All Mountain Landscapes Hold Stories

---

This was my 3rd trip to the mountains in the last 6 months. I wasn't thrilled as I've had my fair share of mountain trips my whole life and here I was, going to see mountains yet again, only in a different region. My indifference was inevitable.

Who knew the mental and physical turmoil from the exhausting and horrifying journey of the previous day could be replaced with feelings of awe?

Bunji was only the start of this adventurous trip. We stayed there only for the night, explored the surroundings in the morning, and drove off to Hunza Valley before noon.

This was the plain and easiest route so far, the roads were straight and it took us only two hours to reach Karimabad (a culturally rich city in Hunza Valley). Apart from culture, this city is famous for its stunning landscapes and hospitable people.

There are 100 things that can make you love Karimabad but there were two things that truly won my heart:

• over 95% literacy rate
• women empowerment

I was bound to be impressed by the first fact, when in the rest of Pakistan a good amount of people you meet have either barely received elementary education or are completely illiterate. It's a sad reality.

Secondly, it might be a trivial thing for you but as a Pakistani, I was amazed to see that most of the shops and restaurants were run by women in Karimabad. It was a sight very uncommon (read non-existent) in the rest of Pakistan.

Being a Pakistani, I call myself a woman of privilege who received higher education and was allowed to live in another city for four years by herself to get a professional degree. I shouldn't be thinking that way but basic rights in Pakistan are like privileges.

Although, in my immediate social circle, everyone is well-educated, it breaks my heart to see people from lower-middle class such as my house help who has barely passed elementary and is now struggling alone with the educational expenses of her three kids which she will most likely get out of school and send to work due to back-breaking inflation.

Pardon me for going off track.

So, we were in Karimabad to visit two historical buildings - Altit Fort (1100 years old) and Baltit Fort (700 years old).

Watch-tower Altit Fort

Baltit Fort

Altit means "this side down" and Baltit means "that way".

These forts were home to the King of Hunza (from Mir lineage) for a long time. There are different stories about the forts:

1- Two Mir brothers lived in Altit fort but after a conflict one moved to Baltit fort. The former one was murdered soon after and the latter was crowned the new King.

2- These forts were given in dowry to the Queen of Hunza. The royal family used to live in Altit in the summers and in Baltit in the winters.

^{Royal throne}

^{Floor Safe for important stuff}

^{Kitchen with mud refrigerator at the back}

Both the forts' structures are made of wood and stone. One noticeable thing in both the forts was the low doors. Noticeable, less because the door frame was only 4-5 feet high, more because I hit my head pretty hard two times.

According to the tour guide, low-height doors were made to slow down the enemies if they infiltrated the fort (clever and savage 😏).

The forts were so old and didn't look sturdy at all but we were told that both structures were built in a way that they can withstand earthquakes of as high as 8.6 magnitude.

This information gave me some confidence to roam around with a relaxed mind.

^{View from the top of Altit - Hunza River and Karakoram Highway (Pakistan to China road) below)}

The second day was going too smoothly in comparison to the first day. So, my 3-year-old son (who wasn't 3 at that time) decided to sit on the parapet at the roof of Baltit Fort. We were told to hold the hands of kids while on the roof for obvious reasons. I don't know when he ran away to the parapet and was about to get himself comfortable when my friend leaped over him to get him down. Two seconds ago, he was with me and the moment I got distracted, he ran away. God forbid, if he had lost his balance even an inch, he would have fallen backward to the rocky floor 30 feet below (I still shudder at the thought).

I can't explain in words what I felt. My heart didn't stop pounding for the rest of the day. I'm usually very vigilant when it comes to kids but after that... I turned into a crazy mom.

---

We had lunch in Karimabad Bazar in a completely women-led establishment. The cuisine was completely different from the usual Pakistani cuisine. I have never eaten such delicious local cuisine . We ordered everything on the menu and enjoyed it all.

---

The locals told us to visit Eagles' Nest to view a mesmerizing sunset and the whole Hunza valley. The road to the Eagles' Nest was another challenge. Extremely narrow with sharp turns. The mountain on one side and Hunza River on the other side without any supportive railing. Not to mention the climb, on a car full of adults and luggage.

I was already so frightened by the Baltit incident that I was telling others to just leave it and call it a day. Others were eager to go because we had come so far. When we reached the top of Eagles' Nest, the sun had already set. I was like "told you so" but kept quiet because I knew I was still shaken and wasn't thinking rationally.

We missed the sunset and due to the dark we couldn't see much of Hunza Valley. But once again, I was happy that we came that far. Eagles' Nest was the most intriguing place I've ever seen in my life.

It is a point on the mountain where bald eagles used to lay their eggs. Now that I know, but there was another peculiar thing about that place - there were big rocks carved in the shape of eagles' faces.

We thought that people carved those rocks because of eagles' nesting. But locals told us, it wasn't the work of humans, those rocks were naturally like that.

I didn't believe that tale but... those rocks didn't look like a man's work. I don't know how to explain - they were not perfect, all different and deformed - like formed in a natural process. It was hard to tell if it was an eagle's face in most rocks and then there were some with stark resemblance.

I don't know what to say - it's still a mystery that I want to solve.

Later, we retired to a guesthouse which was more like a Bread & Breakfast. Had a delicious dinner there and later the owner served us with bowl of cherries, freshly picked from the trees in the backyard.

Husbands and kids retired to their rooms. Me and my friend gossiped till midnight and ate hundreds of cherries.