Friday Lens Affair 157

Today I’m featuring a great image and a story from Hunza Valley in Pakistan by Will Hatton from The Broke Backpacker Blog.

Will is a professional adventurer and digital nomad currently on a three-year journey from the UK to Papua New Guinea. Without the use of a single flight.

You can follow Will’s adventures on Snapchat at @wthatton and on Instagram.

Photo Story: Hunza Pakistan

The ancient silk road, linking China to Europe and running all the way through Pakistan.

This was a country I had wanted to visit for years, an untouched adventure frontier of soaring Himalayan peaks, groaning glaciers, raging rivers, tattered bridges and some of the world’s most friendly people.

For days now, I had been amazed at the hospitality in the mountains. It is pretty much impossible to pay for anything in Pakistan and, once you lose your police escort, hitchhiking here is unbelievably easy.

I had caught rides in technicoloured trucks. Coils of bells clinking gently as we chugged our way up hills and past small villages.

My ancient bodyguard, Baba, who was totally wonderful yet wonderfully unnecessary, had at first disapproved but had quickly warmed up, showing me how to fire an AK and sharing a cheeky smoke with me.

I had been staying with a local man, Rehman, and his family for nearly a week. Camping out in a stone shepherds hut perched atop the lip of a glacial valley. There was no electricity, no running water, no phone signal and no worries.

Every day, I played with Rehman’s boisterous kids, getting my ass kicked at cricket and chatted with Sara, Rehman’s beautiful and intelligent wife.

The clouds danced overhead and I watched eagles play upon the thermal currents, the brilliant white of the snow and rock and ice reflecting into the sky.

Pakistan is a place that will leave a lasting impression on you, the people, the landscapes, the history; everything here is so rich, so deep, so full of meaning.

For real adventure, come to Hunza Valley in Pakistan… soon, I hope to open Pakistan’s first ever backpacker hostel!

Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.

The Hunza is situated in the extreme northern part of Pakistan, bordering with the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan and the Xinjiang region of China.

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