12 to 13 July 2007, gilgit

a local truck carrying goods - they are always "well dressed"

madina hotel - 100 rupees per dorm bed (=sgd 2.50)

this is me in headscarf...

gilgit is the lower of hunza area. weather was not as good as karimabad and there were very few women on the streets! (i think i only saw less than 10 during the night time). we stayed in Madina Hotel, where many backpackers stay.

we heard that the road from here to Islamabad had been closed for many days bcos of the poor road condition. but when we enquire at the ticket office, they said that the road will be open the next day so we quickly bought the tickets and stayed in the hotel for only one night. on the day of our departure to the bus terminal, there was a street protest outside our hotel and the boss told his brother to send us (sk and i, xiaohua and song) to the terminal. that was really nice!

1 to 12 july 2007, Karimabad (centre of Hunza Valley)

our dusty feet after the trek

me and xiao hua (晓华）from malaysia... we have been travelling together since kashgar

happily collecting mulberries

his retirement home

Lady's finger peak behind him

a 3hrs trek up to the Eagles' Nest Hotel (Duikar View Point)...

it would have been shorter if i wasnt around... i have low blood pressure and need to take many short breaks during the journey up to catch my breath.

and finally, this was the stunning bird's eye view of Hunza (abt 2800m above sea level) ...

a high school (Hasegawa) built in the memory of a professional climber who died years ago while trekking up the unclimbed Ultar mountain in Hunza

looks like an old man

our tanned feet

this one looks like a xmas tree... the flowers look like stars...

sheeps grazing the grassland outside a hotel

fresh flowers...

colorful and tasty afternoon snack at Saeed's house

locals on the mobile satellite station for an evening chat
good time to take a nap for everyone...

Mr Haider gee, the owner of our hotel...

Baltit Fort entrance - reading its history

the restored Baltit Fort, 700 years old.

the local women
this house was extended up across the street

Lucky Star Hotel restaurant, where we have most of our breakfast (omelette and milk tea)

sunset...

Rakaposhi mountain

Hunza valley is made up of 3 parts: upper, centre and lower.
Karimabad is the centre of the Hunza Valley. the people here are very welcoming and friendly.
this photo was taken from the big patio outside of our dorm room at Haider Inn. Dorm bed is Rs. 75 (=SGD 1.80)

in Karimabad, we met many hospitable kind souls who left us a beautiful memory...

1. Saeed - brought us to his house after i spoke with him on the street. he introduced us to all his family members. during our stay in Karimabad, they invited us over to a birthday party and tea-sessions for many days.

2. Mr Alamgir, who worked at the ticket office in Baltit Fort, brought us to his orchard and house for tea.

3. Zahir from Gilgit - bought us a meal in a local shop, a friendly gesture to welcome us to hunza.

though the people there are poor and most were jobless, they try to give the best that they can to welcome you to stay in hunza.

29 june to 1 July 2007, border crossing at Sost to Passu

the dizzy crossing... not for the faint hearted...

2nd attempt to the suspension bridge and here it is...

and finally...

Passu Glacier

have another break...

this is an ice-blue glacier at the bottom of the mountain... strong water current

have a break but no kit kat...

ouch!

trekking up the Passu Glacier

the owner's children at Shisper View.

Noriyoshi, our room mate at Shisper View Hotel. dorm bed Rs. 70 (=SGD 1.75)

sunset reflecting on one of the snow mountains

tried to locate the suspension bridge...

we continued with the same bus to Passu. only Sk, me, Xiaohua and Noriyoshi alighted here. the others Brazilian, English and Korean travelers continued their journey onward to Karimabad, another beautiful place in Hunza.

Passu is a small town where most people are related to each other. they are either the uncles or cousins of so and so.

the above photo was taken on our first attempt to the suspension bridge. we couldn't find it...

Sust, the border town of pakistan

immigration checkpost at pakistan

caught in the fast river...

on the KKH (karakoram highway) to Sust, the border town of pakistan.

The Khunjerab Pass crossing is a famous crossing probably becuase of its high altitude. it is opened for crossing from May to Sept mainly bcos of the weather condition. outside these months, this place will be covered with heavy snow and crossing would be dangerous. do note that the bus will have to the Khunjerab National Park to get to Sust. everyone on the bus had to pay USD4 to pass through the park, which we didnt even had the chance to stop and look. it was more like a toll fee or 过路费 to me.

29 june 2007, tashkurgan

morning view from outside of our hotel (traffic hotel)

en route to tashkurgan (6hrs bus ride from kashgar)

in order to get to Pakistan, we traveled on a bus which included a stopover at Tashkurgan. the bus left kashgar at 12pm and arrived Tashkurgan at dusk, stopping outside the Traffic Hotel. we checked into a dormitory room (which was the cheapest amongst all other rooms) with Xiao Hua, a Malaysian who was traveling alone after volunteering in the Xinjiang desert race. Tashkurgan is a quiet town with a loud broadcasting station, a beautiful mountain backdrop and chilly night. the bus took us back on the road the following morning at 10am to cross the border at Sost.

27 to 28 june 2007, kashgar

a nice building in the back street

staple food in kashgar

muslims seated outside the mosque the famous Id Kah Mosque in kashgar

siblings

"kashgar is my home..."

xinjiang is the largest province in china, occupying 1/6 of the total land area.

most parts of xinjiang is covered with sand...

on the 22hrs sleeper train to kashgar

Kashgar has a very unique presence. The city has a strong sense of Muslim identity. the people looked different (though they spoke mandarin) and the food served was different too. I don't feel like i am in China at all.

one thing to note is the time observed in Xinjiang province... we were told that some places observes Xinjiang time instead of the widely used Beijing time. so to be sure of what time your bus or train actually leaves the station, check with the counter if you are traveling around this region.