[back to the road, swipe ⬅️ and check out captions]
Wednesday, 5th of July
Goats who stare at men. Men who stare at goats. (See Bonus Picture) I can’t get over how wild northern Pakistan is. The mountains, the nature, the way people live their lives. It’s absolutely amazing and so interesting to experience, that I will certainly be back here! Yet another place where I could spent weeks longer than I was able to. Every village, every valley seems different. The diversity up here is incredible and I’m not surprised some people chose to stay here for months and years.
Thursday, 6th of July
We hitchhike back to Gilgit and while grocery shopping Qayyum approached with a glow in his eyes and a friendly „hola, como etwas?“. He invites us to his jewellery shop and after hesitating for a moment we follow his invitation. Qayyum tells us how he used to travel to Europe in the 70s. His Hippie-Life he calls it. He shows us pictures, letters from friends and visitors he’s received over the years. Because he also runs a guest house he calls „a spiritual hospital“. If I come here again, I know where I’ll be staying. To remember this encounter forever, @schmidi_999 and I decide to get rings. Not matching, but nonetheless fresh as hell 😅
Friday, 7th of July
Fairy meadows is not only supposedly one of the most beautiful places but also home to some of the most opportunistic people in Pakistan. Daniel and I try to be cheap and share the (kind of) mandatory jeep ride with a bunch of very friendly guys from Lahore who even invite us to crash with them in their hostel. What follows is an odyssey to find a sleeping spot. The one-eyed innkeeper doesn’t want us here, the police doesn’t want us there. After hours we finally find an actually helpful officer who convinces the manager of Shangri-La hotel (See Bonus Picture) to let us crash in their garden. Such is the life of a budget traveler 🤷🏻♂️
