Day 2
Last day was a tiring one, and being in Chitral City was not one of my virtues. Its noisy, dusty, and full of traffic in the morning, with water flowing over the shattered roads. We woke up early, and our first preference was to get out of this hustle and relax around some water stream for the breakfast which was already with us in form of Muffins, Milk, Biscuits, Juices and Chocolates.
I started off the jeep, which was all dusty and muddy due to last day's expedition. Sun was shining and I tried to give some throttle to the engine to warm it up quickly. Which was heard by Mr. Hotel Manager, and I was asked to keep it low, because guest may complain.. Makes sense..
So we loaded the luggage, and after the payment of bills, we were back on the road toward Darosh, our destination for the breakfast was Ayun Village, which is a gateway to Kalash Valleys.
KALASH VALLEYS
The Kalash, numbering approximately 3,500, are the smallest group among the religious minorities of Pakistan. They live exclusively in a particular geographical areas; the three valleys of Birir, Bumburet and Rumbur in the Hindu Kush between Afghan boarder and Chitral Valley.
Kalash myths tell that the Kalash orignally came from Tsiam, thought to be near Yarkand. the Kalash oral tradition also tells that they are descended from Alexander the Great's brave general Shalak Shah of Tsaim, to whom Alexander gave the Chitral Valley as a reward.
The Muslim label the Kalash 'Kafirs' in misapprehension that they do not believe in God and worship only idols. In fact the Kalash do believe in God, Khudai (the persian word for Allah) or Dezao. In case of natural disaster or serious illness, the Kalash try to reconcile God by prayers and sacrifices.
Ayun Village View
So we come to the road forking to right and one can see the bridge over river kunar toward the deepest of the galleys.
Were were asked to register our vehicle and self as we crossed the bridge and enter into Ayun Village. The road was perfect so far for any car. As we moved forward from the Jeep Stop, things started to get rough. and first fork of road toward right was leading to Brir Valley of Kalash, which is very seldom visited. Our destination as most of the tourists was Bamburet Valley. After couple of km over the rough trek and beautiful waterfalls and flowing streams, we were stopped again by the authorities to register our self at the crossroad Bamburet & Rambur Valley right after crossing the bridge over Bamburet Nala.
Now the water stream came to our left, and we started our journey toward Bamburet Valley. It took us almost one hour to get into the Town. To our amazement it was full of accomodation options of all kinds. And suddenly as we were right in the middle of the town, Jeep hit a big pot hole ans suddenly engine stopped. I tried to make a ingnition but seems like electrical system maulfuntion. The vehicle right behind us really started to make annoying horns in the silent town. I got out, opened the hood, and came to know that Battery Terminal is misplaced. plugged it, started the jeep again, and parked at the side to fix this Mechanic's Blunder to not tighten the terminals.
Soon, the local market people started to wonder and invitied as the known "Complimentry Cup of Tea". We had the tea in one of the shop right infront of PTDC Motel, get some pictures with Kalashi Caps, and moved forward and intercepted by Military checkpost which kept our ID Cards to allow us further into the valley.
We crossed the town and parked the jeep under the shadow of waulnut tree to enjoy the cold water streams and a small fields.
Time for the refeshment...
Soon we were joined by the old women working in the field...
And more arrived and our baby mixing up with locals...
And the view was amazing... A grassy field on one side with flowing clear water streams, and high snow covered mountains on the other side...
Thats was some refreshing time, but we have to move one. so many places to visit, so less time, and stying in Kalash was not in the plans of the North Clockwise trip. It was just a little detour. So we started to look for some snacks, and soon we found a pretty decent Pakora and Sharbat Shop on the main road, back in the town.
My baby who use to run away from me due to my busy duty scheduel and hectic routine, is now my friend. That was one thing that really made these trips an amazing experience. You are joined by the unseen bond.
After yummy pakoras and the coke we chilled in the stream we head back, toward Ayun
Reached Ayun and got some shots of the surrounding areas... Due to Clouds, TirichMir was no where to be seen.
Now this blog stopped accepting my pictures upload.. so we carry on with the next message...