North Asia

Pakistan (1999)

I love the north area of Pakistan (Hunza). I spent two weeks in the north with a quick trip into Islamabad on the overnight bus to apply for an Iranian Visa. The wait time for a visa for Iran can be more than two weeks. The Himalayan Mountains are all around.

Here is the itinerary for the Pakistan part of the trip. I spent on time in the north and in Islamabad waiting for the Iranian visa and then I took the train to Quetta which is the last major centre before the Iran border.

North Pakistan (Hunza)
Sost to Borit Lake
Borit Lake to Gulmit
Gulmit to Karimibad
Karimibad to Gilgit
Gilgit to Minipin
Minipin to Karimibad
Karimibad to Gilgit
Gilgit to Madyen
Madyen to Peshawar
Peshawar to Islamabad
As you can see the distance from Sost to Islamabad is very short. Most of the distances between towns where I stayed were less than 50 kilometers. Transportation was unpredictable so hitchhiking was a common way to get to the next village. After getting the Iran visa the next step was to get a train ticket for the thirty hour train trip from Islamabad to Quetta. I understand that due to the terror concerns and the proximitety of the train to the Afghanistan border that this direct route is no longer possible.
Islamabad to Quetta	This is a long overnight bus ride to the border. When crossing the border everone gets off the bus and goes through Passport Control. On the other side of the border is transport.
Quetta to Bam (Iran)
Iran
Bam to Yazd
Yazd to Esphahan
Esphahan to Shiraz
Shiraz to Esphahan
Esphahan to Tabriz
Tabriz to Istanbul
I had been to Turkey before so the trip from Iran to Istanbul was so I could reach a major European city in order to book a flight back home after my thirteen month journey which started in Australia and ended in Istanbul.