt have melted soon after the sun hits it We were very warm last night in the dormitory - in fact, I was sweating for at least half the night! I slept very badly so have struggled with tiredness and grumpiness all day, which hasn't helped what already promised to be a mammoth day. We'd hoped to leave by 8.30 and ordered breakfast for 8am - it finally arrived at 8.30 with the confession that none of the guys up here has a watch (also not helped by 'old Pakistan time' and 'new Pakistan time' introduced by the government in the last year - most Pakistanis refuse to acknowledge new time - don't ask me which is which, I've tried to figure it out but everyone seems at least as confused as me!). Anyway, eventally with hot porridge inside us and a hefty bill paid we set off.

The first part of the trail was narrow and clung to the cliff face, so we mostly had one foot out to balance and often had to get off on the rocky or very gravelly sections. The real danger is catching the low front paniers on a rock - this knocks the handlebars violently (I did this 2 or 3 times) and could easily send you over the edge of a precipice, or badly damage the paniers. Once down into the woods, we had some good stretches of wide path that we could easily cycle, then back onto narrow gravelly and rocky sections. It was hard work on the concentration and the wrists and also pretty scary from time to time. Finally, after 1.5 hours we reached the end of this section and took a breather before facing the jeep track.

A quick, dry chapatti, then off we went again. This section was actually easier as it is so much wider, but it was a very long section and took over 2 hours of thorough bone-shaking, including a puncture for me. Time was pressing on by the time we finally reached the bottom and we still had 55km back on the KKH to do to reach Chilas. We knew we HAD to make it in good time, before nightfall for our own safety as this is approaching dodgy areas - certainly from Chilas on, so with a 2nd puncture we were beginning to feel a bit anxious.

The Americans (TMB) passed in their jeep which they have very successfully negotiated for us all to travel in tomorrow over Barbusa Pass. They stopped to say hi and identified my discovery of about a dozen thorns stuck in one of my shoes as 'puncture vine'! Indeed, these are the very thorns that gave us our first 2 punctures back in Kyrgyzstan! What an apt name! Mari (a botanist by profession) hunted down a plant to show me and it's clear why it so easily punctures tyres! Nasty stuff!

The road was probably mostly downhill, but there was certainly alot of up too and the road condition was very varied - plus neither of us had really eaten properly today, we were really struggling by the time we finally rolled into Chilas at about 5.30pm. The town main street was bedlam - masses of noisy vehicles, everything filthy, the men (only men, of course) were pretty intimidating and looked very poor, ragged and dirty. It was like the wild west. We finally spotted the LP 'mid range' Karakurum Inn' which was not quite what we had in mind when thinking 'mid range' but it's fine. The room has twin beds with foul-looking sheets that smell a bit - definitely not clean (thank heavens for silk sleeping bag liners) and there is a bathroom with a disgusting sink. Not really warm water, but not baltic - so we are clean, have washed a few essential clothes, fixed 3 punctures and Andrew has ventured out with TMB's guide to the local market for supplies which he really enjoyed. We've also had dinner - chapatti, mixed veg and dhal, again - so we've achieved alot in a short space of time - particularly given how tired from the ride we are today - I expect/hope I shall sleep like a log tonight!

I am wearing my new shalwaar kameeze tonight:
a) because it's clean!
b) because we know that Chilas can be a bit unfriendly, so a gesture of wearing local dress might help.
This led to an interesting discussion with TMB over whether local dress is necessary to avoid offense - whether it's comfortable etc. I must say, I think I could cover up in western clothes and feel more normal, but I think it does make a difference to the locals who have made several comments over the last few days to Andrew, appreciating his beard and shalwar kameeze. Also, we expected a couple of less friendly villages today, but in fact we have been surprised that all have been very friendly - because of our appearance? Who knows.....

We're really chuffed that we will be able to go over Barbusa Pass afterall - made possible by splitting the cost with TMB (and thanks to their negotiations with the guides etc they used for their trip to Fairy Meadows). It'll be a squash, but worth it for all of us as none of us want to travel the next section of the KKH - even by bus - it isn't considered safe as too close to Taliban areas in Swat Valley. Also, the scenery becomes less rewarding apparently, whereas Barbusa will access a whole new valley and is apparently lovely - so as this was always our plan A, we're chuffed to bits! We head off first thing tomorrow and will jump off once we are past the unfriendly villages and the road is ok.

One final comment on today: once or twice cars stopped to say hello (sadly we were always on our guard, expecting trouble any minute and considering every child we passed that didn't throw a rock, a bonus!). One older man and his nephew stopped, got out and asked to take their photos with Andrew. Throughout I held back with my head down and, as in all interactions today, was completely ignored - a 2nd class citizen. No handshakes, usually not even any acknowledgement of my presence. Now - I don't take offence - I understand what is happening and that this is actually far more respectful to me in a muslim country than the guy a couple of days ago who stopped, wanted photos with Andrew and then pushed hard for photos with me.....I cycled away to escape the situation - nevertheless, it is very difficult for me as a Western woman to feel happy about my total loss of status in this country. I feel a bit degraded and certainly indignant.....it's a difficult problem. (ed note - this situation became even more fascinating in Islamabad where, after a very long talk with a local guy about our trip, the bikes, our thoughts on Pakistan during which I talked about the issue of western women in Pakistan and how they are perceived etc - at the end of which he asked how I was travelling if Andrew was on the bicycle........I asked him what on earth he thought I was doing! Basically, he couldn't get his head around a woman on a bike at all (he was completely bemused), other than sitting side saddle on the back wheel! Literally! It's then that you realise the gulf between muslim women and western women - no wonder men stare agog at me as they drive past!).

22.10.2008 - Naran to Balakot
I think that for both of us, today has become an absoluetly classic day on our journey so far, so I will try hard to get it all down in writing here. We set off at 8.30 and found our road to be gently descending the valley, so made good progress. We stopped for milk tea in the next town of any significance - Kaghan - and had a nice chat with a local shopkeeper who is also a local journalist. An old guy also came in to ask us about the condition of the road over Barbusa Pass. It was a simple but satisfying exchange wih local people who all seemed really friendly and welcoming. This feeling increased all day long with everyone along the road waving and often shouting 'welcome!'. This valley - the Kaghan Valley is very beautiful - very Alpine in feel with a deep V valley, lovely river at the bottom and pine tree-clad hillsides. The houses are also very different from Northern Parkistan where they are mostly single story - here they are 2 storey or more with smart roofs that glint in the sun all the way up the hillsides of the valley. However, we also noticed that there are masses of refugee tents - mostly, it seems, now of secondary usage - perhaps or extra space beside buildings or the tarpaulin used to patch sides of buildings where walls are missing or simply spread on top of hay stacks. Of course, this is the area devastated by the 2005 earthquake and the evidence is everywhere. The road, all day, was punctuated by serious rockfall and landslides - or the remains of them. The road is regularly swamped by soil, rock and often is rippled by the quake or has dropped several meters. Road works to widen the road are also everywhere (the 'new' wider KKH will divert this way, avoiding the lower stretch that is too close to unstable Swat Valley) with plenty of diggers sending rocks down onto the road below.

Around lunchtime we passed through a police checkpoint and were invited to tea. As we were leaving the police, a young Pakistani guy came to chat to us - he is working for the red cross in the area and told us lots about the quake. He told us that many thousands died in the quake. Initially, the only way to get aid in was by helicopter as the roads were destroyed. The valley directly over the hill was completely destroyed. Amazingly, they discovered whole villages in the region and 3-4000 people that they never even knew existed, they are so remote! Eventually they managed to get aid through the roads and persuaded people in the side valleys to come down to the refugee camps where they could provide aid more easily. Now, 3 years on, pretty much everyone now has a home again, water, electricity, health care and schooling. In fact, many of the survivors now have a much higher standard of living than before the quake! As we made to leave, this lovely man insisted we join him for lunch. It was with great reluctance that we turned him down - we knew we didn't want to risk it getting late to arrive in Balakot, but it would have been fascinating to find out more from him.

Our road stayed high throughout the afternoon with plenty of short climbs and masses of road builders - mostly working on widening the road rather than rock/landfall clearance. We met the man in charge of the road works and were again invited for tea and/or food. Again, we thanked him but pressed on. We had plenty of food supplies and made a few stops for biscuits and chapatti and apple jam.

Eventualy, at around 4pm, we dropped down into the town of Balakot. It was a hive of activity and we had trouble finding the hotels in the LP. In fact, the map didn't seem to match the roads either - this, we found out, is because the quake destroyed 95% of this town (and the LP predates the quake). Hotels simply aren't here anymore and almost no buildings are over 1 storey high. All around the town is prefab housing with blue roofs just like the chinese road builders' accommodationg (so much so that we are sure these were donated by China) - all replacement housing.

After asking around, we found the one hotel left and have checked into a simple room with cold water and unreliable electricity (rule number 1 -always keep your headtouch close to hand in Pakistan), but very friendly staff who brought us a lovely clean towel (way to my heart - I shall burn that ruddy 'travel towel' when I get home!) and candles when the lights went out, which is much more than we usually get in these guest houses! we have ordered dinner here on the advice of everyone we asked in town, who said it's the best place to eat! (ed note: it was delicious, we were the only guests and ate by candlelight....power was still off!).

After a quick shower and clothes rinse, I donned shalwar kameez again and we went out to explore. First we bought fresh popcorn from a street stall - then stopped at one of the sweety stores and were immediately each given a delicious and intricate honey cake thing - Andrew bought 4 more of them. Then I spotted a bookshop I had seen earlier and dived in to try and find a new diary as have resorted to scraps of paper over last 2 days since filling first diary. Straight away one of the customers, a young guy in western dress and glasses (very few glasses in Pakistan so far - there must be alot of people around who can't see very well!) started to talk to us. He (Fahim) is here working for a French NGO and was so incredibly nice and friendly. He helped me to speak to the shopkeeper to find the right notebook and when I wanted to pay, insisted that it was a gift from him! I protested, embarrassed by his generosity, but he insisted it was the Pakistani way - a gesture of hospitality. what a lovely man! And then, when he went to pay, the shop keeper refused his money, insisting that he wanted to give me the notebook as his own gesture of hospitality. I didn't know which way to turn with my thanks! We offered to buy Fahim tea as thanks, but couldn't even do that as the shop keeper offered us tea too! Astonishingly, Fahim was asking if we were doing a 'round the world cycle' as he had recently seen Mark Beaumount's program on cable TV! We couldn't believe it!! We have given Fahim our web address and hope that he checks our progress and keeps in touch.

After tea, the shop keeper directed us to a small cemetery tucked away behind the shops in a most unlikely place - apparently is was a very historic site with graves of (we think) great warriors - or certainly important Balakoti. At last - something that isn't in the LP!

So - 80+km of cycling, masses of interaction with the local people - an absolutely fascinating look at this area so devastated by earthquake and the most wonderful, humbling hospitality and generosity we have experienced so far on this journey - all in beautiful surroundings! A classic day indeed.