Pakistan - South - (Lahore, Peshavar, Islamabad) 1/2

Pakistan a beautiful country full of friendly people, amusing scenery and tradition.

WAGAH - INDIA/PAKISTAN border

Crossing from India to Pakistan is possible through the Wagah border, which is about 25 km from Amritsar - the city of Sikh's & The Golden Temple. It is easy to get on a local bus to Atari. From here it is an easy distance by the cycle rickshaw (15RS) to the border. Crossing itself is just fun. The bureaucracy between the countries is really ridiculous. Especially India's paranoid approach, with all the forms and many check - like anyone could disappear in between there. You have to pass about 600 meters through the border zone. Stopping at least 3 times on the Indian side for a various reasons. If you come as a backpacker, there are usually no delays. Once you get to Pakistan side, you only enter your passport, take a small ticket with number, pass it to a soldier when you exiting the gate and you are out. No fiddling, no bother.

Smoking "Hukker" on the street - Lahore

The most interesting (apart from the famous flag lowering ceremony) is to watch a stream of porters on both sides carrying a cargo , which they off loaded from the truck on one side and after passing the border zone it again gets loaded on another truck on another side. Each country has got a different coloured uniforms and they carry all boxes to a dividing line. Here they swap a box with their colleagues. Being very careful not to step over the line. To make sure this is being fully followed you have many soldiers closely watching on each side. And if a careless one steps accross the line? Well, a lots of shouting immediately follows.

PESHAWAR

The city with so much feelings. Buzzy multicultural mix coming almost from the fairytale. The old city has very special atmosphere with its old bazaars, full of smells - spice, vegetable, meat and dirt. This city with old Persian Afghan influence was a very important place on the silk road and caravans had stopped there for ages. You can still find many caravanserai's's - usually a big house with a simple accommodation, where the camel caravans stopped for a night and merchants sipped tea and exchanged stories from their travelling. One street leading from a Kabul gate was named after those travellers - "A story tellers street" Old city used to be closed behind the wall and twelve gates led into it. Nowadays only a few of them are left, with the most famous Kabul gate. For me the most magical in the city is to find a little hideaway with old samovar and sip "Kawa" (green tea with cardamon) with the locals. I have found two beautiful places like this. One is in old caravanserai house just about 30 meters from the exit of the cinema road in the first floor. When you walk, you will see a few "keer" places on your right and on your left in the first floor a two big samovars with lots of teapots around are standing out of the wall under the roof. A small entry door will take you upstairs of this A... Hotel/tearoom. Another one is hidden in one of the houses in the spice bazaar in its yard. There are a big scales weighing almonds, rosins, nuts, ..... and in the opposite corner on his "throne" next to the samovars an old men is making tea. A throne place is not just an expression. You have to see yourself a place they put the samovars on, where the tea men is sitting and making all the Kava and Chai into the most ugly/beautiful teapots. Some would call them a broken, aged junk others an antiquity and I know a few foreigners who were begging the owners to get one (not a new one, but the one with the history).

Peshawar - tea place

People there are extremely nice. Many times I have ended up not paying for my tea, as they referred to me as the guest or somebody else just paid for me in the tea shop. I got given bread in the morning and sweets in the sweet shop. Really hospitable people. But of course you have to be careful, there are some not really good individuals, who tries to help you out of your cash. Mainly all the freelance guides, who in the end just take you to some shop to drink tea, .... It is no problem not too buy, but sometimes you feel obliged like giving something back to the guide for all his effort showing you many things around.

AK47? Cheap men! Local tribal men near Peshawar, Pakistan.

And also beware people offering you visit of the "smugglers bazaar" or Kyber Pass. You should really trust the person for it and don't pay more then 300RS for the Smuglers bazaar - a place to see a hashis, heroin, some bad quality fake notes, opium and some guns - AK47, Chinese pistol and a pen gun. That is all. More you can see in Darra - cyber pass village, where many other guns are copied and you can shoot some rounds there. Smugglers bazaar has also Heineken beer and whisky. The best for visiting this place is, if you want some alcohol, beer or hashis to smoke

Wanna steak? Peshawar

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD

From the streets - Rawalpindi

LAHORE

Cinderella in the garbage - Lahore

From the prayers - Lahore

Continue your reading here: - "Pakistan -North (Gilgit, Hunza, Karakorum) 2/2

Pakistan - North - (Gilgit, Hunza, Karakorum) 2/2

Polo - tradition from Pakistan - Gilgit

North Pakistan and Hunza Valley. Beautiful areas situated deep in the mountain ranges, where The Himalayas connect with The Karakorum. Right in the middle, running through the main valley is famous "Karakorum Highway" - a road, which has connected Pakistan with China and made possible development of the area. It's more than stunning to ride in between the peaks. Also I believe, that passing under the Nanga Parbat (one of 8.000 meters peaks) is something you will not forget. There are many great mountains, beautiful views, superb sceneries, but there is not many places, where you can admire such a huge mountain standing "close" to you and the difference to its top is more then 6.000 meters!

NORTH PAKISTAN - TREKKING

That is the way to travel - Hunza Valley

Morning frost - Rash Peak trek (5049m)

Glacier views - Rash Peak trek (5049m)-

On the glacier - Rakaposhi base camp trek

Good view - Rash Peak trek (5049m)

Lady Finger - Hunza Valley mountains -

Baltit Fort - Karimabad - Hunza Valley

Minapin Glacier - Rakaposhi in the background

Avalanche - Minapin Glacier -

Relaxing - Minapin Glacier - Rakaposhi (7788m) in the background

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HUNZA VALLEY - NORTH PAKISTAN

Spantik, also called the Golden Peak (7027m)

PASSU/SOST AND KHUNJERAB PASS CROSSING - PART 1

Hitching from Karimabad to Passu with two Germans Alex and Bianca. Short ride on the tractor to Ganesh, then on the top of Pakistan truck (just above the cabin) to Gulmit (the best sightseeing ride ever) and then on a Chinese Mercedes long truck to Passu, where because of the incredible speed (fastest truck ever! with one eye Chinese driver) and not to friendly weather we decided to stay on the truck all the way to China. The driver did not speak any English, but we understood he is going directly to China.

In Sost a border police had ordered us down as it is impossible to pass on the truck to China. The only way is on the government Natco bus (1500RS) to Taskargent. So we have ended up stuck in Sost, where really is nothing to do or see. Weather was not great and I was ready to leave Pakistan. Also I was heading just towards the Passu in the morning, the decision was fast. We bought bus ticket for the next day morning and started to enjoy the Sost.

 collecting wood in the mountains - makes them bare :(

Sost - Pakistan border -

We met a guy I knew from Madina in Gilgit and he gave us a free ride around on his jeep. Also offered us some dried apricots. "Pakistan Ramadan" he was laughing and told us about the apple he also has in his car. For some Muslims is difficult not to comply with the religious rules in the community, but they are not so orthodox and always find their personal way around. In the search for a Hunza/Chitral hat for my friend we spoke with many locals and tried to buy their hats. It was great fun and in the end we found almost good one which would fit on the "big headed" German - Alex :) We also met a commander of custom and narcotics department in the evening. It was nice to see him in the morning on the customs. He did very quick check of our luggages and we were free to goo. The story continues in "China 06 South/West".

Khunjerab National Park

Continue your reading here: - "Pakistan - South (Wagah, Lahore, Peshawar) 1/2