TRAVELLIVE 7-2017

of Pakistan
That is the Karakoram, a magnificent mountain range
spanning the borders of Pakistan, India, and China, inspiring
thoughts of the arduous camel caravan journeys along the Silk
Road. Pakistan is a rich and distinct culture that can be seen
through the character of its long-haul trucks. Pakistan is the
simple, peaceful lifestyle of its people in the enchanting Hunza
Valley. I went to Pakistan to discover these wonderful things
and ended up discovering myself as well.
THE KARAKORAM, A GREAT
CHALLENGE ON THE SILK ROAD
The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes
established during China's Han Dynasty. It originated from
the Chang'an Citadel (present-day Xi'an) and stretched to
the Roman Empire. Camel caravans had to transport heavy
loads from China to other nations by traversing the frigid and
treacherous Pamir Mountains and the isolated Karakoram
range, which connects Pakistan and Kashgar - an oasis city in
Xinjiang, China.
Traveling the Karakoram highway today remains a dangerous
challenge. Its location at the height of 4,730 meters above sea
level makes it the highest paved international road in the world.
This mountain road is sometimes unsafe, full of zigzagging
curves and easily affected by flash floods. Flash floods and
landslides have claimed thousands of lives on this road.
In order to experience traveling a branch of the Silk Road, I
bought a one-way bus ticket from Rawalpindi to Hunza Valley.
They do not sell return tickets at the same location because the
weather in Karakoram is unpredictable and affects scheduling.
The bus departs at 9pm every day and arrives at Hunza at 6pm
the next day if the weather is good (the road is nearly 700km).
I had to make ten copies of my passport and visa to submit at
security posts, as this road belongs to the sometimes unstable
Kashmir autonomous area.
As the bus was preparing to depart, a man in civilian clothing
used a small camera to take a picture of each passenger's face.
A local friend explained that due to insecurity in the country,
Houses
hidden in
the majestic
Karakoram
range
drivers or police will keep passengers' images to
ensure their records in case of unexpected events.
I started sweating when I saw the driver place
a gun beside the steering wheel. It seemed to
demonstrate how unsafe the area could be.
TRAVELLIVE 107