Day 94. Tashkurgen - Sost

I am so damned excited I can hardly breathe, but more about that later. 

The day began with a leisurely breakfast and a bit of a stroll. 

The customs didn’t open until 11 so there was no rush. The locals don’t seem to observe Beijing time and I don’t blame them, we have had trouble adapting ourselves. Today we gain 3 hours which is good for this journey. 

We arrived at the customs complex and nobody seemed to know what to do or where to go. After about 3/4 of an hour we were directed around the block to the back entrance where the trucks entered, they could have let us through the front gate to get there, but no, rules are rules. We were directed to a building and we waited. The guide went in  and out several times then on the phone then another guy arrived a bit of paper changed hands, so well over an hour passed and nothing at all had happened. 

Finally I was directed to the X-Ray building and had the bike done. Back to the building to wait some more. After about 30 minutes we got the go ahead to proceed to the next stage, so we waited at the barrier until we got the call that something was wrong and to return to the building. 

Robyn told me off for swearing out loud. 

After 5 minutes we were allowed back to the gate and at last we proceeded to passport control. 

We parked at the rear of the building but to enter we had to walk out of the compound then right around to the front of the building and then to the front gate so someone could look at our passports so we were then able to walk back the way we came and this time into the front door of the building.

 It was about this time we heard dreaded words “lunch break”. We sprinted for the door and everyone was very polite and professional. 

The young lady asked what happened to our passports but didn’t seem overly worried about it. 

The guide had warned us about checking our cameras and phones but none of this happened. 

Before we knew it we were back with the bike and on our way. 

Amazing, we were the last ones through after all the pissing about with bike so it all worked out, they just wanted us gone so they could get to lunch. 

We were ordered to follow a Pakistani man driving a van and not to stop for 120km. After about 20km the Pakistani driver waved us past and off we went. 

The road took us through a broad valley and slowly and steadily we climbed.

After a while the temperature dropped so we stopped for another layer. As we neared the top the mountains came into view and we realised this is the big time mountains. Absolutely magnificent towering above us. 

We got to the checkpoint at the top and passed the China checkpoint easily. 

On the Pakistan side we stopped to take in the view and were instantly surrounded by Pakistani sightseers wanting selfies and to sit on the bike. So we played celebrity for a while and then rode down to the barrier. 

Once we’d located the barrier man we set off, no passport check or anything.  Back on the left side of the road which felt a little strange. 

Ever since I began thinking about a trip like this I have fantasised about this road. It is considered the 8th wonder of the world and it is truly awe inspiring how it was built and just as amazing how they manage to keep it open. I think the photos speak for themselves. 

And of course I have longed to see the Karakorum mountain range, these jagged monsters are like nothing else that I have ever seen. 

So it has been one if the highlights for sure. 

We have booked into a nice hotel in Sost which is just a little border town. 

The Pakistani people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, many people just come up and say welcome to Pakistan and give a thumbs up. Others want to commiserate about Christchurch and tell us how much it meant to them to see the images on TV and to hear the maesages of love particularly from Jacinda Ardern. Others want to talk about cricket and tell us they only support NZ as long as they’re not playing Pakistan. 

Geez we’ve only been here a few hours and already I don’t want to leave. My shortness of breath might have something to do with the Khunjerab pass being 4700 metres. We are now breathing thick air again at 2900m. The Triumph is happy about that too. 

We are in the restaurant a magnificant view of Skardu. Our hosts are friendly and welcoming and the food is good.