Day 16 - Thungol to Skardu

In the morning, we gather our luggage. From here at Thungol, we will load up the jeeps and drive back to the break in the road, about an hour and a half.
We woke up intentionally early to get a jump on the Brits who were camping in Askoli. They would have the additional hour hike to Thungol, as well. The goal was to get to the jeeps waiting on the other side of the break first.
Khalil sits in the bed of the jeep and loads up bags as they are passed to him.
The tempo picks up and we start throwing bags to him, and he catches and stashes them.
Everyone, particularly Ibrahim and Ignacio, get really into it and as the tempo picks up, throw stuff to Khalil faster than he can store it. Eventually a laughing Khalil is just being pummled by bags. But we sure got that jeep loaded up quick.
We arrive at the break in the road and unload all of our gear. We retained a few porters from the trek just for the day to carry some of our heavier stuff across the break in the road. Still ahead of the Brits.
There is a new trail that crosses over the landslide higher up, so we are no longer merely feet from the Jaws of Death, but instead would need to make a series of bumbling fumbling mistakes and roll down a few hundred feet of hillside before hitting the river. The trail is quite seem and high however. A tougher walk, but safer.
Khalil and Tanya on the other side of the break with Khalil's favorite pink shades, and Tanya's newfound glasses.
Ibrahim brings some of the bags across the gap.
Adil gingerly makes his way down the hillside to the jeeps. His feet are particularly tender after all those days of hiking.
With the road cut off, there was a pile of supplies brought up from Skardu on the jeeps waiting on the other side of the break.
The porters bring bags across the break in the road. They took the same lower path we had used on the way up. Apparently unphased by it and unwilling to take the longer higher path with all the bags.
Mountain Dew in the mountains.
Asif says carrying bags is fun.
Our trusty Toyota Land Cruisers. Now with FOUR WHEEL DRIVE!
Rich picks his way down the hillside carefully. The ground was not particularly solid, so in some places it was more like sliding down the hillside.
Murad and a bag of food stuffs.
Cooking oil waiting to go up the mountains. "Taste With Nourishment."
It was a particularly cloudy day. Which was good in that it kept the temperatures from rising too high.
On the crossing, Ibrahim managed to injure himself one last time. We had all these extra medical supplies, and Rich really just wanted to treat one last foot before the trip was over. So...
Dressing the greivous wound...
Ibrahim stoically fights through the pain.
The porters and staff in the baggage jeep, having a great time as we start off down the road back to Skardu.
Iza is glad to be back in more civilized trappings. Silk curtains, rollcages, and all.
On the way back to civilization, we stop in a town called Shigar.
A flooded stream in Shigar. Goat.
Ayub's cousin owns a hotel there which was formerly a Mughal palace. The building was granted to the town by the Raja. The town then brought in a luxury hotel to renovate the place and turn it into a luxury resort.
Coming to this place after the wilderness was really wild. Murad and Dad coming in from the orchard.
The outside of the 16th century palace. Constructed mostly of wood, stone and mortar.
Some of the wood work was extraordinary. Bay windows.
Rich checks out the palace grounds.
The wood carving on the outside of the building was extraordinary.
Ayub arranged to get us a tour of the museum part of the palace, as well as a look at the state room.
In the gardens, this building is newly built and houses the new hotel rooms.
This is the true Shigar Fort on a cliff overlooking the the palace. A few hundred years older than the palace is.
A new gazebo in the garden.
More engravings on the outside of the building.
And more.
As we go in for our tour, Erin and Tanya complain of back pains from the jeep ride.
Heading up the stairs at Shigar.
The tour guide describes some of the scrollwork above the entrance. Apparently there was a panel there for each of the major religions of the area. More progressive than I would have thought for the 16th century.
Woodwork inside.
One of the religious panels. I don't remember which one this was. Perhaps Jainism.
Some of the wooden relics in the museum.
Intricate woodwork on the columns inside.
Column capitals.
Modern staircase up the entrance.
True story.