Gasherbrum 1 expedition

Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 21:00

Askole, 3105m, Baltistan

Today we arrived in the remote village of Askole by jeep from Skardu, during a 6 hours, 150 km, wild ride. We are at about 950 km distance from Islamabad and this is the point where tomorrow at 6,30 in the morning we will start our 7 days trek to the Base Camp. The porters are ready, some of them being hired along the way, some being local villagers. Askole lies in one of the most fairy tale destinations I have ever seen. Few houses side by side on a grassy terrace. Mountains everywhere. And the poorness. Of course, we cannot speak about electricity here. The people and their cattle live almost side by side. No glass windows, no floors. The local teacher told me they think they ancestors came from Tibet long time ago. Couldn’t say more. A time suspended village to remind me of the basic things that we in Romania are taking for granted but almost never notice or appreciate it for what it worth’s. The video images speak for themselves.

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