In the evening after dinner we had a very lively discussion with our hostess and her family about our visit. It had been one of the most memorable trips. She only regretted that we were not able to visit Skardu which was just few hours drive. She wished that in case our flight is delayed, we should visit Skardu.

The most important landmark in Skardu area was K-2, the Mount Godwin Austin, the second highest mountain in the world. There have been dozens of expeditions to this peak. In fact, more groups were going to Skardu than Gilgit. The trails in Skardu have been very popular with foreign trekkers. The other attraction is the Lake Satpara. A retired brigadier of Pakistan army had set up a beautiful resort called the Shangri-La on the banks of the lake. The resort is in the form of Chinese Pagoda type of huts. It has an interesting restaurant set up inside the hull of an aircraft which had crashed nearby. Attraction wise, the Gilgit-Baltistan side of Ladakh has more potential than our part. However, due to uncertain conditions the potential has not been fully exploited. Moreover, the going and coming back on the same route is very annoying for trekkers and other adventure tourists. Had the route between Kargil and Skardu been open, there would be manifold increase in tourist traffic on both the sides. Well, visiting Skardu had to be kept for next time and we were getting mentally ready to leave in the morning. It rained throughout the night.

Morning was somewhat stable with an overcast sky. We were not sure whether the airplane will come. Still we had to be at the airport quite early. After bidding farewell to our hosts we left for the airport. There was a long wait. There was no sign of the aircraft. However, after an hour or so we were asked to do the check in formalities. There was a good chance that the aircraft will come. Finally, around 11 o’clock the bell in the airport rang. This signified that airplane had crossed the turning back point and would land in another five minutes or so. There was flurry of activity and our bags were kept ready to be loaded. We were asked to be ready to board the plane shortly as they wanted a quick turn around because of bad weather. We were feeling happy as well as sad. Happy because we would be able to return to Islamabad. Sad because we were leaving the Shangri-La where we had a wonderful time. At last, we were on board and the plane took off. It went up straight towards the Valley of the Indus River. The clouds were very low. Soon we were flying over the river in a gorge. We were hardly few hundred feet below the clouds with steep mountains on our two sides. The weather was really bad. There was lot of turbulence and the aircraft was being tossed from side to side. It was quite scary with the steep mountains on two sides. A big contrast to our arrival in crystal clear weather when we were able to see many peaks of the Karakoram Range including the famous Nanga Parbat. I had never been on a plane fly in such extreme weather.

The only guidance to pilots was the Indus River and they were flying just a thousand feet or so above the water. I must have recited all the religious prayers I remembered. After half an hour we were out of the narrow valley and the plane climbed up. The weather was better on the other side. This was the most daring plane trip I had ever undertaken. It somehow reminded me about the last chapters of the Hilton’s novel in which the hero Conway escapes from Shangri-La with a young lady through the difficult icy mountains. Conway wakes up in a hospital somewhere in a South East Asian capital. Doctors tell him that he was brought to the hospital by a very old lady. This must have been the seemingly young lady who had fallen in love with him in Shangri-La and had escaped with him. However, she became old and regained her age as soon as she was out of that mysterious land. I was here reminded of the present Mir and Rani of Hunza who are quite charming and look very young. One does not know what will happen to them should they decide to leave Hunza permanently?

Finally, our plane landed at the Islamabad airport and our journey to Hilton’s Shangri-La came to an end. I too had the feeling of having visited a strange and enchanting land. One always longs to go back to that fairy land. Our relations were happy to see us back from the mountains. In spite of air connections, excellent highway, and communications, Gilgit-Baltistan still remain a far away mystery land for the people in general. It is same on our side when one talks about visiting Ladakh and especially Zanskar. It is now almost 24 years since I visited Gilgit and Hunza but the memories of that travel are very fresh in my mind. I remember everything with an intense feeling of nostalgia. There must have been many changes since then.

The most recent one and really disturbing one is the formation of a lake near Attabad. The Hunza River got blocked by landslides forming a lake. This lake is threatening entire Hunza area as well as parts of Gilgit. There had been talk of constructing many dams for generating hydro-electric power in different parts of Gilgit-Baltistan but here God Almighty himself has created a dam which is threatening the whole area! It is a pity that such a lovely area and its charming people are facing extreme danger of annihilation. As per the latest information, the natural dam is about to burst and may inundate huge areas. Having known the area as well as its people, I really feel sad about this catastrophe. One fails to understand why Pakistanis are not seeking international help especially of experts trained in dealing with such problems? Let us pray to God Almighty to safeguard these people and their unforgettable Shangri-La!

Thus ends my series on Galgit-Baltistan for the time being. Next I will relate some more adventures in our part of Ladakh.

(Concluded)