G'day all. Hope all's well with you.

I am back in KTM and relaxing and getting organised before I have a busy time. It is so good to be back here with good food and beer.

However I must say that I had a great time in Pakistan and so glad I went. Pakistan is the real adventure country and it makes Nepal seam tame. Every day there is exciting and an adventure. It is a really shame that no tourist want to go there as there is so much to see and do, and the people so warm, helpfully and friendly. A real contrast to want is perceived when you want TV or read the papers. It is also a real shame with all the problems with terrorism and now the major floods.

Anyway back to Nepal. I am off to Bhutan on the 16th for the Thimphu festival and to trek the Cholohari trek. This trek has to be slightly changed as one of the bridges has been washed away with no other way to cross the river. I am quietly exciting about returning to Bhutan.

After that and a few days off, I head out on a new trip to the remote Tibetan valleys of Naa and cross the rarely visited passes and valleys of the Domar Himal to the Forbidden Kingdom of Mustang. Really looking forward to that.

I am then off to Makalu base camp a private trip around Manasulu and a side trip to the Tsum valleys, more on them later.

Best go, beer calling.

Ade

Isalam Aliku, from Dushanbe.

Just a quick email to say that after a long hot dusty and thankfully uneventful 2 days drive from Khrog to Dushanbe we have arrived.

We drove over a 3285.9m pass according to the hand painted sign on the top where we were met by an armed soldier telling us not to take photos. It was a dusty drive off the pass on a road that shouldn't be called a road it should be called a rocky dusty bumpy track. We tried to stop for lunch at quite a few places but we told that they had no food! We finally found a place to eat kebabs salad and bread in a werid town called Obi Garma which means hot water.

Then we thought straight onto Dushanbe for hot showers and cold beers, but no, the local police had a different ideas as we were stopped 6 or 7 times for a check.

First time our drivers were fined ???? for not having clean minivans so we had to stop at the convientently place local car wash and have them steam cleaned and polished.

Finally arrived in Dushanbe, and we checked into our hotel and then off for our farewell dinner and a few well earned beers. Then back to the hotel for just a few hours sleep befor the group had to leave for the airport at 3am, for their 5:10 flight. Luckily all that went smoothly and they are now jetting their way home.


So the Wakhan trek adventure has finally come to an end, and what an adventure it was......


All the best Ade

Bartang Valley

Well where to start. Marc staryed in Dushanbe to meet the group and hopefully be reunited with his bag, while I and 3 clients (Mindy Tiffany and Peter) who made it to Dusahanbe decided to take off and explore the Bartang valley. They say that good things comes out of a bad situation and we had the best time. The Bartang Valley is fantastic!what a find. I will recomend that we visit this valley on any trip that is coming this way.

We drove up a bit of a bumpy side road when it ended at one of those crazy suspension bridges you get in this part of the world. We did a quick repack and took just want we needed for the night and for a day walk and proceeded to cross the raging Khrog river which we could clearly see inbetween the slacks of the bridge.

A clear trails climbed up and around the rocky ridgeline into the Bartang Valley and we followed the river for 2.5 hours rock hoping our way up until we reached the Idylic village of Geavis.

We were warmly greated by the locals and given tea and snacks. There is a fantastic network of homestays in the valley which give you a great balance of comfort and an authenic experience.

We relaxed in the sun on rugs drinking tea and watching the local kids play carefreely.

After a sound night sleep we were up early by the sound of the cockrel annoucing the day had arrived and we set off futher up the valley to explore the other village, 3 in total and the amazing blue lakes supplied by the raging river Bartang.

It was all too soon before we had to return to our now friends at out homestay for lunch and prepare for a sad departure back to out minibus via the crazy bridge.

The people of this valley are so friendly and happy it reminded me some much of Hunza and the easy and stressfree lifestyle that exsist there.

We were then back to the Adeventure of the Wakhan trek after our little break. We found out that Marc and the rest of the team will be meeting us today (friday) Inshallah where we will cross the border at Iskershim into Afghanistan, and where who know what adventures we'll have.

Ade the best Ade Summers Expedition Leader