The early wake-up from two days ago seemed to have put me into an early pattern. I woke at 0330 but didn’t get out of bed till 0630.
By the time we got to breakfast at the official opening time of 0730, many people were already leaving. I reckon the groups had made special arrangements to eat and go early.
Leaving at 0800, we drove through Batakundi where we saw a huge monstrous hotel with a large ibex deer statue. It looked Chinese and Ashfaq confirmed that it was.
Nearby, we had our first sighting of snow on the road trip and also had our first refuel.
We continued our ascent till reaching Babusar Top (elev 13700 ft) at 1020. This would be the highest point on our road trip, except for the border crossing into China. It was the perfect spot for a stop, chai and some pakoras.
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- Scenery from the hotel in Naran.
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- Traffic jam.
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- Sheosar Lake near Babusar Top.
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- At Babusar Top (13700 ft).
Continuing, we rejoined the Karakoram Highway around 1210. There was a place where hot water flowed out from the slope by the roadside.
We stopped for lunch near Raikot at the Shangri-la Hotel. Raikot (specifically, Raikot Bridge) is where jeeps wait for passengers bound for Fairy Meadows on the infamously dangerous road.
Sometime after Raikot, we left the Karakoram Highway for Astore and then Tarisihing. This stop had come recommended by Nasir as I wasn’t keen on going to Fairy Meadows by myself, while leaving Kim, Jo and Ashfaq to overnight at Raikot.
The road became unsealed through small villages and we arrived at Rupal Inn at Tarishing around 1840. It was a simple hotel and it felt extremely cold. Limited power was supplied by genset until around 1900 when the village power kicks in, and there was no wifi.
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- Flood damage near Loishi.
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- Hot water from the rocks.
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- Car in the red circle shows the scale of the Astore Valley.
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- Car in the red circle shows the scale of the Astore Valley.
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- Astore Valley as we drive towards Tarishing.
We had a simple dinner around 1740 and we all retired ASAP because it was cold at about 9670 ft. The best place to be was under the duvet. And there was nothing else to do.
Tarishing was recommended by Nasir as a stop on the way to Skardu when I realised that Fairy Meadows wasn’t going to work out for us, with some members of our party being unable to do the walk in the final part of the journey. The option for them to stay behind in Raikot Bridge for a night of two didn’t appeal.