Pasu & a boat ride

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After crossing border stayed in a Puso hotel, just below the Pasu glacier, which was just 500m behind hotel, but impenetrable thicket stopped getting close.



This would be real high mountains, black & very steep, if anything trasformation from bare mountain to scrub then cultivation that changes as U drop dow valley. Initially a sharp V, with no flat ground to a more gentle V where sides are cultivated, finally big U shape. As always water makes the ground flourish, the Pakistani people have to work hard on irrigation canals.



Karakuram highway is near perfect road, but little traffic, not sure lack of wealth or fuel, with the Attabad lake blocking road, all goods must either travel from China or be lifted on/off boats, so bulk fuel would be tough. Do see 150cc bikes nearly always two up moving about. Also small buses, stuffed with people & roof racks well loaded, occasionally with extra passengers hanging on.



Attabad lake formed in 2010 when big landslide blocked valley and Hunza river, flooding 14km of valley 6000 people lost their homes, caused much hardship in area, blocked road transport. wanted PIC of boats being carried over landslide by two big 360° diggers together, but some job, also some PICs of a bus or Jeeps on boats, we only saw people and smal motor bikes.

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Photos

Passu Glacier
Can see hotel 'Glacier Breeze' just bottom right.

irrigation canal cut in mountain
View from my breakfast table.
Unfortunately canal was disused, but was lot of effort to cut original channel.

Hotel in Passu
Double room, 2000rb, approx 19$, one of 4 hotels.

Passu suspension bridge
About 100m rope bridge, rather like U try at go ape in UK, but no safety wire, But also hard to get too, almost need guide or more time than we had.

Passu Cathedrals
Famouse peaks in area.
Can see message on hill side just above river.
'HAZIR IMAM' some community based message, theam is:- they have nice mountain area, let tourism create jobs (for youth) and sustainable wealth for the community.

Green sides to valley
Think village is Gulmit

road works
KKH was good road, some areas towards lake are being rebuilt to align with new road on east side of lake.

Boats on Attabad lake
Very much still river where boats tie up, requires skill to get alongside. Powerful engines on either side, with a rudder, but is as much traffic jamb of too many boats.

no landing jetty
Just steep dusty bank to roll bikes down, with extra labour

on Lake
Approx 14km long of cold milky glacial water, a nice 45min boat ride.

400kg Harley Davidson
Team of people helped retrain it, no problem.

New road on east side
Can U see trucks, is a huge project, completion next year.

New tunnels
Just huge, can U see lorry just tipped more stone.

Landslide
This where we unloaded on landslide jetty, now has almost tarmack roads.

below lake
4 steep hairpins & more roadworks and back to Hunza valley. By now Harley was low on fuel, freewheel down hills, we found fuel in Aliabad - 350km on trip counter.