Chapter 13 - Singing cooks and failing bodies - The Return to Thungol

Our food was starting to run low of the good stuff. No more nutella with your parathas or Tang in your water. Our bodies were also running a little ragged with the hots sun beating down on us as we did double marches. Adil and Ignacio had feet that looked like hamburger. Adil had lost all apetite and could only eat boiled potatoes with lots of salt...hence his nickname Chacha Aloo (Uncle Potato). Matthew was losing energy, Erin had sunpoisoning and had to wear clothes that covered her whole body including her hands. Given the probability of any one of us becoming incapacitated, I got us a spare horse for this stretch. Fortunately we never had to use it but it did provide lots of entertainment to Ayub's crew who took turns riding as did Tanya and Erin.

One of porters starts to climb the side of the gorge. Now this was really steeper than it looks.
Two more porters trying to make their way up.
We climb above the gorge. Over the river is the bridge to go to the other side where the Paiju army camp is located. Thankfully we didn't have to cross it.
A Pakistan Army helicopter passes overhead. They always travelled in pairs so you could get ready to photograph the second one.
Jeff is cool as a cucumber as he crosses over
The ubiquitous telephone wire shows us the way back to civilization.
Anisa was under strick orders to use my Keffiyeh to shield her from the sun and to keep soaking it in cold water. This was useful advice from Matthew since it decidedly improved Anisa's speed so what she was now in the middle of the pack.
Iza lets Murad help her accross the stream. It was always nice to have a little bit of help getting across.
Now Murad jumps across as we get closer to Pari II.
Up goes the path as we try to get past the cliff.
Matthew and I take a break in the sliver of shade afforded by the boulder. We were only about 30 minutes from camp but had run out of water. Everyobody else had long gone ahead of us, but I figured we should stick to Matthew's steady pace. There was no rush to get back.
We see Jula in the distance. That was pleasant. This was the hump day. After this everything else was so much easier.
Rich making sure Ibrahim is doing OK. Next to him is the assitant translator, Meesha.
One of the peaks behing Juhla.
Erin is feeling much better after gulping down multiple liters of oral rehydration solution. She was the hardest hit by the heat. Of course now tha sun is below the horizon, you have to get your fleece out.
Nightime in Jhula. Reading lamps in the tents make them light up like lanterns.
Foot care...again. But the last time it was going to be done.
Erin crosses the river at Jhula.
Meesha's turn. Everyone goes one at a time so the bridge doesn't sway or bounce too much.
Jeff is not turning on the turbochargers. He was fit and feeling great.
Breaking the rules!! Those three were having way too much fun on the bridge.
It is like the three stooges...over a raging river.
Rich finds his fellow stooges very amusing. Now you might ask where were these pictures taken from. Fortunately there was a little perch you could get to if you climbed the side of the hill.
The path along garnet mountain.
You can see the old path that used to go way above, and the porters said was really dangerous where many a porter had died or been injured.
The girls know we are getting close to lunch.
Rose bushes growing in the wild. This is rose fruit according to Linda.
Korofon. THis is a hut where one of the contractors stores some kerosene and flour. We went with fewer porters because we felt we would be able to get this stuff along the way. The price is incremented but you save overall.
Greenery!!!
Bushes over the river.
We stop for lunch. Olives, crackers and cheese never tasted so good. Ayub had bought a can of tuna for Erin since her apetite was not doing so well. Turns out she is not big into tuna so Matthew took it off her hands.
I had requisitioned a horse since we had a number of people who were not feeling a 100%. But since the horse was not being used and Ibrahim really wanted to learn to ride, we let him try his hand. Turned out this horse was not one that liked to be ridden! He bucked and reared.
Ibrahim is on finally!
It was his first time on a horse.
Getting close to the second bridge.
I wondered what they were looking at....