Day Two - KKH - Tashkurgan to Sost

Hello all. We have missed off Day One because we haven't got it with us. It will be going on here soon but are sticking this on now for you to read.


After gobbling some noodles and buying some water Sam and I headed to the customs, quarantine and immigration building in Tashkurgan. We had been told to be there for 10am (Beijing time) so on our arrival we were slightly surprised to only see the two Koreans (who were also on our bus) and our loaded bus. The place didn't open to begin border formalities until 10:30 and with no sign of other passengers or the driver we sat and waited. At about 10:20 people started to arrive for work - boarder guards, police, the army, they all started rolling up in their 4x4's smoking their 10th cigarette of the morning. While we had been waiting, pick up trucks loaded with melons, Royal Korea bedspreads, pots and pans and other such paraphernalia were creating piles of baggage outside the entrance. Our hopes of a swift process were getting quickly dashed. Finally our driver and the rest of the passengers (mainly Pakistani business men) appeared and we started to get the bus unloaded.

The China exit procedure has three control points. First is quarantine, where you have to sign a form saying you aren't ill and stand in front of a tall, slender machine which can instantly, using thermal imaging, detect whether or not you have a fever. Second is the x-ray/whats in our bag routine and finally the exit stamp. The whole process however was marred by three 'hazard' factors which meant, although it wasn't that bad it had the potential to be alot slicker. Firstly, all the baggage. There was on average, between 5 - 10 boxes/bags to each person so there was ALOT of two-ing and fro-ing between each of the controls as business men hurried around quite a cramped and narrow hall trying to keep everything together. Secondly, just for the Olympics, they had rearranged all the control points. All the controls and desks were arranged in a neat stright and logical line with Chinese and English signs. The only problem with this re-arranging was that some MUPPET had put the x-ray machine backwards. So (bearing in mind our first problem) you had to walk past the machine, pur our bags on, shuffle back to the 'front', clamber over the queue of people waiting to put their boxes and bags on, grab our bags and squeeze back past everyone. The third factor just to add to this circus was that it was all being filmed for one of Chinas many patriotic TV channels to show what a good job everyone is doing in the face of the Olympics. In this already chaotic process of boxes and backwards x-ray machines the authorities managed to trap the foreigners; two English (us), two Koreans, two Japanese and one Pakistan medical school graduate. We were then made to watch an English language video about transporting counterfiet and pirated goods. Our saving grace was that the videos' customs officer was non-other than arm and leg wielding, Rush Hour, Rumble in the Bronx, Kung Fu king Jackie Chan! So rather than stand there and take an otherwise awful video serously we were all laughing and joking about it. The film crew, filming us watching the film even started to film the film; everyone loves a bit of Jackie! We were then filmed being handed customs booklets, which was pointless as it was all in Chinese, which non of us could read, much to the surprise of the customs officals. Finally we made it through, got our all important exit stamp and went to get loaded onto the bus again. Loading was a bit more tricky this time round as we had picked up an extra couple of busniess men and all their luggage. We finally set off with a member of the army on board (to make sure we didn't run off into the wilderness between here and the boarder) for the final 125km stretch to the Khunjerab Pass and Pakistan!

The Khunjerab pass is an end both politically and geographically to China. At 4,934m we were just below the snow line, on the highest paved international border post in the world and on the edge of our seats. After a quick final check of the passports by the Chinese we crossed into Pakistan. The atmosphere on the bus went from expectation to relaxationa and happiness, the road from smooth tarmac to bumpy gravel and the scenery from rolling and clean to rugged and dramatic. The change was almost instant and amazing. On arrival we were soon met by four Pakistan border guards all sporting berets with cap badges and thick bushy moustaches - excellent! One guard got on our bus, shook a bag, poked a suitcase, enquired about the melons and sent us on our way - easy. Our actual immigration and customs was in Sost another 85km away. We headed down off the pass, descending into a scenery of steep valleys, morain (old glacier deposits), churning blue/grey glacial rivers and towering cliffs. The Paksitan men were very happy to be leaving China and were keen to get us aquainted with their country as soon as possible. They proudly explained that we were now driving through Khunjerab National Park and would jump up and point out herds of Yak, Ibex and sunbathing marmots as we passed. After half an hour in Pakistan we had seen more wildlife than a whole three and something months in China. The business men were really friendly offering us food and advice as we bumped along. They could all speak some English and one was particualry fluent. When discussing the safety of Pakistan he told Sam, once he had brought his Shalwar Kameez would have no prblem with safety because, with his beard, we would look like Taliban! This joke was met with roars of laughter from the rest of the Pakistan contingency. The guy had abviously hit the spot about what they were all thinking.

We continued to follow the road along the valley, hugging the side of cliffs or skirting the bottom of rockfalls we saw the river below us become larger and more forceful as other rivers joined in a swirl of rapids and mixes of browns and greys. These mineral rich, silt filled, rushing waters will eventually become part of the mighty Indus river. We had to cross one of the small tributatries which involved most of the men piling out and energetically discussing the best way to cross as we couldn't see how deep the river was and the road was no longer there. Luckily it wasn't that deep and we made it safely across and rejoined the road. To add to the already dramatic scenery are the ever present white, snow capped mountains pearing down narrow, deep gauges and peaking over the top of scree covered slopes. These peeping toms however are really soaring monsters. Looking like diamonds in the rough they project a feeling of immense power and beauty, both magical and deadly. After a couple of hours we arrived in Sost. Here the border controls, at least on entry, seemed extremely lax. Immingration involved the filling out of two forms and two guards writing your details, by hand, into a giant log book, enquiring about your occupation and giving you a big, hurrah! stamp in your passport. We then drove down to the customs yard where everything was unloaded onto the ground. A customs offical, dressed in a black woolen Shalwar Kameez would then have a wander round, chat to various familiar faces and just wave his hand dismissively at the likes of Sam and I, so we picked up our bags and left without further ado.

We had obviously become accustomed to China without realising it as Sost was a definate, but not unwelcome shock to the system. We had been used to arriving, even in a small town, to white tiled multi-storey buildings with neons signs and wide streets. Sost was a cluster of one-storey concrete squares, a gravel main road and dusty side streets, it was tiny and ramshackled and we loved it. Our hotel, the Asia Star was a bargain at 300 PKR (Pakistan Rupees) a night (2 pounds!) and included extras were two wicker chairs, candle and matches and a padlock for your door. We dumped our stuff and headed out for a walk. We decided to stroll along to the old part of town, about 2km down the road. We soon came across a roadside cricket match, the customs officals still in their black woolen uniforms, were playing joint wicket keeper and the local head of police was overseeing the teams performance. The constable happily shook Sam and my hands and welcomed us to Sost and Pakistan. Further down the road was a front yard knockabout which Sam was invited to bat in. After a disappointing first miss he then managed to knock the ball for six, or at least whacked it towards the cow tied up in the garden. We then got chatting to one of the guys and saw he ran a hostel/restaurant so we headed indoors for some milk tea and dinner. Our first Pakistan meal, half a chicken in a spicy tomato curry sauce and chipatis, DELICIOUS! No more Chinese food, Whay! After dinner we walked back along the road and were frequently passed by the outrageously elaborate, over-the-top decorated trucks heading the other way. As they passed by in a blur of colour and jing-iling horns were hooted and smiling waving drivers kept asking us if we wanted a lift - we wished! We continued our walk round the back of our hotel down to the river where we sat and reflected on our arrival as the murky torrent of a river rushed past. We have immediately clicked with Pakistan and can't wait to see more of it, so much so I even jumped at the idea of an early morning walk up one of the hills opposite us! This place must be good!