Shigar Fort and more

Above:  People (circled) walking on the dry river bed.

On the other side of the Indus

It was another leisurely start at 0930 today in excellent weather. We crossed the bridge across Indus River by car and handing over our paper work at the checkpoint.

Ashfaq took us for a drive on the pale grey sands of the Safaranga Cold Desert.  The car struggled with one of the more difficult dunes and we discouraged him from making too many attempts.

Continuing along the river, we stopped at a Buddha images carved into the rock.  Google Images identified it as the Lamsa Buddha rock carving.  It consisted of Buddha in the seated and standing positions, even though the standing figures had what appeared to be crowns on their heads which led me to think they were princes.  But Buddha was a prince anyway.

We stopped for tea at a large park around 1130.  There was the option to pay to enter a play or recreation area but we were happy where we were.

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Shigar Fort area

We arrived at the Shigar Fort area around 1300.  We parked near the Khilingrong Mosque and walked along the riverside to Shigar Fort which housed the Serena Hotel.

As we were hungry, we took our lunch here at a hefty PKR3300 (NZD21) per person but it meant that we didn’t need to pay the PKR1200 entry into the fort.  The buffet had a wide spread of hot food, salads and desserts, some of which were very delicious.

The shady garden of the fort was lovely in the sunny weather.  We took a wander through the two floors of the fort before moving on.

We visited the second mosque in the area, Khanqah-e-Muallah.  Even though the women in our little group were uncovered, they were allowed to take a peek inside.

Around 1430, we continued by car to the 14^th Century Amburiq Mosque, M didn’t want to pay for the visit.  The visit was into the compounds rather than into the interior but the warden invited her in anyway.  So, when it is free, she’s good to go!

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Crossing back

On the way back, Ashfaq dropped us at an old bridge so we could cross back to our side of the Indus on foot.  As it turned out, the bridge had deteriorated beyond a safe state in one part at the end.  So, I wouldn’t recommend it for people who are unstable on their feet.

We stopped for a photo of a Jeep track that had been carved into the nearby mountain.  The light had been unfavourable in the morning and we were determined to give it another try.

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We reached the Himalaya around 1530 and rested for the remainder of the day.  Our bellies were still full after the buffet lunch, so we couldn’t fit in any of the delicious Pakistani meals on offer in the hotel menu.  So, we shared a light meal of sandwich, excellent chicken nuggets (real chicken, not processed) and chips.