Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan

My trip to Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan was beautiful, stunning, chaotic and more than a little adventurous. 
Here are 7 things you need to be careful about when planning a trip here.



1. Buy a map – do your research

I know we are used to ‘Googling’ everything but in remote places like these a basic map will be far more handy. Go to the places you want to go not where the driver wants to take you! When planning a major journey, there are always little places (like Manthal Buddha) where you can check out a mosque, a ruin, a tapestry. Your map will tell you so stop and ENJOY!

My trip to Skardu was beautiful, chaotic and more than a little adventurous. Here are 7 things you need to be careful about when planning a trip here.

Stopping the car along the ride just to see these golden marmots.

2. Don’t carry designer anything on the trip!

I know we want to look the best for pictures but when your Coach handbag is drenched in rain you will regret carrying a backpack. Something sturdy that will carry all the essentials you need AND make sure your shoulder isn’t titled towards the right (because that’s where you carry your bag)

3. When eating out, try out the local specialties

Hotel menus do have options for continental food and they do serve a mean mushroom & cheese omelette. BUT why try something that you can get in your own city? Be adventurous, ask them what their local dishes and then give it a shot. Order one safe item like chicken karahi, chicken handi, palak paneer or well biryani but otherwise go for local. We loved the creamy walnut gravies at Khaplu. However, the buckwheat pancake & palpu was literally not our piece of cake.

My trip to Skardu was beautiful, chaotic and more than a little adventurous. Here are 7 things you need to be careful about when planning a trip here.

Enjoying a late lunch on our first day at Khaplu Palace in Gilgit. Chicken in a creamy walnut sauce with mamtu (meat dumplings) and garam naan.

4. Make friends – divide your travel cost

We met this German tourist on our trip – she was staying at Serena Khaplu & joined us in the journey to Serena Shigar. When the driver mentioned the Manthoka waterfall trip detour we decided to split the cost making it cheaper for everyone. Similarly, when we went out at Shigar she decided to join us in our Deosai trip. Not only did it decrease our overall cost but it was also company on the really long road trip. Same with our adventurous trip back from Islamabad. Going as a couple is great but even if we divide the cost per head, the cost center remains the same :p

5. Be prepared – switching from plan A to plan B is inevitable

Our original plan was to go by plane from Skardu to Islamabad and then train from Islamabad to Karachi. We ended up taking a 24 hour road trip followed by a plane ride that got delayed by 6 hours. We wanted to go hiking and it started raining. We saw a guest who tripped over the last step on the stairs and sprained their ankle. So yeah, things happen. Focus on the silver lining and enjoy your time! Just be prepared with travel essentials (next point)


6. Make sure all your bags have hand sanitizers

The thing with beauty in a remote area is that you are literally in the middle of nowhere so modern conveniences like supermarkets & clean washrooms are not so nearby. So make sure your bag has toiletries – I carried hand sanitizer, tissue paper AND toilet paper. Towels & bedsheets in your suitcase – you never know where you might have to stay the night (e.g. our night at Naran)

7. Get a good driver

During our time at Skardu we saw only one traffic jam. But what we did see were a lot of roads going up, down and round & round. So it’s essential that you get a good driver – someone who doesn’t brake or accelerate too much and drives at a smooth pace. Make sure the car is in good condition – the fuel tank is full and there’s a working spare tire. 

Enroute Kashmir

I am Yawer, My home town is Bagh Azad Kashmir, and I live in Islamabad for study, so I frequently to and fro Islamabad and Kashmir. The journey starts from Kashmir Highway to Bahara Kau to Expressway to Jhika Gali to Kashmir.

In winter, this travel becomes especially hard and adventurous, last night I went home and half of the way was snowy, and boy is it hard to drive in snow and the hard part only made it great.

I loved every moment of travel. I left somewhere near 4 PM and reached 9 PM, the time was great. Murree was full of tourists and people enjoying the snowfall but as I left Murree towards Kashmir, snow only grew but the number of people traveling grew thinner. The road grew thinner, the snow wall becomes taller. The drive was only becoming harder but still, it was fun and great. I will attach a video of it down.

Peace of mind

Hello everyone, I am Rameen Kamran and this is my first post.
Here is the most beautiful mosque of Islamabad. The name is Shah Faisal Mosque. It is located on the foothill of Margalla hills in Islamabad. The architect was Vedat Dalokay of Turkey. The mosque's architecture is strikingly modern and unique.

#Prayer #Explore #Memories #Beauty #Peace_of_mind #Architecture #Islam #travel #Art #pics

Bruti, A Hidden Gem

If you live in Rawalpindi/Islamabad and your to-go picnic spot is limited to Murree or Nathiagali at max. Well, no more. Since you are at the "Travel anywhere and Everywhere" blog, we will make unknown places known to you.

First of all i would like to thank my friend Hasaan Subhani who brought this place into our knowledge. Bruti is located 4km from Quaid e Azam University Islamabad. The place is very near to Shrine of Bari Imam and could be easily find by using google maps. There's no hike as such, you have to walk for half an hour to get to this place. You can park your cars/motorbikes at the Bari Imam Shrine. A few moments after walking, you could see the water springs. Bruti has got a lake which happens to be surrounded with the lush green trees.

Bruti is not a crowded place even on the weekends. Which makes it a family friendly place. Before you plan a picnic to Bruti, let me tell you that this is not all developed. Which means you find any restaurant or tuc shop there. So plan your trip accordingly. Keep a check of food, first aid kit, water and check on your car as well. Remember to have a spare tyre that may help you in case of emergency as you won't find tyre shop aswell.

That's it. Enjoy the pictures.

#travel #islamabad #margallahills #picnic #murree #bruti #hiddengem #family #familyspot #nature #camping #green  #peace #friends #bariimamshrine

Why should you travel?

Excited to write this but it's a first for me so I am kind of nervous.

Hello,  I am here to tell you my thoughts on what travel is and what it should be.
People think the travel and people who travel should be done in leisure, which is not true at all. In my opinion, it should be a necessity.

People should travel more often. Even if it is just getting out of your city to a road trip, to a planned international trip. Traveling is important. Everything around us teaches us something which is exactly why we learn new thing at new places.

So traveling across the country can and most surely helps us to learn about our country. Historical places teach us about history and struggles. Northern areas, traveling there helps us understand their culture, their way of life. Travel in Balochistan and you'll learn that it is alot more beautiful than it is Portrayed.

I will get back to you all with my experiences in the next post.

Till then peace out people!

#travel #guide #moments #memories #travelguide #life