Spiralling into Skardu from 30,000 feet passing 'Nanga Parbat' on our right and 'K2' just visible in the east, a great feeling of accomplishment in having actually got there eased over me. OK, so it was Skardu not Gilgit as planned, but fast changes to the plan come with the territory. When the kind people at PIA told us "Sorry, Gilgit closed, curfew." we made the unanimous decision to start the ride from Skardu down the Indus river and with luck all would be calm in Gilgit by the time we arrived.
  At an altitude of over 8000 feet and a landscape right out of 'Star Trek'[remember'Gorn'?] Skardu presented us with an awesome sight.The next morning, bikes assembled, we headed for Satpara lake for an aclimatisation ride."Only 12km. should be a good intro" says I. 12km up! and our first taste of Northern Areas 'roads'. Boulders, ruts and operation parched throats! On my 21 geared 'GT Karakoram' I managed to ride the whole way while Dan, on the 'Raleigh wheels of steel'[10 gears] was forced to push on some steep sections , big brother Don asking "is it going to be like this all over the north". "Nah" I say with an air of authority, not really knowing for sure at all. A killer of a first ride but beauty to match and the return downhill a real brake tester.
  Drained but in awe, we set our sights on the 280kms ride to Gilgit. No-one was able to give us any accurate distances of possible night stops but with confidence we headed out. A 7.30am departure and 30kms covered by 9am gave us just the start we needed but after a 'green tea' with the guards at the bridge over the Indus we crossed to the northern side of the ever narrowing gorge and into a sun baked oven of barren rocks.
  Starting the days ride with only a litre and a half of water and no breakfast and not finding any water fill stops meant that we were dry by 10am. Figuring we would find a tea stall soon, we pressed on, and after a long climb as I passed the brothers I yelled back "compulsory rest break at the top". As luck would have it, there, as I crested the climb, was a rock building and a kind of outdoor rest place. In my best Urdhu I requested "teen chai" and fell back on a 'Charpoi' to wait for the guys. Minutes later we were all relaxing with our chai,until after my first sip, when within seconds I felt very weak and promptly projectile vomited the entire litre and a half of water and one green tea from the mornings ride, while Don, Dan and the staff of the 'Bargitcha Hotel' looked on with concern.I felt bad. Really bad. Not just sick bad but mentally bad. After all, me the intrepid leader, the guy with the best bike, the guy who put this whole trip together floored be simple dehydration on the first day of real riding, what a tosser I felt.
  After a couple of rehydration drinks I was feeling like I could continue but by then the sun had turned the road into a bar-b-q. So we stayed, thinking a bus or truck might happen by that we could hitch a lift with but as the day wore on and the good men of the 'Hotel' showed us such great hospitality we realised it would be best to stay the night. After a simple but tasty evening meal we realised the men of Bargitcha were trying to figure out something about us which was, did we smoke the local smoke. We felt obliged to our hosts and so we did. In the absence of alcohol this is the social thing to do and most enjoyable it was too!
  Later as we settled into our outdoor Charpois Don quipped " so is this where we wake up with our troats cut and all our stuff gone". But then all the staff placed their Charpois in a semi-circle around us and our bikes thereby protecting us from any possible danger. What a day, and a blissful sleep under the stars. We all felt that there would be no more worries on this trip.

Pakistan is GREAT! Even for the third time on the KKH, this was the best. I did bike down from Ghulmet to Gilgit and thus experienced the difference by having gone the other way first!!!!