Wed 21 May
Today was supposed to be a gentle rest day, so no-one, except me, got out of bed early. In spite of the good intentions, Jack had found two places nearby to visit, so around midday we set off to find the first, Chundu Valley.
This proved difficult, but eventually we were on the right road. It quickly became a rocky, steep single-track. It continued upwards for 4,5 kms, before ending, at 2.800 metres, by a small café. We had some tea and then took a stroll up one of the surrounding hillocks to get a view of our surrounds from almost 3.000 metres. It was a stunning view, as the photos attempt to show, and well worth the breath robbing short walk.
Then it was back down the hill and off to tourist spot number two, Marsur Rock. This was easier to find, but it was reached by an even steeper, rockier single track than before, with 23 hairpins in a 2,5 km stretch, which took us up to 2.900 metres. Sadly, here we discovered that the rock was a three hour trek away 😞. Being late in the afternoon, it was impossible for us to attempt to reach it (thankfully) and there was nothing for it but to retrace our steps through the switchbacks.
On the way, we stopped to see the Hussainbad Waterfall, where the entertainment was watching some resident geese being herded into the river and seeing them navigate the falls. Unfortunately, one got swept down much further than the rest, which caused a degree of consternation. Happily, as we left, we heard that it had been seen and was fine.
Thurs 22 May
The day started badly with a hotel bill somewhat more than we expected. Apparently the “included breakfast” was a fairly basic affair and the extras we had asked for, like tea/coffee, toast and jam were all extra. Then Luka couldn’t find the keys for his bike and finally we noticed that my back tyre was flat!
We resolved the first by shrugging and paying; it wasn’t a huge amount in the grand scheme of things. The second was resolved when he remembered where he’d left them. There was just enough air in the tyre to allow me to ride towards town and we stopped at the first bike workshop, which are numerous, we passed. Here the repair was effected without removing the rear wheel; a novel approach.
Our destination today was Khaplu, 110 kms away. The road was not great, but not bad, except in parts. Leaving the neat little town of Gore, heavily shaded by trees, we noticed a sign for a café, by the river, under some trees. It was too good to pass by, so we had some coffee and water melon.
Next event was the ancient rock inscriptions. Getting to these involved crossing a somewhat rickety bridge. Actually, the bridge itself was OK, it was the two lines of broken, cracked and rotting planks that made it a bit challenging. There followed some patches of deep sand, which we, well I, walked through before we found the inscriptions. They were on a rock, in the middle of nowhere, which prompted the question, “Why here”? No answer was forthcoming on the signboard.
We reached Khaplu shortly afterwards, and eventually, after trying a few other places, found ourselves in the Serena Khaplu Palace, “an elegant hotel in a restored 19th-century palace, surrounded by fruit trees in the Masherbrum Mountains.”
The blurb was not exaggerated, but by local, and our standards, this was expensive; US $150 pn, plus $30 for the extra person! The manageress, then agreed to reduce this and chare us in PKR. The result was that we were offered the two nights for the price of one; we decided to treat ourselves. The hotel was certainly sympathetically and tastefully decorated, and we settled in to enjoy some afternoon tea in the tree sheltered grassy courtyard.
Then Jack discovered that there was a mosque, from which there was a tremendous view! Getting to this required a 15 minute ride up yet another rocky track, followed by a – stated – 15-30 minute walk climbing 250m. Well, after 3-4 minutes, my lungs were burning and my legs screaming; yesterday’s exercise was nothing in comparison.
Once again, the view was worth the pain. Jack, especially, wanted to stay on, but as the sun was already behind the western mountains, I insisted on going down; boring old fart, I know!
Back at the bottom one eagle-eyed local gent pointed out that my back tyre was flat again. As has not infrequently been the case elsewhere, we were rescued by the loan of a track pump, which inflated the tyre sufficiently to get us down the hill.
A little later our extravagant choice of accommodation was rewarded by an excellent dinner taken on a neat little private balcony, with a view of the mountains.
Friday 23 May
We had plans for today. Plans to not do very much, take a short ride and see a couple of local sights. Well, you know what I said about the best laid plans!
Our luxury hotel provided an excellent buffet breakfast, and then a guide to take us to a reliable mechanic, to get the puncture investigated and Jack’s front forks examined. The latter had been worrying him for some time as every time he hit a bump or hole, they bottomed out. We had ruled out leaking fork seals, but they definitely felt soft.
We got the slow leak sorted quickly; a sliver of something was protruding through the tyre. Then, after a 15 minute wait the mechanic arrived and in no time Jack’s bike was half-in, half-out of the shop, balanced on a large rock and the front end was dismantled.
The fork oil looked and smelled, as if it had not been changed since the bike was new. There was nothing else apparently amiss, so they changed the oil and reassembled it; to me the fork springs looked short as they didn’t protrude from the top of the slider, The oil change made no difference to the performance, and when I swapped bikes with him later, I experienced the same thing, so it was not due to his greater weight. I noticed that the springs were of the progressive type, which are not standard, according to my google search, so maybe the replacements are just too soft, or too short.
We took a ride to find a waterfall that was on the map, but, sadly, not on the ground; we had a drink at a fish farm instead. Luka and I then took a little ride into the countryside.
Sat 24 May
Our ride today was short, relatively. We didn’t start too early having tried unsuccessfully to find a brake light switch for Luka’s bike. In order to give each bike at least one working switch, I decided to cannibalise one bike and replace Luka’s rear switch with a working one. However when I removed the “working one, the wires was bare, so I didn’t use it. Luckily our friend had a new switch, so we bought and fitted that.
An uneventful ride, with only a stop or two for water took us back to our riverside café, and shortly afterwards to our destination in Skardu.
Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike 