Diana Australis' photos

This high altitude road is in the Chipurson Valley of North Pakistan. This is at 4000 meters. The mountains at rear are in Afghanistan, and this is all in the Karakoram Range. The turquoise blue water is a still and cut off spot in the flowing river, which is glacial melt full of glacial flour which makes it seem muddy. As you see from the still spot, when it settles, it is an amazing colour. The road at this spot as you can see is not too bad..one of the better stretches. It is subject to earthquake, rockfall, avalanche and erosion as are all roads up here. It is a most remote corner of the planet near the Afghan border. Simply staggering in scale.

HFF from one of the remotest corners of the planet. These are the stone corrals for livestock at 4000 meters, here in the Karakoram. No one lives here permanently, only shepherds temporarily for 3-4 months of the year. This is at the rear of the mudbrick homes near the BabaGhundi Sufi shrine high in the Chipurson Valley of Pakistan right in the Afghan border. It is a high altitude summer pasture with the rear mountains being Afghanistan, and the river flows from them. There is no further vehicle access after the long difficult track to get here. Foot passage only over precipitous passes gets you into the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful week ahead. Thanks for any visits…much appreciated

A beautiful Wakhi woman making a cup of tea for us in the mud and stone house at the end of the road in Chipurson Valley, Gojal, Pakistan. On thé doorstep of Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor. She is related to my darling adopted Wakhi family from Gulmit. She and her husband live in this simple house for 6 months of the year as volunteer caretakers of the remote high altitude BabaGhundi Sufi pilgrimage shrine located here. Pilgrims bring in donations of food for them. In the winter it is -40° here and snowed in, so they return to their own village lower down the valleys.

HFF or stone wall Friday. A small home at the end of a torturous 6 hour high altitude track in the Chipurson Valley, North Pakistan. At 4000 meters in altitude, surrounded by 6-7000m peaks, it marks the end of a road, right at the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan where Tajikistan and Pakistan almost meet. It is uninhabited except for high altitude summer pastures for yak and goats, and for a Shia Sufi shrine which is visited on pilgrimages by inhabitants of North Pakistan. Locals also sometimes walk over the very high mountain passes into Afghanistan or Tajikistan to meet relatives and family members in the largely Ismaili communities on the other sides of the border. The mountains in the picture are Afghanistan Have a fabulous Friday and an exhilarating weekend. ❤️

Four little Kalash girls in their traditional dress/ school uniform, returning home after school. The village of Bumburate, in the remote mountainous Kafiristan region of Pakistan right on the Afghan border, is home to Kalash people.. They are a small, non Muslim ethnic minority of about 4000 people in this region of Pakistan. They are animists, and wear their traditional clothing every day, even for work in the fields. They are under pressure to convert to Islam, but sufficient of them are managing so far to resist. They also make the most extraordinarily pure 90% mulberry vodka type of spirit…which is delicious and occasions much singing and dancing!

Locals walking along the road up to the 4300 meter Shandur Pass in the Hindu Kush, Pakistan. The locals in north Pakistan are used to walking long distances and scaling rocky paths on high mountains. This is actually a major Highway in quite good order at this point, though subject to flood, earthquake, landslide and all manner of natural events. There is no bitumen for about 150 km and it took us 8 hours in a 4WD to traverse that distance. Have a fab Friday and a super weekend…

Late spring in North Pakistan is the time to bring the large herds of yaks to their high altitude summer pastures. Yaks are the source of much income to owners and in subsistence communities their value cannot be underestimated. After a long winter of temperatures down to -40°C where the animals are kept in close proximity to homes to guard against predation by snow leopards, wolves and bears, they are taken up above the 4000 m level to the alpine pastures formed when snow and glaciers melt. Here on the Shandur Pass around 4500m high, thousands of yaks and their shepherds come to the summer meadows. As they have very long winter fur, they need to be shorn. We were lucky to find many groups of shearers clipping the wool off the big hairy yaks for summer. The wool is used for carpets and for thick linings for curtains to ward off the bitter winter cold. We spent some hours with the shearers ..in a light snowfall as they worked with their traditional yak clipping shears.

Gojal, Hunza. Far North Pakistan at altitude among the 6-7000 meter peaks of the jagged Karakoram Range. These are the pinnacles of the Passu Cathedrals, or Tupopdan in local Wakhi language. Just arrived home after 6+ weeks in very remote, sparsely populated, and stunning high altitude landscapes, mostly adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. Wishing everyone a top Friday and a fab weekend. Will try to get to visiting soon! Diana ❤️

From a remote area of Pakistan where internet is very difficult. Today we came across the village practise polo match . This area is where polo originated. Every village up here has polo teams, and next month the huge Shandur Polo Festival is held over several days on the Shandur Pass at 4,200 meters. Today we will cross the Shandur Pass as this village is the closest to it! Best wishes to all..will visit when able, but it took me a day to be able to upload this photo! . Happy Friday and a fabulous weekend xxx

HFF. Along a fence made of 20 km of juvenile trees, a ute( Australia) or pickup transports a giant load of produce along the Swat Expressway, in Khyber Pahktunhwa today. Such a lot on such a little vehicle! In Pakistan for the next 5 weeks. Happy weekend to everyone…Diana xxx

In the minority and remote Kalash region of Pakistan, we met this 80 year old woman who prefers to live in her 350 year old traditional house than with her children in more comfortable accommodation. This is her full total of furniture..a bed, two stools and a stone fireplace/ stove. She has no electricity or running water. Winters here are severe and cold. It is in the mountains right on the Afghan border. The village is still very traditional. On their tour of Pakistan, Prince William and Princess Catherine were helicoptered in to visit the area and open a new community centre. There are only about 4000 remaining Kalash, and they are under pressure to convert to Islam from their animist beliefs. Have a lovely weekend all.

Far North Pakistan, in the Pamirs. One of the many breathtakingly beautiful valleys in these remote regions. It is very sparsely populated as the land is quite daunting in a zone of frequent seismic activity, landslides and rockfalls, which is also under heavy snow and cut off for much of the year. I am off there again in 10 days time to explore some remote valleys bordering Afghanistan among other things. Have a lovely weekend.

Mestia, in Northern Georgia, high in the Caucasus. A breathtakingly beautiful town in its autumn robes. Happy Friday, everyone. Enjoy your weekend too!

This fine gentleman is the security guard at the centuries old Baltit Fort, in Hunza in North Pakistan. Ironically he was also such when we travelled there in 2000. A little older now, as are we all, but still with this extraordinary moustache and a friendly smile. He is wearing the traditional Hunza hat with feather cockade.

Shimshal, at 3800meters in the Pamir Mountains of North Pakistan near the Chinese border. A tiny, extremely remote and hard to access community of subsistence farmers who herd yaks and goats, cut off for 6- 8 months by heavy snow and temperatures down to -40C. The mountain tops you see here are all over 7000meters. Wonderful people, warm and welcoming. Enjoy your Friday and have a magnificent weekend ! Diana ❤️

From Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in Canberra, Australia. I have been very busy with singing, rehearsing, and performing lately so I have been not visiting..,sorry! I love thé Ipernity community…will try to catch up a bit this weekend. Have a wonderful, peaceful Easter weekend Diana ❤️

Taken from behind the wall/fence as the call to prayer rings out, and crows circle lazily in the warm evening air. A Mughal remain, capable of accommodating 60,000 worshippers in its courtyard. Have a safe and peaceful weekend. Love to all..sorry so busy lately ❤️❤️❤️

Against a wooden Fence in Hunza, Pakistan, is a butcher, selling yak meat. The tail is a fine flourish and identifier. Fortunately with cool temperatures and altitude there were not flies about, so much more hygienic than many I have seen in many markets in the world Yak is basically a variation on beef…lovely long stewed with spices. Hope your Friday is fabulous and your weekend safe and very happy.