August 17, 2003

Across treacherous mountain roads lies the barren but beautiful Skardu

THEORETICALLY, it is easy to get to Skardu. The daily flight from Islamabad is relatively cheap, short and flies over awe inspiring terrain. However, that is if the weather allows. Otherwise, it is the treacherous road trip.

At Pir Vadhai, the bus station for Rawalpindi/Islamabad, there are four different bus companies willing to take the 20-hour trip to Skardu for a mere Rs550/-. So, with the fear of travelling on Pakistan’s infamous mountain roads, we got on the bus.

First, the good points. The vehicle was a new coaster with seating for 18 people. It was punctual in its departure and arrival times. The interior was clean and comfortable. And I, being the only female onboard, was accorded the utmost courtesy all the way. All the bathrooms at the rest stops were clean and functional. So, it was a perfect trip, right? Well, not exactly.

Our driver felt compelled to drive at 100kph on the mountainous road. He didn’t care for the sharp bends and turns, and of course our racing hearts. Perhaps his job depended on being punctual. So we hurtled round every corner at breakneck speed. Why we did not have a head-on collision or fall off a cliff can be directly attributed to our mother’s prayers. Still, except for a map of black and blues on our arms and legs we arrived safely in Skardu, exactly on the designated time.

From Mansera to Juglote the coaster travelled on KKH (Karakorum Highway) which then continued toward Gilgit while a narrower road turned off toward Skardu. This has been built by the FWO without Chinese help and is, if anything, even more tortuous and dangerous than the KKH.

The 170 km road from Juglote to Skardu follows the gorge carved by the Indus through the Karakorams since it is the only way through the mountains. The road clings to the mountainside while the river foams and froths far below. It is an awesome drive. Mountains loom on both sides, stark and arid. In some places the valley is no more than 70 meters wide.

When we finally reached the town of Skardu we found ourselves in another world. The town is located on a high plateau surrounded by even higher mountains. The Indus flows through it. Here, unlike the gorge, the river is broad and tranquil. But the mountains are barren, grey rocks and even the river valley barely has any trees. Boulders as big as houses litter the landscape and teeter on the unlikeliest ledges of the mountains.

Wherever there is a little soil, tiny painstakingly irrigated terraced fields are found. Poplar trees are planted wherever possible because these pencil straight trees provide wood for the construction of houses, specially roofs. But the crops and trees are very insignificant parts of the panorama. The majesty of the view in Skardu derives from the towering rocky mountains, from the casually strewn gigantic boulders and from the back drop of snow capped peaks of some of the tallest mountains of the world. The scene literally takes your breath away.

Skardu is the capital of Baltistan which many people recognize to be the western most part of Tibet. In fact, it was once called Tibet-e-Khurd or Little Tibet. From the 8th century till the 15th century when the Baltis embraced Islam, Baltistan is believed to have come under Tibetan rule. The Balti language as spoken today is an archaic form of Tibetan. Because of the similarity of the languages, the recently printed Balti elementary book has been published by the Tibet Foundation based in London.

In 1840, Baltistan was conquered by the Dogra rulers of Kashmir. However, when a century later, the question of succession either to Pakistan or India came, the local population rose up in revolt and won their point. Halfway down the main road of Skardu is a stone column topped by a bronze eagle. This commemorates the many Baltis martyred in the bid to be free of the Dogra yoke.

It was in the old bazaar, parallel and behind the shops of the main road, that we finally found an authentic Balti restaurant. It was a room about 15sq/ft, with a waist high three feet wide platform running along two walls in an L-shape. The platform was covered by a matting with a runner in the middle. Diners have to take-off their shoes and sit on the platform. The food is set on the runner and there is only one dish on the menu — Sada Shorba. It is served in a large aluminium bowl and consists of a consomme type of soup with a huge meaty bone. Of course we had the same and with it came fresh hot naan. The meat being quite tough, the eater is suppose to hack off a chunk of the meat with a knife provided for the purpose and eat it with a piece of the naan. The whole is then washed down by a generous gulp of the soup, straight from the bowl.

Our meal was simple and spiceless making the austerity of Balti life very evident. But we enjoyed the meal for its novelty.

The people of Baltistan are generally very good looking, fair, Aryan types. Some have a Chinese cast to the eye reminding us of the Tibetan connection. The Baltis are peace loving and smile easily and often. No one carries a gun and there are no eruptions of tempers in the bazaars. The crime rate is practically nil. Neither homes nor cars are locked. As tourists we never felt vulnerable. We could leave our baggage unattended whenever carrying the bags became too much. Walking around the town, even after dusk, was perfectly safe.

Here, houses are built of smooth walls of mud and straw topped by a flat roof. The beams of the ceiling are visible from the interior. The house that we visited belonged to the owner of a chai khana about 30 miles from the town of Skardu. The house comprised of five rooms built around a small central courtyard planted with fruit trees. Each room opened onto the courtyard but was not connected to the others. In each room, the ceilings were lined with thick plastic sheets and the packed mud floors were covered with plastic chatais. There was no furniture. Shelves lined the walls and held some dishes. In the corner of each room was a pile of bedding.

The chai khana owner told us that his household was made up of about 20 people who all lived there. We were impressed by the fact that his sister had completed her Matric and his brother’s wife was a trained LHV (lady health visitor). The younger children, too, all went to school.

In fact, every morning as we set off on our excursions, we saw droves of children, both girls and boys, going to school. From the variety of uniforms in evidence it was clear that there were lots of private schools apart from the government ones. Other signs of progress are the almost total electrification of Skardu town and the presence of numerous PCOs. It was a good feeling to know that the Baltis were doing relatively well and not just providing us with a quaint holiday destination.

Skardu is off the beaten track. This has kept it clean and untouched. There is almost no garbage and absolutely no plastic bag fest on the bushes. Baltistan’s culture and pristine natural beauty has been hardly touched by foreign influences.

There are some wonderful day trips from Skardu. Sadpara Lake is only 10km away. A serene lake surrounded by bare, imposing mountains. Almost without a ripple, the Lake is more blue than the sky. Sitting by this gem of a lake we had a delicious snack of fresh fried trout. Not far from the lake is the village of Sadpara. The centre of the village, made up of the flat roofed adobe houses, is ringed by small fields growing crops of different shades of green making the whole look like a patchwork quilt.

About two and a half hours away from Skardu are the Deosai Plains. A plateau more than 13000ft above sea-level, the Plains are covered with wild flowers in the month of July and August. Water-ways wind their way across Deosai. The air is cool and crisp and a little thin because of the altitude. The beauty of this plateau leaves one marvelling at God’s handiwork. A road forking away from Deosai, however, leads to Kargil and brings one back to reality.

In the other direction from Skardu are the two Kachura Lakes. the local resort is built around the lower and smaller lake. The Upper Kachura Lake neither has an inlet nor outlet. The water seeps up from the lake bed and remains trapped in place because of the wall of the grey, craggy mountains around it. The Lake is completely still and looks like a piece of dark blue glass.

Other places to go to from Skardu are Shigar and Khapalu. But whether you explore Baltistan thoroughly or only stay in the town of Skardu itself, the beauty and serenity of this region and its people will soak into you soul.

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