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Hitchikers Guide ~~ The Third Pole On the Road to Baltistan To most people the Himalayas conjure up names like Skardu Tibet and Nepal: but the Himalayas span many nations - Seveniand.ashall.thousananest some way off the beaten track until the new Silk Road above sea level, Skardu Is a dusty, reopened an overland route from Asia to Europe. windy place overlooking a wide Peter Krygsman, our Himalayan correspondent, sandy plain. It ls encircled by rug- ° ° : : 4 ‘ F ged snowcapped mountains In continues his Hitchiker’s Guide with a tale from the whichucrouhidden dwowenardd ‘little Tibet’ - Baltistan green glacler-fed lakes known as Satpara and Kachura. For all the loneliness of the remote land- scape we could have been at one of the ends of the earth. But our real destination is yet to come; Khapalu on the Shyok River at the very headwaters of the mighty Indus. Our jeepload of fifteen passen- gers completes the seventy mile trip in about four and a half hours, Passing through rocky gorges strewn with glacial ice and scree. Here we see a parly of four men, all The Thir On the Road to Baltistan To most people the Himalayas conjure up names like Skardu Tibet and Nepal: but the Himalayas span many nations - Seveniand.ashall.thousananest some way off the beaten track until the new Silk Road above sea level, Skardu Is a dusty, reopened an overland route from Asia to Europe. windy place overlooking a wide Peter Krygsman, our Himalayan correspondent, sandy plain. It ls encircled by rug- . ° : ° 4 ‘ m ged snowcapped mountains In continues his Hitchiker’s Guide with a tale from the whichucrouhidden dwowemerda ‘little Tibet’ - Baltistan green glacler-fed lakes known as Satpara and Kachura. For all the loneliness of the remote land- scape we could have been at one of the ends of the earth. But our real destination is yet to come; Khapalu on the Shyok River at the very headwaters of the mighty Indus. Our jeepload of fifteen passen- gers completes the seventy mile trip in about four and a half hours, Passing through rocky gorges strewn with glacial ice and scree. Here we see a partly of four men, all armed with Pakistani Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles, made locally al Darra near Peshawar, close to the Afgan. border. Quite suddenly the narrow val- ley opens out onto a broad lake long the Chinese border | have ever seen. with Pakistan to the south- For much of Its length the road surrounded by a wall of jagged east of the Hunza valley Is literally carved out of the moun- snowpeaks. Five miles from (explored in Nexus New Times tainside and in places the roof of Khapalu at the village of Kharfaq Two), the Tibetan plateau has | our ‘well-ventilated’ Pakistani bus | W® see our first yaks - or more been forced up from the ancient scrapes on overhanging rocks, probably hybrid ‘dzos’, better Tethys seabed which once sepa- while hundreds of fee! below us sulted to this altitude, turning a rated Gondwanaland trom the the mighty Indus River, swollen by grindstone to crush barley. rest of Asia. The Inexorable drift of the summer glacial mel!, crashes Village Life the Indian tectonic plate Into Asia and surges its way through huge has formed the Karakorum moun- boulders, sending showers of Walking up through Khapalu we tains, the cutting edge of the spray high Into the alr. notice small Irrigation canals eve- Himalayas. The mountains are so high the trywhere across the steep track Here, Immense glaclers provide sky Is barely visible above me. between the terraced fields of enough meltwater to form huge Through these Immense stony barley and potatoes, orchards of lakes nestled among the highest corridors the narrow horizon re- apricot and mulberry trees - even mountains in the world. veals bare sawtooth ridges, under the village dwellings them- These glaciers create the upper girdled with ice and interspersed selves - all lngeniously dug to chan- Indus River, which lies In the Hima- with sheer pencil-llke peaks. | feel nel the glacial meltwater through layan rainshadow; much of Baltis- like a Lllliputiaon Intruder lost the village on Its long way down to tan is dry, barren, steep moraines among chimneys and spires of the Indus. of loose stone, sheer mountain some Brobdingnaglan domain. Women working in the fields peaks - and enough ice to be Notwithstanding stops for greet us warmly, offering us apri- named ‘the third pole’. lunch, chal and the odd landslide, cots and directlons to the old Our bus from Gilgit in Pakistan to we complete the 150 mile trip in Raja’s house. A pleasant change Baltistan’s remote capital, Skardu, elght hours. trom the strict orthodoxy of most of takes us through some of the most the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, desolate, yet spectacular country where an attempt at conversation 16 Nexus New Times Three The Third Pole On the Road to Baltistan To most people the Himalayas conjure up names like Skardu Tibet and Nepal: but the Himalayas span many nations - Sev eniandsashalt.thousan aieet some way off the beaten track until the new Silk Road above sea level, Skardu Is a dusty, reopened an overland route from Asia to Europe. windy place overlooking a wide Peter Krygsman, our Himalayan correspondent, sandy plain. It ls encircled by rug- . . : ° 4 ‘ m ged snowcapped mountains In continues his Hitchiker’s Guide with a tale from the whichucrouhidden dwowemerda ‘little Tibet’ - Baltistan green glacler-fed lakes known as Satpara and Kachura. For all the loneliness of the remote land- scape we could have been at one of the ends of the earth. But our real destination is yet to come; Khapalu on the Shyok River at the very headwaters of the mighty Indus. Our jeepload of fifteen passen- gers completes the seventy mile trip in about four and a half hours, Passing through rocky gorges strewn with glacial ice and scree. Here we see a partly of four men, all armed with Pakistani Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles, made locally al Darra near Peshawar, close to the Afgan. border. Quite suddenly the narrow val- ley opens out onto a broad lake long the Chinese border | have ever seen. with Pakistan to the south- For much of Its length the road surrounded by a wall of jagged east of the Hunza valley Is literally carved out of the moun- snowpeaks. Five miles from (explored in Nexus New Times tainside and in places the roof of Khapalu at the village of Kharfaq Two), the Tibetan plateau has | our ‘well-ventilated’ Pakistani bus | W® see our first yaks - or more been forced up from the ancient scrapes on overhanging rocks, probably hybrid ‘dzos’, better Tethys seabed which once sepa- while hundreds of fee! below us sulted to this altitude, turning a rated Gondwanaland trom the the mighty Indus River, swollen by grindstone to crush barley. rest of Asia. The Inexorable drift of the summer glacial mel!, crashes Village Life the Indian tectonic plate Into Asia and surges its way through huge has formed the Karakorum moun- boulders, sending showers of Walking up through Khapalu we tains, the cutting edge of the spray high Into the alr. notice small Irrigation canals eve- Himalayas. The mountains are so high the tywhere across the steep track Here, Immense glaclers provide sky Is barely visible above me. between the terraced fields of enough meltwater to form huge Through these Immense stony barley and potatoes, orchards of lakes nestled among the highest corridors the narrow horizon re- apricot and mulberry trees - even mountains in the world. veals bare sawtooth ridges, under the village dwellings them- These glaciers create the upper girdled with ice and interspersed selves - all lngeniously dug to chan- Indus River, which lies In the Hima- with sheer pencil-llke peaks. | feel nel the glacial meltwater through layan rainshadow; much of Baltis- like a Lllliputiaon Intruder lost the village on Its long way down to tan is dry, barren, steep moraines among chimneys and spires of the Indus. of loose stone, sheer mountain some Brobdingnagian domain. Women working In the fields peaks - and enough ice to be Notwithstanding stops for greet us warmly, offering us apri- named ‘the third pole’. lunch, chal andthe odd landslide, cots and directlons to the old Our bus from Gilgit in Pakistan to we complete the 150 mile trip in Raja’s house. A pleasant change Baltistan’s remote capital, Skardu, elght hours. trom the strict orthodoxy of most of takes us through some of the most the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, desolate, yet spectacular country where an attempt at conversation 16 Nexus New Times Three Skardu long the Chinese border with Pakistan to the south- east of the Hunza valley (explored in Nexus New Times Two), the Tibetan plateau has been forced up from the ancient Tethys seabed which once sepa- tated Gondwanaland from the rest of Asla. The Inexorable drift of the Indian tectonle plate Into Asla has formed the Karakorum moun- tains, the cutting edge of the Himalayas. Here, Immense glaclers provide enough meltwater to form huge lakes nestled among the highest mountains in the world. These glaciers create the upper Indus River, which lies In the Hima- layan rainshadow; much of Baltis- tan is dry, barren, steep moraines of loose stone, sheer mountain peaks - and enough ice to be named ‘the third pole’. Our bus from Gilgit in Pakistan to Baltistan’s remote capltal, Skardu, takes us through some of the most desolate, yet spectacular country grindstone to crush barley. Village Life Hitchikers Guide Seven and a halt thousand feet a | Nexus New Times Three