The Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan
The valleys of Northwest Pakistan are very remote - blocked by snow most of the year, and hemmed in by the Hindukush Mountains. This province is the smallest in size of the four provinces in Pakistan. Our first stop was going to be Chitral, an area where the desert meets the mountains. The culture is conservative Islamic due to its proximity to Afghanistan and contrasts considerably with the urban cities of Pakistan as well as the adjacent district of Gilgit.
We would be camping most nights during the Jeep Safari (oh...happy day...) due to the lack of decent accommodations. Not even first class, just decent... In the jeeps on roads only one-jeep wide with major hair-pin turns, we drove along the Indus River for a bit. (Margie and Art are also Class V rafters and gave their opinion that these sections of the Indus were unnavigable.) Suddenly before us was a very long suspension bridge span across the Indus...again, one jeep-wide. Naive me took one look and again said..."We're not crossing that are we?" What do you think? Of course, we were going to cross it.
Amazing...how they blasted through the rock on the other side...
Saying prayers, holding breaths, the jeeps drove across this bridge (swinging a bit) one at a time. What an experience and like almost anything, the first time is always the worst. After this suspension bridge, all others, the steep drop offs, narrow roads, everything was a piece of cake. Wilderness Travel had warned in their literature: "...the jeep tracks are very rough, narrow and exceedingly bumpy! In many ways the jeep safari is more rigorous than any of the hiking encountered...you will be covered in dust and traveling in highly exposed areas...but the driver are excellent...the scenery and destinations are well-worth the travails of the journey..." You read something like this but it really doesn't sink in until you experience it.
The switchbacks were so tight that the jeeps could only navigate by getting into position, reversing on each turn, going forward a little, reversing once more, until they made it. And that's not taking into account what happened when another jeep or truck approached from the opposite direction. Heartstopping moments...
The group quickly developed a routine. A jeep stop every hour or two. Pry yourself out of your jeep...slowly...make a first attempt to stand up straight...make a second attempt to uncurl...stagger a few steps and get your land legs back...find a rock or bush to go pee behind...wait for the next jeep to show up and laugh hysterically at the others extricating themselves and trying to stand up after all the jostling for several hours. Then, drag out your candy stash...offer to others...eat some of theirs... The food situation never got better but we discovered wonderful apricots and pistachio nuts to tide us over. Then it was back in the jeep to repeat the entire scenario...
The apricots were always a spot of color drying in the sun on rocks along the way...and were delicious.
Tonight's camp was at the Gulpis resthouse... We were beyond caring. The days were monotonous and the food atrocious. It was impossible to even doze off in the jeeps without getting whiplash. Would this trip ever get better...or be over?
