Adventures with Julia

September 8, 2019

With help from Mark, Shifa and the hotel IT guy, I managed to get the 9-3-19 post published around 11am.  Much frustration settles into unwilling patience before images make it into the post in places where the internet is very slow.  

A street in Karimabad

The bazaar area of Karimabad.

This sign outside the coffee shop drew Mark in.

The coffee house we stopped at.

Guys hanging out at the coffee house.

The Anatolian designed rug we bought from the rug salesman in Karimabad.

It felt good to take a break.  The three of us walked up the street into the bazaar and stopped at a Coffee House.  The boys had cappuccinos and I had a chai.  The drinks were ok, if not what any of us was hoping for.  We stopped at a hat shop and Mark found his second hat of the trip.  This one was brown wool and had a detail on the rim that the Chipursan Valley hat does not have. 

After walking up and down the whole bazaar, we stopped in at the best looking carpet shop to see what was available.  We thought it would be fun to have a Pakistani rug from the Hunza Valley and we found one we both liked hanging on the wall.   It was 7.6 ft by 5.6 ft wool on cotton and very colorful.  The shopkeeper told us the pattern was one of the best Anatolian kilim designs, whatever that means, the dyes were all original, the wool was hand spun from local sheep and the price seemed reasonable.   After some fun negotiations with the shopkeeper, we settled on a price and he promised to ship it to us in early October.  Shifa vouched for him and the carpet.  We all shook hands, took a few photos and left with everyone smiling.

A very dressed up girl we met in the Serena Hotel lobby

Then we returned to the hotel for the rest of what was supposed to be our free day and relaxed.  So we did.

September 9, 2019

This was our day to see the 2 forts in Karimabad–Baltit and Altit.  When I asked what the names meant, I was told they meant Here and There.  They were a bit like ancient museums in fort shapes, similar to castles on hills in Europe only more rustic. We had to walk up a steep hill to get to the first fort, Baltit.  Along the way were several vendors and friendly people wanting to chat with the foreigners.  We bought 2 hats–one for me and a third one for Mark.  Finally he has one that fits his head.

At one place along the path, the owner of an ancient building is trying to make a cafe out of it and invited us in to see a 1911 photo of his ancestor, the advisor to one of the Mirs of Hunza, who used this building and the fort until 1945, when it was abandoned. 

Heading up the path to Baltit Fort

As we were walking up to the fort, this cafe owner invited us inside to see the architecture of the building, which was nearly as old as the fort

Inside the cafe was a room with ancient carving on the timbers.

Met the men in front of a hat shop and they asked for a photo

This handsome Pakistani adjusting a grey hat for Mark so it fits.

My new chapeau from the handsome hat vendor.

We stop to chat with this elderly lady sitting in her shop as we walk up the hill.

Close up of the old woman. I couldn’t resist buying a small purse from her to match my new hat.

 Finally we reach the landing in front of the fort.  Once inside, we enjoyed the architecture and room designs, which were unique and interesting. 

Baltit Fort from the landing below

Mountain scene from the fort landing

Cannon made from metal collected by Pakistani families to fight the British

Playing with the cannon

An odd stairwell getting inside the fort

A room in the fort. The walls are made with wood and masonry to provide earthquake support.

Detail of wood carving inside the fort.

Inside stairwells provide safety and protection from weather.

An ancient mousetrap.

Kitchen supplies

View from the top of the fort.

The Mir’s balcony view.

Another view of Baltit Fort from the outside.

Before going, I thought we would be bored early, but both forts proved to be quite interesting.  Baltit was the larger of the two with 64 rooms.  The lower fort, Altit, had 22 rooms.  As there is no written history about either fort, the only way to learn their age was from carbon dating. 

The older one, Altit, dated from the 12th century and the younger one dated from the 14th century.  They were both located along the Silk Route, situated on the west side of the Hunza River and about a 10 minute drive apart.  We visited the Baltit Fort first and learned that the British invaded in 1883 and inhabited the fort until 1886 when they installed a Mir on the throne as their puppet.  From then on the Mirs had very little power.   After climbing up many steps to the entrance, we are rewarded with  clear, commanding views of Rakhaposhi Mountain (7,788 meters) and Diran Mountain (7,300 meters). Along the way we encounter smiling locals who wanted to chat.

The steps up to Altit

The watch tower at the top of Altit, plus ar small mosque on the right and a store room left and a storage room on the right.

The Altit guide tells us about the cooking process.

The village below Altit still exists. It was for mutual safety for the residents and the Mir.

We hang over the Hunza River below Altit.

A carved Ibex protrudes out from the roof of Altit.

 Between 1990 and 1996, the Baltit Fort was restored and reopened by the President in 1996 as a museum.  The Altit Fort was restored between 2000 and 2006 and was opened to the public in 2007.

The lay out and architecture are most interesting.  Most rooms have fire pits with ceilings that open to let out the smoke and provide space for people to eat and sleep while staying warm.  Other rooms are storerooms for a variety of products, hallways to get from one place to another without going outside, even dungeons for prisoners. There are large public rooms for parties and dancing as well as meetings and private rooms for the royal family.  The walls are made of stone and wood.  Our local guide told us they can resist earthquakes up to 8.2 on the Richter scale.  Detailed woodwork is hand carved and visible in many rooms.  

THe Altit terrace where we had lunch surrounded by beautiful peaks.

A peak on one side

A different peak on another

A third peak stands out

Karimabad, a popular Pakistani tourist destination, lies at the floor and hillsides of the peaks.

We finished the tour at the Altit Fort and had lunch on the terrace.  Hard to get interested in food with such  scenery.  However, we are learning to order less and be more discriminating.  I had fried chicken with vegetables.  Mark had a pitta stuffed with spicy ground chicken.  We were both content and not overstuffed.

Back at the hotel a bit after 2pm, we had the rest of the day at leisure.