Pakistan 2025

From Manthoka Falls in Baltistan, North Pakistan. Just arrived back and have reliable internet again! Hope you are all well. Sending a big hug and a wish for a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Up at a high altitude track at 4,000 meters in the mountains in Pakistan, I found this single large thistle plant. It buzzed with life…bees and butterflies, all seizing the brief opportunity to collect pollen in this harsh environment. Happy Monday…and joy to you today.

The old and superseded bridge at Bara Pani on the high Deosai Plains in Baltistan, at 4100 meters height. It used to have more wood…and was a jeep bridge when we first visited here. It is in a remote area, populated by marmots and brown bears. This was the old pass and pathway from Indian Kashmir into Pakistan at the time of the Great Game in Central Asia, and was part of this strand of the Silk Road. Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend…D

Livestock barns in Minapin village in North Pakistan. This village is the setting off point for the base camp and ascent trails of the 7788m Mount Rakaposhi . As such it attracts mountaineers from around the globe. John hiked to base camp while I went up to a high altitude meadow to get views of the summit and the giant Minapin Glacier. At 2600 meters Minapin village has extreme winters. The animals winter in the stone barns, which keep off wolves and snow leopards. The ladder is to the roof, where dried grasses collected over the year are stored for winter food for the livestock

An apt number plate. An ancient traditional Pakistani truck at the ethnology museum in Islamabad…..and its monsoon fed overgrown grass! Interestingly, thousands of these old veterans are still hard at work on the roads, often with wooden doors and extravagant decorations. I don’t know how they keep the engines plodding along! Have a fabulous weekend….hug to you all

From the stone walls of Passu, in far north Pakistan. The background is the Passu Cones or Cathedrals, part of the Karakoram Range and around 6000m in height. The Hunza River.makes its way through. This was a few weeks ago…the river is now in flood and contributing to the floods which are devasting thr north of Pakistan. The main reason for the flooding is global warming….Pakistan has 13,000 glaciers and increased temperatures are melting them, causing glacial floods and outbursts, which are devastating homes, crops, animals and lives. Our own much loved community has been badly affected. Happy midweek, all ❤️

This is the very beautiful form of the National Independence Monument of Pakistan on a hill overlooking the green and lovely planned capital city of Islamabad. Each of the giant ‘petals’ has exquisite relief sculptures embodying the history if this ancient land. The stone work is detailed and very skilled. We were there early in 38°….so I was able to concentrate on the form, without people. Happy weekend everyone ❤️❤️❤️

From Gulmit in North Pakistan where my adopted family lives. It is an area of subsistence farming. Apricot, apple and walnut orchards are abundant, and lots and lots of potato fields, main winter staple. The mountains and glaciers about the village produce the water for cultivation and household usage. Happy Wednesday…mid week time to catch a breath! Hope the rest of the week is a good one!

Crossing a turbulent stream in the Chipurson Valley, very high(3800m) in the Karakoram Range. This remote road leads to the closest point to the Afghan and Tajik borders. The landscapes are awe inspiringly giant. Small isolated villages dot the road in more gentle stretches of this deep valley. We did not get quite to the end as one of the dozens of makeshift bridges over raging streams had been washed away, and the water was too deep and fast for the 4WD to attempt. Best viewed large. Wishing a fabulous Friday. I hope the weekend brings peace and happiness to your hearts ❤️