Extreme fast forward� Northern Pakistan 11th to 17th December 2005

Those following our stories so far will know that we are still writing about our journey through Egypt, however a quick glance at the �Last Known Position� will show that we have so far reached Pakistan. More significantly we have just ventured into the northern mountainous areas of Pakistan, which you will all be aware was the scene of a devastating earthquake just over two months ago. Having now seen the after effects for ourselves we felt compelled to write a few words whilst the images are still fresh in our minds.

Not knowing what to expect we set off up the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which in itself is the eighth wonder of the world and is the back bone of communications in this region. Having been built between 1966-1978 it is a vital link for all the towns and villages. Highway may conjure up visions of some sleek dual carriage way snaking through the mountains when of course in reality it is at best a single road. Clinging desperately to the mountain side with pot holed tarmac from the frequent rock falls peppering the road and landslides as much a part of the highway�s daily maintenance as the mountains continuously try to reclaim the KKH.

The drive is precarious but the scenery is simply breath taking with colossal mountains such as Nanga Parbat (8126m), Haramosh (7398m) and Rakaposhi (7788m) to name but a few, lining the roadside. Here three of the mightiest mountain ranges of the world, the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalayas collide. Deep in the valley below with near vertical drops from the KKH, the River Indus fed from joining rivers further up the KKH rages, twisting , turning and cutting it�s way deeper into the valley as it heads south on the long journey to the Arabian Sea.

As we headed north from Islamabad we decided not to drive via the epicentre where the towns of Muzaffarabad and Balakot bore the full force of the earthquake, but to drive up the parallel valley along the KKH. As early as Abbottabad the evidence of the effects were starting to appear with the Red Crescent (Islamic Red Cross) trucks and aid stations appearing. The odd building we noticed had cracks running down the walls and the occasional tent sprang up to accommodate those left homeless. Aid helicopters were also busying themselves carrying supplies to those less fortunate that lived high up in the mountains far away from any main road or track, many of which still remain blocked.

As we continued along the KKH we became more and more shocked by the far reaching effects of the earthquake. For a stretch some 200km along the KKH, there were always tents to be seen, some in organised relief centres with agency headquarters and first aid stations, others dotted about the valley and mountains. We were amazed to see the extremes where people had decided to set up home. Along the valley stretches where there was a bit of flat land to farm we could understand, but literally halfway up a cliff side clung to the mountain with absolutely no obvious sign of how to get there and sadly only really visible by the tent now tucked in next to the house!

The further we drove the more signs of destruction and aid relief we saw and bear in mind these were just those settlements close to a main highway. There are many others that live deep into the mountains! Talking with one lady from the Red Cross who had flown in from New Zealand to do a six month stay, she had an hours jeep ride followed by a two hour hike ahead of her for the next day, before being able to provide medical aid for a more remote village.

In the hotel at Besham where we camped outside for the night, whilst we were eating dinner a door kept blowing open letting in a draft. Even when closed there still remained a breeze and only after peering around a tarpaulin hung in the joining room we realised that the back wall to the hotel was actually missing! During our stay in the mountains we experienced temperatures during the night of -12C which according to the locals is uncommon for the time of year. We suffered it for a couple of nights and with it just being the start of winter you can only imagine what the poor souls have to look forward to over the coming months.

You can still feel occasional tremors and we half slept/dreamt through a big tremor during the night. The following night however we experienced a quake that registered 6.7 on the Richter scale. Even with a quake of that size, before you�ve had a chance to wake up and get your head around what is going on, it�s all over. If in those few seconds the house you�re in collapses you�d have little chance of reacting at all. You can understand how the sad statistics were so high (79,000 dead and an estimated 100,000 amputees), especially when you see houses literally levelled to the floor� a pile of rubble with a roof over the top, a sombre testament to the destructive power of the quake.

To contrast the melancholy scenes, as if to bring a dash of brightness to the picture the local trucks heavily decorated and gleaming in lavish colours, adorned with tassels and bells had come to the help of the region. Loaded with supplies they drive up and down the KKH bringing relief up into the mountains.

Life obviously goes on and the people put a brave face on the events. They must be one of the hardiest of populations to survive up here in the mountains. Talk seemed to always turn to the cricket (of which Pakistan is cricket mad � who�d know the tarmac of the KKH makes such a good wicket!) as they boast about their test victory over England with a broad smile� but with a win in the first one day international at least we have a retort. In these areas reciting cricket player�s names seems to be quite a conversational piece - of which we know about as many as we did football players..!

Returning to Islamabad, we decided to take a detour towards Balakot and Muzaffarabad. Complete shock is all I can say! It looks like a war zone. The buildings left standing all show scars from the quake and must be structurally unstable. Looking at piles of rubble it really hits home when a local tells you what you are looking at used to be a 3 story building! Seeing the destruction along the KKH was one thing, but seeing such concentrated annihilation of an entire city is simply too much to comprehend. We were told that bodies are still being found as they slowly progress with the pain staking task of clearing up the debris. Very emotional.

When we started talking about how soon the aid was able to reach them, we were told that it was 2 weeks before anything could get through to Balakot. Driving along the now cleared roads you can see why, they are treacherous with the work still underway to repair them after the numerous land slides which either covered the road or removed it all together.

Having driven through Bam in Iran on our way to Pakistan, we were surprised that over two years on after they too suffered a devastating earthquake, how many ruined buildings and gradual rebuilding was still on going. Bam is in the middle of a flat desert with good access all year round. The enormity of the task faced in Northern Pakistan and the Kashmir region is hard to get your head around, least to say it will be many many years before normality returns.

We are really glad that we made the effort to head into the mountains, even though everyone told us it was the wrong time of year, to be able to see and photograph for ourselves the scenes has made a lasting impression. Obviously the relief to the region is a truly international effort and amongst the Pakistani Army and Red Crescent are many NGO�s such as CARE International. We saw countries represented as far ranging as Malaysia, Italy, Dubai, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iceland and Turkmenistan to name but a few.

We understand that CARE International has donated some 11 million US dollars to assist the relief effort. We are proud to be supporting them in the work that they do and in some little way we and all those reading our website who have generously donated, already are helping make a difference to the lives of people that need a helping hand in their hour of need. Thank you for helping us help them and please don�t be shy to keep the donations coming� anything and everything helps.

For a write up of how CARE International responded to the earthquake, please click here.