Daily Times

Watching the humongous Nanga Parbat is a treat that makes it a much sought after trip. Nanga Parbat, ninth in the world and 2nd in Pakistan, is one most unique eight thousanders that bears some very special characteristics. Nanga Parbat though being a tail piece of Himaliyas is too panoramically towering to be seen as a tail point. Nanga Parbat also culminates at a point that is center point to Himaliyas, Karakaram and HinduKush mountain ranges intersecting in its foothill. Nanga Parbat is not only one gigantically massive mountain but also ascends in sheer distance-to-altitude ratio. All of this makes it truly a killer mountain in any terms be it a spectacular mountain or of scaling thereto.

There are other things too that attracted our attention. Firstly, most of the people who were on the spree were seen impecuniously ill equipped. Weather it was on their own mis-understanding of the terrain or the inability of their tour operator who didn’t inform them well about the pre-requisite gear. Surely one could take up this adventure with normal travelling wear but having an adequate gear would surely make it more fun. Doing it with inapt gear may cause serious problems, ultimately making your trip a nightmare. Otherwise, people who could barely have taken up this challenging adventure were seen exhausted, handicapped to walk and thus cursing without knowing that they should have come better equipped. Taking up this trip without appropriate hiking shoes, rain coat, walking stick, sun protecting hat etc. Most of the people, however, were found well aware of one item that was seen pervasively applied and that was sun block moisturizing applicants.

The service providing community up there is quite different from the ones you would have experienced in parts of Gilgit and Skardu. The ones in Gilgit and Skardu are mostly well educated, hospitable and committed to their occupation of hospitality

Also, it should be kept well in mind that there is absolutely no medical-help supply line all the way up till there in Fairy Meadows for one befalling in need of urgent health cure. If someone does, there would be no other option than to have you given a miserable evacuation. So it is very crucial to carry your group first aid box and a discussion with your tour operator to ensure that some sort of medical back-up arrangements should be in good order.

The service providing community up there is quite different from the ones you would have experienced in parts of Gilgit and Skardu. The service providing in Gilgit and Skardu are mostly well educated, hospitable and committed to their occupation of hospitality. Here, in this part of Gilgit Baltistan however, one should expect that the promised services would not be as good. Your horse ride imagination would most probably end up saddling an indigent donkey let alone a naive mule. Alarmingly, the service providing community seems more inclined in en-cashing a hostage sort of situation that would have been orchestrated for you. Battling with this challenge all the way to Fairy Meadows for anyone taking up the trip remains a hinge side of the entire package.

There are other things too that one observes whilst taking up this spiritually thriving trip. Most of the prevalent phenomena that is observed up there in the mountains is the same that clouds our town centers and that is littering. Rarely it is observed that if some soul gives it a second thought while immodestly disposing of plastic bottles, wrappers, aluminum canes and god knows what not else. We in pursuits of our national character show great commitment to the habit of littering up there on the mountains too. All these places are visibly becoming cesspools sooner than later one could fairly guess. Neither are we, who are visiting these areas, seen considering that we at the first place shouldn’t carry plastic and other hard-to-dispose elements up there. Nor the service providing communities seems believing that a better waste management is always possible.

Tree cutting is not the only much obscene sights that are shameful semblance in horrific magnitudes but some mysterious botanical disease also seem fast killing juniper trees. It is only unacceptable whoever is involved in this massive deforestation drive, be it the local service provider community or the affluent community leaders. We, the tourist, should not only register this concern very assertively to the service providing communities but also make it a qualifying criteria while procuring lodging services. I wish not to procure any lodging services from a place where tree cutting is traced in the nearby premises and request all the tourists to do the same. We should now realise that we wish to visit these areas only for being them naturally, organically and contamination freely inhibited. The way we are contributing in fast degrading these natural beauties, soon we may have to find another planet to travel to.

The writer is a citizen’s voice

Published in Daily Times, May 23^rd 2018.