Ascending Skardu: A Journey to Remember (PART I)

_{The aerial view of Nanga Parbat, locally known as Diamer, reveals the ninth highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,126 meters above sea level
This image is my property}

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It's inevitable now. Before I visit Highlands again maybe this year my conscience won't let me post anything or stall it any further than to write about my previous two major endeavours.

The first one being, a visit to SKARDU!

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I visited Skardu in July 2020. It was a month-long stay. We visited in the official capacity of my husband, so it was a very detailed visit. But before taking you along this exciting journey, let me tell you a little about Skardu.

_{Skardu is located in Pakistan, in the Gilgit-Baltistan province, at the juncture of the Indus and Shigar rivers, surrounded by mountain peaks including four of the world's fourteen “eight-thousanders” (8,000-meter peaks). The elevation of Skardu is 2,500 meters.}

_{Skardu, along with Gilgit, is the gateway to peaks such as K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, and the Trango Towers, as well as the huge glaciers of Baltoro, Biafo, and Trango.}

Without further ado, let me take you to this memorable trip of my life.

What will be the layout of my blog?

It will mostly consist of pictures, highlighting the important details of the places visited during the visit.

_{No, this was not my ride. I captured this national air liner from the porthole of my ride}

_{Rocky mountains from porthole, Nanga Parbat peaks in the background: on our way to Skardu}

_{This is me trying not to show my fear of flying. These rocky mountains made me recite every prayer I knew.}

So by now you know that I travelled by air to reach Skardu.

We visited the following places during our visit:

• Skardu gamba (our main stay)
• A very unique house up the mountains
• Manthokha waterfall
• Khamsh Waterfall
• Deosai national park, Satparra to Sheosar Lake
• Shigar Valley - Serena shigar fort
• Blind lake, Shigar, sarfaranga cold desert
• Upper kachora lake
• Soq spring
• Shangrilla lake
• Chu tran, warm water springs

I will be covering visit to each of these attractions in my blog.

Skardu Gamba:

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We stayed in a guesthouse in Skardu Gamba. From the moment I set foot in that house, it felt like home. Nestled within the mountains, it was a place of immense beauty, surrounded by apricot and apple trees. Upon our arrival, we were presented with the juiciest apricots and cherries. There were four families in our group, each to occupy a room in the four-room lounge. We also had some bachelors in the group. Amidst soaking in the beauty of the place, I didn't notice the other three choosing their rooms, which I didn't mind at all. They opted for rooms near the wifi, leaving me with one that had a window opening to the mountain. The imposing peak looked back at me with all its might when I opened the curtains.

One unique aspect that may set my blog apart is that, while some may already be acquainted with the renowned recreational spots in and around Skardu, others can easily find videos and information online. However, I will commence this travelogue with a visit to a distinctly unique gem nestled within the valley of Skardu.

I can't recall the exact details, but someone in our group had connections or acquaintances with a local family up in the mountains. Consequently, a full-day visit was arranged to explore a one-of-a-kind home situated atop a nearby village's mountain!

We arrived at the foot of the mountain on jeeps. Prior to leaving the guesthouse, I was informed that we were going to visit a fort that day. So, I happily wore my heels. However, I soon learned this lesson hard way that heels are not suitable shoes for mountains. The driver gave me a valuable tip: always keep a spare pair of joggers when visiting any place on a mountain, even if it's just going to someone's home, because what awaited me next was a 45-minute hike up the mountain.

Many a times I wanted to take off my heels and trek bare feet. But my feet were not accustomed to walking bare on those rocky and slippery paths. Did I tell you there is water everywhere you go in Skardu? There are water springs and streams all along the mountains. And I swear to god at least thrice I felt that I would slip and fall down into valley tumbling. God saved me on all those occasions. Thank you Allah!

My husband just kept giving me death stares on the choice of the shoes and I kept swearing at myself and wished to somehow miraculously reach the top. We were lagging behind the group, the last one in the trail. And finally when we reached the gate of their residence, the beauty that welcomed us was worth every death stare, unshed tears, hypoxia, and whatnot.

_{Last lap; a flight of stairs before entering the house on the mountain top. Can you appreciate the water path on the left? This water is flowing directly from the glacier, as a result of snow melting at the top.}

<sub>a shot from inside the gate before reaching the inside entrance

One of the entrances</sub>

_{From the top, we could see only one set of peaks}

Every corner, both inside and outside the house, was a piece of art. Later, when I met the owner's daughter, I discovered she was an art student from one of Pakistan's most prestigious universities. She was also involved in a government beautification project in Skardu, working on a roundabout. Throughout the house, her paintings adorned the walls.

The drawing room resembled a palace from the past, divided into two separate areas. Standing there, I felt like a princess in a castle, with windows overlooking the entire valley. A water system flowed through canals on the floors in both the drawing room and the adjacent visiting room - the whole scene appeared like a place from a Dreamland. Just imagine the constant supply of fresh water, day in and day out, without the need for any motor or other system. We washed ourselves in the crystal clear and clean flowing water.

_{a window in the drawing room}

_{Another corner of the drawing room. And I was captured in some weird angle or maybe I was still under the aftereffects of near stumbling experience ;)}

The vast outdoors were adorned with all kinds of beautiful flowers and fruits trees. We were hosted with the fresh produce of apricots and cherries from the owners.

Below are some of the indoor shots of the house with the permission of the owners:

_{Sitting area: They mostly use floor seating for the family members}

_{passage in the house with my reflection}

_{Arts work of the daughter}

_{Modest Kitchen. I love the earthen oven}

To be continued, definitely (insha'Allah). I will also include aerial (bird's-eye) views showcasing the most scenic beauty of this place in my upcoming posts. Stay tuned!

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_{Note: All pictures are my property. I may have shared some of the pictures on this platform prior to this post in some other capacity. However, this post is exclusive to STEEMIT. Unfortunately, some of the photos failed to upload, so I have included screenshots of those images. I hope the quality is not suffered to a greater extent. I have put a lot of heart and hard work into preparing this post. Please suggest any corrections to the tags if needed. If you enjoyed this travel log and would like to see more, please consider sharing and resteeming to reach a wider audience. I will be sharing more details about the trip soon. Thank you so much for reading this far.}