The drive from Skardu to Askole, the final village before the trek begins, is equal parts amazing an

The drive from Skardu to Askole, the final village before the trek begins, is equal parts amazing and terrifying. At times, the views open up to show large shapes going into and out of the earth.  Which is amazing. Then, you drive right next to those big shapes. Which is terrifying.  

I’ll put up a video of one of the several bridge crossings in the next post…those got easier…

Sometime after lunch the road got so tight that everyone had to get out except the driver.  I’ll say a larger vehicle had never passed that tiny piece of cut out mountain.  There were 6 inches outside the tires at good times and maybe 1 ½ inches at other times with a good drop below, like maybe 50 meters.  

We passed a few small villages along the way..you can see a typical village in the bottom picture on the right.  I may have mentioned that Pakastani people are survivors.  “Hard as nails,” one of my hiking-mates said.  And he was right.  

We made it to Askole and that was it..car rides were over for the next 10 or 11 days.  We relaxed, had dinner and off to the tents.