Pakistan2023

This high altitude road is in the Chipurson Valley of North Pakistan. This is at 4000 meters. The mountains at rear are in Afghanistan, and this is all in the Karakoram Range. The turquoise blue water is a still and cut off spot in the flowing river, which is glacial melt full of glacial flour which makes it seem muddy. As you see from the still spot, when it settles, it is an amazing colour. The road at this spot as you can see is not too bad..one of the better stretches. It is subject to earthquake, rockfall, avalanche and erosion as are all roads up here. It is a most remote corner of the planet near the Afghan border. Simply staggering in scale.

Hushe Valley, Baltistan. On the track out to K2 in the Karakoram. Women bringing home the day’s grass harvest for the animals, or for drying and storage for the long, severe winters here. This remote valley provides access for mountaineers from around the world to begin their ascent treks into several of the mountain giants of the region over 8000m, including K2, Gasherbrum, Broad Peak, Masherbrum , the Baltoro Glacier …etc Have a fabulous weekend…at our side of the planet, keep warm and dry, on the other..,keep cool and hydrated.

Looking towards Masherbrum (7821 meters) in the Karakoram range, from the Hushe village. This is one of the most isolated villages in Pakistani Baltistan and was totally impoverished and lacking schools, health care, sanitary facilities of any kind. More recently international climbers come in increasing numbers to tackle K2, Masherbrum…and a host of other 7-8000+ peaks. Thus there have been some improvements for locals, but it is still very much a simple subsistence living in a very harsh, elevated environment. It is difficult of access and women here are still wary and turn away and cover faces when strangers or men are about. The blokes, meanwhile, jostle to be photographed. Many of them supplement income with work as porters and cooks for international climbers, while the women work all day in the fields, and endlessly in their very simple homes. Without irrigation channels like these, which carry glacier and snow melt, all of these very elevated valleys in North Pakistan would be quite barren, as they are otherwise high altitude desert, Have a cracker of a weekend D ❤️

HFF At very high altitude on the Pakistan- Afghan border, where temperatures are -40°C in winter. There is an Ismaili Shia shrine here to a Sufi saint. It is very difficult of access on stony, narrow mountain tracks over rickety bridges crossing vertiginous drops. It is a pilgrimage site. This couple maintain the shrine and welcome travellers with a cup of tea and bread, in the summer. It is one of the remotest, highest, and most beautiful parts of our planet. This is at the absolute end of the dodgy road…then it is just 7000m peaks and Afghanistan May your weekend bring a host of happy things and photographic opportunities. Love from the mad Australian wanderer! ❤️

From the stone fences of the remoteHushe Valley, Pakistan…en route to a K2 access point. Up at altitude… Have a fab weekend and Friday. I have been frantically busy…will get by on Sunday to visit…xxx

At 4000+ meters on the Shandur Pass in far North Pakistan . The shepherds were walking the yaks up to the high altitude summer pastures, where they spend 3 months of the short summer grazing. There is almost no vehicle traffic on this, which is the major highway across the pass linking two major regions of north Pakistan…Chitral and Gilgit Baltistan. It is a difficult and long road…mostly traversed on foot by locals with flocks in summer, and inaccessible in winter. One event in June which we missed by a couple of weeks, is the huge Shandur Polo Tournament, held at the highest point of the Pass. Polo teams from all the villages in Chitral and Gilgit assemble up there with huge crowds of supporters and VIPs helicopter in to watch. The polo, a game which originated in these high mountains, is a much more rough and tumble war game than the upper class descendant played on village greens in other lands. I have watched many an enjoyable polo game in these high mountains…usually given the ball to throw in to start the match, as a visitor!

Crossing the broad Chitral River in a local cable car….like the one this last week which had a dramatic rescue of 8 people from high above a gorge in a nearby part of Pakistan. These are very frequently the only means of transport across stretches of rivers, or over very high ravines where bridges would be impossible or impractical. They bear very little resemblance to the western idea of a cable car, frequently just being put together and run by locals with little funds at hand. Nevertheless they transport thousands of people a day across the mountainous north of Pakistan, and also India and Nepal. And yes, I have crossed in these. I hope your Friday is a really splendid one. And your weekend superb.

To make you laugh, perhaps. I have fear of heights, so in North Pakistan, decided to confront it by zip lining across a high ravine. My gorgeous Pakistani friend Sher Baz videoed it. If I look terrified, I am at the start, but as I zipped along I started to really enjoy it and went back later to do it again!

Woman doing laundry. Kalash Valley, Kafiristan, Pakistan. This area is right on the Afghan border. I was there in May this year, also last year. Life is simple, traditional in small villages. The woman is washing her laundry in a water channel in front of her traditional house. My friends in Pakistan informed me yesterday that this area is now closed to tourists as it was attacked two days ago by the Afghan Taliban. They sent me videos of the shooting and gunfire. Glad it did not happen when I was there, but I sure feel sorry for these people here. Wishing all of us a much more peaceful a and happy Friday and weekend than in this region just now. Diana xxx