KKH ? latest update/trip

[BILAL3538]

Very Interesting & informative Thread,

[Wanderlust]

Another make shift bridge<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

Very Interesting & informative Thread,

Thanks Bilal

[Wanderlust]

As I was getting closer to Besham, I saw a bus......there must be a number of vans and buses following this bus. Yes it was a caravan that had left Besham in the morning for their ultimate destination Gilgit. My car was a dwarf in front of those beasts yelling "faasla rukkho wurna payar ho jae gaa". <o:p></o:p>
Now I understand the meaning of "daakoo time" that was written on the back of a local van in Lahore.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

I sensed that Besham is very close now, there was little traffic and "poon poon". This town has now grown from 20 or 30 shops at the most to a city now. Nothing attractive to stop for a "botal" please don't take me wrong, I am referring to soft drink.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

After aabadi ended, there was a check post and traffic was waiting in line for clearance. A suntri badshah sliced me out of the line and asked me to go forward to meet his boss:

He - akaylay ho?

Me - jee (muskeeniat on my face)

He - kahan say aa ruhay ho?

Me - hunza say

He - karobar kay leyay gaya thay hunza?<o:p></o:p>

Me - nuhee ghoomnay phernay aaya tha

He - haen? itni door say akaylay he aa ruhay ho. Tumhara koe guraaeen (friend) nuhee?<o:p></o:p>

Me - haen to suhee pur wo upnay upnay kaam maen musroof thay. jub mujhay chutti meley tub he aa suka. (He should know there is no "nukhra" in "nokri" and with "chokrey")

He - kahan ub jaa ruhay ho, uchha upna shunahti card dikhao<o:p></o:p>

Me - upnay ghar Lahore jaa ruhha hoon or yay mayra card hae.<o:p></o:p>

He looked at the card and at the same time he was peeping inside the car<o:p></o:p>

He - Lahore to bohat door hae or tum akaylay he jaogay? Kya kurtay ho Lahore maen?

Me - nokri<o:p></o:p>

He - deekhao upnay duftar ka card.<o:p></o:p>

I had my visiting card with me and he let me go. This was the only thorough investigation on KKH.

<o:p></o:p>
I still have to cover about 650km or so!<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

Kohistan is behind and KKH has snaked into Shangla region....greener and greener.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

At last I was approaching Thakot.

"Ta Ta" without stopping on an army checkpost and crossed Indus river passing famous suspension bridge.

Indus river proved "baywufa" after sticking with me for over 500km (one way) and after spending a night next to me at Dassu.

Huda hafiz bhee nuhee kaha or upna moonn mor leya.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

Curious about river's path, I looked at the GPS. May be it is heading towards the lake of Turbayla dam.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

KKH after Thakot is newly paved winding and climbing between lush green Shangla region. Public transport has appeared from nowhere.

After about an hour, and after only three hours of driving that day, I started feeling fed up of something....but I continued driving.....engine started knocking as I was not very much interested in changing gear.....and then I noticed "basanti aawara ho ruhey hae....idhar udhhar dorrnay key koshish kur ruhee hae".

I don't know what had happened to me at that time, I was not tired, but something was not right....
<o:p></o:p>
Anyway, it was time to stop somewhere. I kept on driving half heartedly in search of a dhabba where there will be trees and mungee.....close to nature!

[Wanderlust]

Search ended at 11 am in the outskirts of Battal.<o:p></o:p>

[aakbar]

@wanderlust...really this is one helluva enjoyable travelogue.....but sadly its quickly coming to end.

[Wanderlust]

@wanderlust...really this is one helluva enjoyable travelogue.....but sadly its quickly coming to end.

Akbar, I am glad you have liked my travelogue!

[Shahzad727]

great trip with great pics and with great courage ! tusi cha gaye ho 1 el aur SHABASH !

[Wanderlust]

Or maen munjee pur dhaer ho gaya<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

Under the cool shade of trees

kitni porsukoon jugga hae yay; maen pata nuhee kahan say kahan pohanch gaya <o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

I kept on looking at the trees for loooong until chotta said "khana kha lo"

It was freshly cooked murgh shorba with taza tundoor ki roti.. cooked in desi style, might be in mitti ki handi and was delicious.

Jao botal bhee lao; after sometime, phir aek or botal lao and when I asked him for the third botal, chotta looked at me with suspicion in his mind. <o:p></o:p>

Jayo na yaar botal lao..maen iss wuqt ayyashi kay mood maen hoon.

When I was back from the fairyland, I recalled that home is still far away. Offered zuhr prayer and then enjoyed kurak pathani chai.

That dhabba charged very reasonable, just Rs. 140....thumbs up.

I handed over tip of Rs. 100 chottay ko.......jao yaar tum bhee botal pe layna J

I relaxed there for more than two hour and then resumed my journey to Lahore.

[Wanderlust]

In thirty minutes I reached starting point of Mansehra bypass.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

After terrible bumper to bumper driving experience I finally reached Abbottabad city for final refueling. At that pump maen nay aek or botal churhai.<o:p></o:p>

[Wanderlust]

I left Abbottabad at 2 in the afternoon for a final "maro mari" session that will end at GT road exit....end of KKH.

This section is single road with two way traffic leading to Hattar, Haripur, Wah Cantt, Taxla, Rawalpindi and why not for Lahore. Huge traffic of all sort that accumulates behind slow moving trucks and trailers. This increases the frustration of cars, buses and local vans that play dirty fouls to overtake in a situation where the same amount of traffic is also flowing from the front.

After sustaining this frustration for an hour. I joined the dog race.......Basanti started screaming "honey you are killing me........ plzzz!. I continued killing until 5pm when I finally reached GT road exit.<o:p></o:p>