Wine and Stargazing

---

So after leaving Peshawar and the comfort of Michael's we caught the minibus from hell up to Chitral in the North of NWFP. It was 13 hours in a van built for 16 with 25 others, a crazy driver with bad taste in Punjabi Pop and some screaming children. We were not happy chappies.

Thankfully the town of Chitral was totally refreshing, truly Pakastani in all senses and nestled in a beautiful green valley beneath rocky mountains. We only spent the day in town, wandering the shops and eating with the locals, before we headed off to the Kalasha Valleys.

The Kalasha are the only non-Muslim group still living in Pakistan, and they are a wonderful, unique and colourful people. The jeep ride in was amazing... terraced green fields and a deep valley carved in two by a rushing river. It was paradise!

We spent several days with a lovely family, just relaxing and enjoying the mountain air. By day we wandered up the valley to stunning views, and dangled our legs in the ice cold mountain water. By night we sat on the balcony and star gazed, fuelled by the wonderful cooking and the local wine.

It was truly a highlight not only of Pakistan but the whole trip, and the beginnings of a trip to the rest of Northern Pakistan are being discussed. If anyone is considering the trip we'd totally recommend it. Though we'd advise against travelling by night as its uncomfortable and you miss the great scenery - on the way down we did the trip in two days, so as to make it a little more pleasant and to really appreciate the granduer of the mountain passes.

---