(Part 11) Goodbye Neelum Valley: Kutton to Karachi Nonstop

Neelum Valley Farewell Shot: Kutton - Kundal Shahi Road

This is Neelum Valley Travelogue Part 11 (Last Part)
Click here for Part 10 Part 9 Part 8 Part 7 Part 6 Part 5 Part 4 Part 3 Part 2  Part 1

Day 21: Sunday, September 7, 2014

Finally we could see the sun in the morning after four days of complete cloud cover. With that, the merciless rain spell came to an end, but there was no guarantee that it would not resume. Homesick and desperate to get back home, we took that as a window of opportunity to get down from the Kutton hill station to the Neelum Valley road. It would have been only the first out of many steps towards the long backward journey.  

At the resort, most of the remaining staff also left as there were no guests accept for us. Even the cook was not there so we helped ourselves for the breakfast using the resort’s big and well equipped kitchen. Interestingly, I bought a whole dozen of free range (desi) eggs from the market last evening and we had no option but to finish them all before leaving the place!

Our return journey consisted of many stretches. The first was getting down from Kutton to the main Neelum Valley Road at Kundal Shahi town. From Kundal Shahi, the second step was to make it to Muzaffarabad – the capital of Azad Kashmir. Part of the hilly road from Kutton to Kundal Shahi was already wiped out in the floods. From Kundal Shahi to Muzaffarabad also, landslides were expected. With minimum telecommunication facilities, there was no reliable information available and we were at the mercy of our luck. It had already been three weeks out of home with two kids in the tow. So despite all the uncertainties we decided to take the risk and embarked on the journey back home.

Crossing the Daunting Land Sliding by Foot: Kutton Resort to Neelum Valley Road

The hotel manager sent someone out of the resort for brining the taxi for the first stretch of our journey. In the meanwhile, I cleared resort dues and had a goodbye session with the staff who took good care of us.

Kutton – Kundal Shahi Road was an otherwise 7km scenic motorable path running along the Jagran Stream but due to the floods it got damaged from various points. At one point, almost halfway, a part of the road was totally wiped off due to the heavy landslide. At that juncture, it was a complete rout; a mixture of mud, stones, and water was spread all over engulfing a furlong of the metalled road. The slide was not active but small stones were still making their way down to the furious water stream. That patch was barely walk-able so the taxi driver dropped us there instructing to cross that mushy slope by foot.

Even though the taxi driver was helpful and walked to and fro to move our luggage and kids, it was still challenging for us to crossover the narrow ridge. Fumbling and tumbling, we managed to pass the last test, and reached the safe zone without any serious damage. I was feeling lucky that we did not bring our car as the road did not look getting restored in the near future! From the other side of the mudslide, we grabbed another taxi to reach to Kundal Shahi. Afterwards, it was the eventless journey to the main Neelum Road except for a couple of photography stops. At the last waterfall, we stopped to say the formal goodbye to the Neelum Valley with mixed feelings. On one hand, we were relieved to escape from the flood hit stranded region but on the other hand all of us were heavyhearted on leaving that piece of heaven.

Finding Internet and Connecting Back to the Civilization

At Kundal Shahi, I found an internet café and got connected to the cyber world after a fortnight. I needed the connectivity only to see if there were any flights available from Islamabad to Karachi as we wanted to get back home asap. Unfortunately, all flights were booked, adding more uncertainty to the already uncertain plan.

Kundal Shahi to Muzaffarabad; Landslide Again!

From Kundal Shahi, we had to make it to Muzaffarabad. It was not very difficult to get a transport from there and around noon we were squeezed in a hi-ace going to the state’s capital. Kundal Shahi – Muzaffarabad road is part of Neelum Valley road, which runs along the pristine river. That was the most developed part of the logistic backbone connecting outside world to heavenly valleys. However, it was still prone to natural calamities. After an hour of smooth drive, we were stopped at another landslide. Luckily, the heavy machinery was already there. Even then it took a couple of hours to clear the road. I took that an opportunity to introduce kids from Caterpillar and its associates. For both the children it was an interesting sight, especially for Mikael who would relate that to his tractor book back home!

Back to the Plains

It was 5 pm, when the hi-ace dropped us at the chaotic bus terminal of Muzaffarabad where I checked for Islamabad options. We were particularly interested in hiring a Corolla but could not find one and then Qadri Coach, the best public transport between the two capitals, was ready for the departure. So we quickly jumped into the bandwagon and resumed our journey with a short break only enough for the children to get a nappy change. It was around sunset when the coach was climbing the Murree hills. The horizon was all filled with fascinating colors with cascading mountains – as if giving as a farewell and invitation to revisit at the same time.

The coach took a brief stop for meals downhill before making its way to the Skyways bus terminal located at the junction between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Three weeks back, it was all silent due to Imran Khan’s dharna but when we reached back life seemed comparatively normal.

Airplane, Train, or Bus?

We reached the Islamabad terminal at around 9 pm and had to decide whether to stay in the Capital or resume the journey nonstop. We did not have many options. Flights were all full, even for the next morning. Bus all the way to Karachi, even if it were Daewoo, could have been too exhausting and was out of question. Taking train from Rawalpindi was not also reassuring especially when the TV channels were flashing big time floods in that region. Finally, rather than staying in Islamabad, we decided taking an overnight bus to Lahore.

Day 22: Monday, September 8, 2014

A Night on the Islamabad – Lahore Motorway

After a couple of hours, we were in the Skybus going to Lahore, through motorway. It was an eventless and smooth journey comfortable enough for the kids to have some sleep. We reached Lahore in the wee hours, found a rickshaw big enough to accommodate us and our luggage, and made it to Lahore Railway Station where Shalimar Express was ready for departure to Karachi. We again contemplated to stay in Lahore, after a nonstop journey of 18 hours but then we wanted to get back home as a first priority. So I bought a couple of berths in the AC compartment before nodding to a persistent coolie who guided us to our bogie.           

The Train Departed on Time!

The train did not look bad. Engine looked new while the compartments in our bogie were properly segregated and to our good luck we were the only passengers in our box. To our further good luck, the train departed on time, i.e. 6am!

Where Had All the Floodwater Gone?

I was particularly interested, or worried, about the floods that reportedly engulfed the Central Pakistan, which the train was about to enter. Television channels had also been reporting huge losses and submerging of transportation routes. For some part of our initial journey, especially between Lahore and Faisalabad, there was water on both sides of the rail track, however, not enough to disturb train operations. After Faisalabad, it looked pretty ok and unaffected, as if nothing happened, or we might be away from the flood path.

The Train Experience

Service in the train was also up to the mark. Ticket checker was a young boy and was accompanied by the other supporting staff of his age. All of them were busy in discharging their duties diligently and none of them look interested in taking bribes from free riders. It was contrary to what I had always experienced in Pakistani trains. One of them revealed that the new system is not liked so much among traditional cadre, for obvious reasons, who do not let go any opportunity to let it down. He further told me that along with the new engines Shalimar Express was allotted with new bogies, however, the same mafia managed to divert that to somewhere else; otherwise the quality of the service would have been even better.  We also ordered meal and tea from the dining car, and at one time visited the restaurant on wheels, and found that quite edible.

Murphy’s Law is All Too Predictable with Pakistan Railways

It was smooth sailing until we crossed Multan and reached further down to Samasatta Train Station at around 2pm. It was only then the inevitable happened. Electricity system of the train broke down. Since it was a private train, the resident staff at the station did not look very interested in fixing that up. They did give a try, with their 19^th century equipment but failed and perhaps caused more damage. Sensing the situation, and non availability of a backup, the experienced train driver decided to change the sequence of the bogies, an exercise which took around two to three hours to complete.

Last of the event had yet to come. I was out at the platform, when the train driver disconnected half the train and took that to a nearby track. That included our boggy also! When I got back to the compartment, it was unbearably hot as the AC was turned off and fearing for her father Misha was crying with the loudest screams ever! More due to the heat and suffocation, that episode was the toughest of our whole trip.

Back Home, Finally

Thankfully it was the last happening and the train kept running and entered Karachi’s precinct past well past midnight. We reached Karachi Cantt Station at around 4 am, and instantly spotted a taxi driver right at the platform who took us straight to our home.

The journey ended, so did the memorable trip and its travelogue!  

Kutton's Jagran Resort; Cloud Cover Finally Opening Up

Part of Kutton - Kundal Shahi Road after the Floods

A Closer Look of the Land Sliding on Kutton - Kundal Shahi Road

We Crossed this Landslide by Foot

Jagran Nala; Still Furious Although Floods Had Been Over

We Took Sojourn Here at Kundal Shahi Before Resuming Our Journey to Muzaffarabad

Landslide on Neelum Valley Road

Caterpillar Removing Landslide from the Neelum Valley Road

Landslides and Road Disruptions are Part of Life Around Neelum Valley

The Chaotic Bus Adda of Muzaffarabad

Engine of Shalimar Express

Pakistan Railway is now Dependent on China for the Engines

Multan Railway Station

Traditional Blue Tiles at Multan Railway Station

Food of Train's Dining Car was Good

The Unending Greenery of the Central Pakistan

Green and Greener

Taobat Jeep Ticket

Sharda Rocket Bus Ticket

Sharda Hiace Contact

Muzaffarabad - Islamabad Skyways Ticket

Islamabad - Lahore Skyways Ticket

Shalimar Express Ticket

Karachi to Kalash Nonstop - a 50 Hours Marathon

This is Part 1of 5 of Kalash and Fairy Meadows 2012 Travelogue


To see Part 2 please click here
To see Part 3 please click here
To see Part 4 please click here
To see Part 5 please click here
To see Trip's itinerary and logistic cost please click here

Rakaposhi, 7788m - A Glimpse of my Past Northern Areas Trip

In the past, I have got the opportunity to visit the majestic Northern Areas of Pakistan – which have been recently renamed as Gilgit-Baltistan – a couple of times; once all the way to Hunza valley and Khunjerab Pass and later a little eastward to Skardu, Shangrila (Kachura Lakes), and Deosai.

The only bad thing is that these lush mountain valleys are too far from the coastal Karachi but this was not the enough excuse for me to not explore the beautiful valleys once again.

This time the plan was to kill two birds with one stone; first was the Kalash valley via the masterpiece Lowari Tunnel to attend the Kalasha Spring Festival – Joshi and the second was to then cross through the high Shandur Pass all the way to the lovely Fairy Meadows – the footstep of killer Nanga Parbat, the world’s 9^th highest mountain. This was my first time to both of these places so obviously I was very excited about that!

It had to be a strenuous trip as we wanted to squeeze all that in two weeks. The idea was to use public transport (road + train) all the way from and back to Karachi. We planned the trip ourselves, i.e. without joining a package, mostly through traveler friends and internet forums.

The Troupe

This time, the group was rather small and consisted of 3 people; Zeeshan, Nadeem, and myself. Zeeshan had already reached Chitral a couple of days beforehand to pay a long due visit to a remote pharmacy funded by the NGO he volunteers for. Nadeem and I continued to Shandur to go all the way to Fairy Meadows while Zeeshan returned back Karachi after accompanying us in Kalash.  

So this post is about the first part of the trip which consisted of nonstop traveling from Karachi to Kalash: Karachi – Faisalabad – Rawalpindi – Chitral – Kalash

May 12, 2012

Karakoram Express: Karachi to Faisalabad

Yes, Trains are still running in Pakistan!

Although friends thought that it would be too crazy, owing to the bad perception of Pakistani trains, we opted for the Karakoram Express, which is considered the best of the league, for the first leg of our marathon. Just to make sure that it will be a low budget start we bought the Economy Class (i.e.  without AC) ticket with the sleeping berth.

Gone are the days when the premium trains used to get fully booked a couple of weeks ahead as soon as their reservation window would open. This actually made it convenient for us to get the booking done only a few days in advance. Nadeem made the arrangement swiftly through one of his frequently traveled friends so that we could even avoid the hassle to go to the train station for shopping. Although Pakistan Railways (http://pakrail.com/) has a website, which is handy for routing, ticket prices, and to find out remaining seats in a given train, however, online booking still seems a dream despite the impression that it can do that.

Good Luck

It was basically our lucky day as there were many pleasant surprises: 1) that was not the hottest of the days saving us from regretting the Economy Class decision, 2) the train departed on time, i.e. at 4 pm sharp, and kept running uninterrupted the whole night, 3) atmosphere of the train was contrary to the popular perception; comfortable berths, neat bogies, appropriate lighting and fans, electric outlets for charging gadgets, and clean washrooms and then 4) there was even a nice dining car attached with the train, food of which was quite reasonable both in quality and price! (Tea: PKR 20, Meal” ~100-150)

The Clean Alleyway of Karakoram Express

And the Dining Car was Neat!

A Cup of Tea from Train's Dining Car

These New Bogies are Made in China

A View from the Train Window: Kotri Barrage

Why Faisalabad and not Lahore

Usually if one is going to Rawalpindi from Karachi through a combination of train and bus, Lahore seems to be the obvious choice for changeover. On the other hand, going via Faisalabad cuts at-least 3-4 hours from this long journey, therefore we opted to route it through Pakistan’s Manchester.

View Larger Map

May 13, 2012

Marathon Continues: Faisalabad to Rawalpindi and beyond

The train kept running all the night and reached Khanewal – a major train junction in the heart of the country – in the morning, only about an hour late of the schedule. (Yes a couple of hours are not even considered late for Pakistani trains!).

The Inevitable

It was past Khanewal when we are only 2 hours from our interim destination – Faisalabad – the inevitable happened; lube seals of the train engine developed leakage and the train was stopped at a remote station, right in the middle of the ready wheat crops – to avoid a bigger loss. While the contingency arrived, which took around 4 hours, I passed my time while observing the crop picking and talking to the train guard. According to one of the staff, the engine had to be changed at Rohri – a major junction in the southern part of the country – which could not be done because of the paucity of the locomotives and instead a chance was taken which eventually backfired.

Our major worry was to make it to Rawalpindi before 8 pm to catch the Chitral bound coaster alternate of which was a bit scary; i.e. changing over local and extremely uncomfortable buses from one town to another.

160km! Really!!

Finally the Engine Failed Here. Surprised!?

Having a Gupshup Session with the Guard

Ready Wheat Crops in the Fertile Punjab

خوشہ گندم

All Is Well That Ends Well

Finally we made it to Faisalabad just in time to hastily aboard the Rawalpindi bus which was ready to depart from outside the train station. Originally we had the plan to go with Sammi Daewoo which runs the best intercity bus service in Pakistan had the train arrived on time. But nothing lost as we made it to the Pir Widhai bus station of Rawalpindi once again just in time and managed to grab two less uncomfortable seats in the Chitral coaster. There was more than one coater services running for Chitral from Pir Widhai but we headed straight to the one operated by Haji Beg, which was located right beside the Caltex fuel pump besides Darbar Adda, because of its fame on internet travel forums.

The characteristic journey had to start beyond Rawalpindi when the smooth motorway had  blended into a narrower hilly road. Late in the evening, when we did not even reach Malakand, the coaster had stopped at a heavily armed check post near the enroute town of Dargai guarded by the regular Pakistan Army.

The apparently harmless looking security check turned into a midnight saga as a device held by one of the personnel kept beeping especially around the center of the vehicle. Passengers of the corresponding seats were ordered to come down for body search but to no avail. In the meantime, crew of the bus had been pushing commuters to temporarily handover things in the hand held bags – as the main luggage was sitting on the rooftop – which can annoy security gadgets. That included cigarette lighters, fragrances of all types, nail cutters, and even medicines!

Gradually the tone of the guards became harsher as they were quite unsatisfied either from something in the bus or from their own gadget. Eventually they instructed the driver to take the bus a bit off road in the dark to their facility where they ordered us to come out of the car and line up for a detailed body check. A moment came when I got really afraid thinking that there might be something, maybe an explosive, in the vehicles and I started recited kalima and other prayers. At the climax of all this I heard a mumble which was followed by everyone getting back to their seats and the bus moving back to its route as that nothing had happened. That was a complete drop scene to me as they did not find anything, atleast to my knowledge, and just let the bus go as that nothing had happened. Obviously everyone else in the bus was happy without any apparent second thoughts!

Rest of the journey was smooth while I was trying to manage between my own naps and Nadeem’s overburden whenever the coaster takes a turn on the hilly road.

Faisalabad's Train Station

Going from Faisalabad to Rawalpindi

Chitral Booking Office at Pir Widhai

Announcing the Chitral Service Loudly and Proudly

Inside of the Grave!

Near Dargai: Where We were Stopped for an Extended Security Check

May 14, 2012

Lowari Tunnel; a Ride in the Real Life Amusement Park!

Chitral is a bit disconnected from the rest of the country and can traditionally be reached overland, weather permitting, from either of the two harsh mountain passes: Lowari Top in the south or Shandur Top in the northwest. During winters when these passes had been filled with snow, people used to take the unconventional route via Afghanistan but gone are those days too.

In order to make it more reliable, a 9 km gigantic burrow called Lowari Tunnel is under construction which connects Dir to Chitral and cuts the travel time by around 3-4 hours. Although the tunnel is yet to be finished yet but it is partially opened especially during days when the pass is inaccessible. The tunnel is open or not, was the most favorite discussion among our fellow travelers who were scared if the answer would be a negative.

Just after the sunrise, when I woke up fully and could see outside, I was astonished to see the scenery which transformed overnight from rather plain landscape since we left home to a heavenly setting with lush green valleys and snow clad peaks. This was the rather ignored – from the perspective of tourism – district Dir which neighbors Swat and Chitral valleys. No surprise why it is so stunning!

In Dir, the bus took a sojourn for the early morning breakfast and then continued a couple of hours more defying the twists and turns of the uphill trek until it reached near a big big hole in the mountain. That was Lowari Tunnel; a 9 km throughway located at an elevation of 10,500 ft, a masterpiece piercing through one of the most rugged and highest terrains of the world.

The tunnel was complete to the extent that one can make it to the other end if they can drive in ‘pin drop’ darkness and asphalt-less trek. That half an hour was a chilling experience! Imagine crawling in a dark cave underneath billions of tons of rocks without any sort of rescue! The difference was that we were on the wheels and those wheels were actually crawling on a bumpy surface with Stone Age walls and an intimidating roof! That was too scary but an experience necessary for a traveler’s portfolio!

Unfortunately, we could not capture both the exterior and the interior of this masterwork as it was strictly and loudly prohibited. At one time I dared to take a couple of snaps with my mobile camera but our travel companions – some of whom were themselves serving in the forces and going back home for vacations – advised against that suggesting that if caught all our cameras will be confiscated! So if you want to experience that, do something more than reading this dumb blog and go see yourself!!

We finally reached Chitral town at around 11 am where Dr. Zeeshan was already waiting us at the bus station after which we had a wholesome brunch of rich Kabuli Pulao before heading to our final destination, i.e. Kalash valley.

For that we should have once again taken the public transport but Zeeshan had already arranged for a hired station wagon type car which actually proved sensible keeping in view the umpteen security checks ahead and our deteriorated conditions. It was around 3 pm when we finally made it to the Balanguru village of Rumbur – one of the 3 major valleys in Kalash and then had a brief and successful negotiation session with Yasir, son of Saifullah, a local Kalash who also runs a cozy guesthouse in the village. (PKR 1,000 for the room, 80 for breakfast, 150 for regular meal, 20 for tea)

We were more excited than we were tired and the sound of festive drum beats coming from far made us taking the due bath in a hurry before heading to the uphill arena where Kalasha people were busy dancing in celebrating their Spring Festival – Joshi, details of which will be posted in the coming blog entry Inshallah, so please stay tuned!

Take care by then!

Reached Dir in the Morning

And Then to Chitral After Pasing the Lowari Tunne

This is How We Made it Possible

Entering Rumbur the Valley of Kalash

The Private Taxi Which We Hired for Chitral to Kalash

Saifullah's Guesthouse in Rumbur - Kalash

The Cozy Twin Bed Room

A View of the Village from Room's Window

Part 2 of 5 of Kalash and Fairy Meadows 2012 Travelogue: 3 Colorful Days in Kalash

Part 3 of 5 of Kalash and Fairy Meadows 2012 Travelogue: Kalash to Fairy Meadows via Shandur Pass

Part 4 of 5 of Kalash and Fairy Meadows 2012 Travelogue: Heaven on Earth - 3 Days at Fairy Meadows

Part 5 of 5 of Kalash and Fairy Meadows 2012 Travelogue: Fairy Meadows to Karachi in 50 Hours

Tip of the Day: Do take your National Identity Card (CNIC) as you will not be allowed without one beyond Dargai. It would also be prudent to include a few copies of the CNIC in the packing list.