In love with Northern Pakistan

[Sulman Badshah]

Golden Peak.

Under the tree.

View of Golden Peak.

Golden peak in background.

Going to Hispar, I see open-air courtyards built around homes of stones where children and domesticated animals play and live together. Just staring at the bright courtyards makes me want to spend a night here.

A little after the settlement is a waterfall with water as pure and sweet as honey. The people here are heart-warming and like to offer walnuts, apricots and other delights to tourists.

Children play outside their homes as I photograph them. A huge pear tree stands tall in the courtyard, laden with pears. Crisp copper leaves tumble from the trees and sway gently in the Autumn wind.

“Hey, get me some pears, won’t you please?” I jokingly ask. Unaware that someone inside the house can possibly hear me.

Just a few minutes pass and a young woman appears from behind the door, hiding her face behind a red dupatta she hands me a basket full of pears. As I thank her, she laughingly points at a leaf in my hair and disappears behind the door.

The pears are extremely sweet, I must share them with my driver!

A local at Nagar.

A child in Nagar.

Woman from Nagar.

A child in Nagar.

 

[Sulman Badshah]

Autumn in Nagar khas.

I reach Hispar at sunset. The village does not seem like it belongs here. It looks as if it’s cut off from the rest of the world. A strange silence and coolness surrounds the air. I decide to stay here for the night.

As I stand in the valley shaking with cold, I see a shooting star. Scared, I close my eyes as I sense it approaching towards me, as if it’s going to drop any second but the next moment, it’s gone. It was frightening, but I long to see it once again.

In the wilderness, close-calls to death are a thrilling experience too. These ditched lands are not only filled with beauty and serenity, but also with terror and fear.

It’s a chilly morning up in the north. To get to Gojal’s village Hussaini, I have to cross the Attabad Lake.

The bank of the lake is crowded and everyone seems to be in a hurry to get to the other side. One side of the bank plumbs a lake formed due to a landslide blockage that holds back the flow of the river. On the other side lie black mountains. But I’m curious about the depth of the lake.

As I see my jeep being loaded onto the boat, I take a seat. The ancient-looking boat makes me dread the voyage even before it began. The life jacket is of poor quality and looks scarier than the boat.

Enroute to Hisper.

Enroute to Hisper.

Enroute to Hisper

Autumn in Hisper.

While reminiscing my childhood days, I zone out. Back in the day, on one of our family trips to River Jhelum, mother refused to let me go on a boat ride. I cried and cried, but there was no way she was going to let me sit on a worn-out boat. While I sat down by the river Jhelum and wept, the others enjoyed their ride.

I snap out of my bizarre memory as the journey comes to a halt. With children of the Hussaini village warmly waving at me, I leave behind my dejections, my fear of wrecked boats and the lifeless life vest.

Walking on the road.

Cherry blossom in Nagar khas.

Cherry blossom in Nagar Khas.

 

[Sulman Badshah]

Garden in Nagar.

Attabad lake.

Translated by Bilal Karim Mughal from the original in Urdu here.

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[Peaceful Civilian]

Wonderful pictures. .thanks for sharing .

 

[Sulman Badshah]

 

[ghazi52]

1. 1. 
      
      1. • • Joshi Festival, Kalash was held from May 14 to 16. Tourists across Pakistan and many from other countries attented the exciting festival.​
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[Sulman Badshah]

KATOORA LAKE UPPER DIR

K1 ( 25659 ft ) , Karakoram - Pakistan .

 

[Sulman Badshah]

Video footage of gilgit baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan: Jewel of Pakistan... - Traverse Pakistan | Facebook

 

[ghazi52]

........Laila Peak, Gondogoro La Trek | Pakistan (by Mike Mellinger)......

 

[ghazi52]

Indus river in Skardu Valley

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The beautiful Kalaam, Swat Valley

 

[Sulman Badshah]

Jarbaso Lake in Shigar near Skardu, also known as the "Blind Lake".

 

[Sulman Badshah]

David Lama and Peter Ortner in snow cave on Trango Towers Pakistan .

astore valley

Guraiz valley GB

Nanga Parbat

View of river swat and TORWAL village, taken on the way to GURNAI, Swat valley

Majestic lady Finger 6000 M Ultar meadows baltit Hunza

Kalash valley Chitral

Karomber Lake is at an altitude above 14,000 feet above sea level

 

[ghazi52]

.............Shandoor, World's highest polo ground‏

...................................

 

[[Bregs]]

looks like an heaven on earth, amazing pictures out of this world. thanks for sharing

 

[ghazi52]

..............
........ .
Kaghan in winters.‏

Biafo Glacier‏

Pak-China Border‏

gligit-baltistan

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