Day 157 Wednesday 21 February 2007 Gilgit to Karimabad, Hunza Valley, Pakistan

Another late start, hey we can get used to waking at 10am very easily, and after breakfast with magnificent views over Mt Rakaposhi, we leave Gilgit and cross the river northwards to the Hunza in a quest for walnuts, apricots and the elixir of life. The Hunza, which until 1974 was a separate kingdom lies about 100km north of Gilgit, an easy drive along an almost deserted KKH. We leave the soldiers and police of Gilgit behind and enter a realm of stark desert mountains, with villages and orchards clinging to the alluvial fans above the river.

Although we are getting used to hotels with few guests in Pakistan, we find that most of the Hunza has shut down completely. Fortunately the Hunza Embassy Hotel in Karimabad, the main centre in the valley is open although we are the only guests. Nevertheless despite the team of building workers constructing a new deck they make us welcome. However the power is off for most of the day and the kerosene heater they give us is not making much of a contribution to global warming, so we retire early under a mound of douvets and quilts to watch a Penelope Cruz movie.

Distance today 113km; Total distance 23,387km