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Published: June 15th 2006
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Start of the Baltoro Glacier - the snow covered peaks of Gasherbrum IV, Broad Peak and K2 are visible on the horizonHello folks - well here's the first big update as to what I've been up to...
arrived in Pakistan about 4 weeks ago, and set off on a 4 day drive up the Karakorum Highway and beyond - on dirt tracks, to as high as it would take us, then a week's walking up the huge Baltoro Glacier - which is indescribably spectacular. At the top of this glacier, is Concordia - a huge bowl of ice and rock, where 3 glaciers meet, and where 7 of the worlds highest 20 mountains look down on you, including Masherbrum, Gasherbrum I,II and IV, Broad Peak, and of course, K2. It's quite a site, as you can imagine.
This being the 50'th anniversary of the climbing of K2, there were lots of Italian climbers and dignitaries around - but the weather wasnt great, so not many got to the summit - as we left, 3 climbers were assumed dead near the summit - meaning a total of 12 people had died on the Baltoro and the surrounding mountains this summer. Ed went on to K2 base camp - I turned back on the 4 mile walk - Concordia, despite it's amazing scenery,
Triango Tower & Cathedral Peak - on the north side of the Baltoro Glacieris basically an open toilet at 4800 meters, a combination of altitute, dirty water, no fresh food (porters had to carry everything up there) and cold, wet weather means that illness is rife - - I decided to rest, since the next day, we went up over 5000 metres on a 2 day walk to where we were to attempt a high pass to the next valley.
The Gondogoro La pass is around 5700 meters, and we set off at 1am to get to the pass for dawn, since it's so steep, that sunlight means a risk of avalanche and rock-fall. The top of the pass does boast "The greatest view on Earth", apparently - but predictably, it was a complete blizzard when we got there! After a long hard climb, but we made it up and over, and safely down the other side. We then had a lovely 4 day walk down the Hushe valley, and from there, back to civilisation (well, sort of...).
The Pakistanis were amazingly friendly people. After our 2 weeks of knowing nothing of the outside world, we discovered that arrests had been made on lots of Al Quada cells in Pakistan (and
Ed with Pakistani trekkers - in the background, Broad Peak is the big mother on the left, Gasherbrum I,II and IV (the pyramid shaped one) are on the rightWatford!), but we never encountered any problems - though one of our trekking group, an obstinate, stupid Bulgarian woman, who thought she was on a 1 woman mission to liberate the downtroden women of rural pakistan - had rocks thrown at her by local youths when she refused our requests to cover her bare arms and legs in a small village... Actually, the big cities in Pakistan are full of affluent, well dressed women out dining and shopping, but the villages are still quite traditional and conservative.
We met a climbing club from Quetta - near the afghan border - they echoed what we'd heard accross PAkistan - that Osama and his mates were giving Islam a bad name, and they all wanted to distance themselves from such extremism. They did, however, suspect Osama is being paid by the CIA to represtent Islam as a dangerous, extremist religion, and thus generate sympathy for Israel. Oh, and this is part of a global Zionist conspiricy financed by the Wall Street banks, and US oil interests.. I quite liked the absurdity and scale of this idea, but cant really say so at the moment, as I'm staying in a hostel that
Concordia Camp - the highest, coldest and most beautiful open toilet in the world. is 90% Israeli, er.. occupied, as it were!!
Anyhow, we then set sail, or got on a bus, to be more accurate, for India - via Lahore, which is now top of my least favourite places in the world - the monsoons flooded all the streets with 2 feet of black sludge, sewage, dead animals etc..
we couldnt find anywhere to change money, a hotel without cockroaches, and any restaurant that actually wanted to cook it's meat... I'm sure there are nice places in Lahore, but we got it on a bad day, and didnt make them...
Across the border then, to India - and the border ceremony watched by 6000 people on both sides - cheering thier own guards and booing the other country's, as they perform high kicking marches, and lots of pomp and ceremony - a great experience...
Near the border on the Indian side is Amritsar - the home of the Golden Temple, the holy site of the Sikhs - this was quite spectacular - an incredibly peaceful and lovely place.. a world away from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding streets where touts, rickshaw drivers, and just curious indians all come and
K2 - on the 50'th Anniversary of it being climbed for the first time. say hello... they think Ed and I are wrestlers - we keep getting comments like "nice biceps, man!!" - (this is from the boys, unfortunately).
After a couple of days in Amritsar, we found that the trains were all up the spout due to floods in the north caused by monsoons - so we got a noisy, uncomfortable, and generally minging overnight bus to Delhi, where we have tapped into the mainstream travellers highway - lots of dreadlocks, tie-die t-shirts and fashion victim hippies who have been in India too long.... as for myself, I've not shaved in a month (just to see what I look like, really, coz I've never even tried to grow facial hair).
Anyway, as I suspected - it looks awful - I now have a sort of blondy, a bit gingery, patchy beard and moustache... I will visit the barbers this afternoon - he has promised me a cut throat shave, followed by a Sandalwood oil facial, a face massage using a handheld hammer drill on a slow setting with a sort of sponge attachment, followed by a scrub with soap made with lemon juice, and finally an all over face rub with what smells
On reaching the top of the Gondogoro Pass. The view over my shoulder is considered one of the greatest on earth - except in a snow storm. like some kind of deep heat rub - should be interesting..
Delhi is incredibly busy, polluted, and noisy - but there are a few decent sites that we strolled round yesterday... I'll head off in a couple of days for Rajastan... There was one sort of mystic mindreader chap who stopped me on the street, and did a bit of a Derren Brown - he managed to guess my dad's name, my favourite colour, the fact that I was intelligent but lacked concentration and focus in my life, AND how long I'd live for, all from looking at my frown lines, and reading my palm... he even wrote down the answers to these questions, and put the piece of paper into my hand before he started examining me - I was well impressed, so I gave him 50 Rupees... I'm supposed to come back to Delhi in 10 years time to find the 2 things I am truly looking for in life (he wouldnt tell me today) - oh, and there are 4 women in the world who were thinking of me at 11am this morning, Delhi time... which was a nice thought (for me - and them, I
The long, steep and not entirely safe climb down. hope!)
Ed flew home last night - I wont see my happy, friendly, amiable brother for a long time, so it'll was quite a sad event... he's been a real pleasure to travel with..
anyhow - hope everyone is well - please shout me with any news you think I should have...
Love to all... (peace, man!)
Tom.
PS - if I've got the wrong e-mail address for you, or you'd rather me use your work/personal address - please update me - and if you're simply not interested in what I've been up to, please let me know - I wont be offended !!
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