K2 Pakistan / SE Asia
29 Jul – 11 Sep 2024
25 entries from Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore and 2 more, 29 July – 11 September 2024.
- Entries
- 25
- Trek
- 85 mi
- High point
- 18,500 ft
- Countries
- 5
Elevation profile · each node is an entry, spaced by date
Day by day
- So we have a plan.. Beth I had my sabbatical coming up the following summer. I was looking at Google maps trying to determine where we should go.
- See you in Islamabad (اسلام آباد)! Beth I went into the office Wednesday to wrap everything up. Full day of meetings and new work thoughts popped in my head after I got home.
-
Welcome to Pakistan 🇵🇰 Beth We landed in Dubai after a 12-hour flight from Newark. The flight upgrade completely changed my perspective on long flights. -
A flight u-turn in Skardu valley, a stomach virus, and kittens Beth I woke up naturally at 2 which wasn’t an issue since we set the alarm to catch the 6am flight to Skardu. -
Relaxing in Scardu before we set off Beth We woke up at 5 to watch the sunrise. It was too cloudy to get the colors but beautiful nonetheless . - Crumbling roads (Askole 10k) Beth Woke up at 3am today. I guess all that napping didn’t help me much. It did give me enough time to wash my hair though as it won’t see shampoo for the next 2 weeks.
-
Day 1 Turning 50 in the Karakorum Beth We decided to not get our sleeping bags out last night because it wasn’t actually that cold. -
Day 2 … and then there were two Beth Today was a hard day in multiple ways. We woke up at five feeling good, and we packed our bags tight as possible to fit everything inside our backpacks. -
Day 3 First encounter with Baltoro Beth We woke up at 5 AM to pack our bags and eat breakfast before our big day. We hiked an hour on relatively flat terrain until we reach the front end of the Boltoro glacier. -
Day 4 Hope and relaxation Beth I did not wake up the way I was hoping to. I had a mild headache, and I was still nauseous. I had cereal that turned mushy instantly when the hot water hit it, and something… -
Day 5 Pakistani flat Beth We woke up at 4:30 as the Germans next to us decided it was time for everyone to wake up as well. They were excessively loud the entire night and morning. -
Day 6 The breathtaking Concordia! Beth We got started at six on the trail. It’s supposed to be an easy day mostly flat, it actually was flatish this time. -
Day 7 Intense rest day Andy We woke up early and packed our day packed pretty light in anticipation for the long 12 hour day hike to K2 base camp. -
Day 8 Glacial Highway Andy We were up early today because we have a big day ahead of us and we want to get as much rest as possible at Ali Camp. -
Day 9 Gondogoro La (GG La)! Andy Up at 11 for our 11:30 PM departure. The entire camp was bustling with nervous energy and people probably didn’t get much rest. Our guide and kitchen crew didn’t sleep at all. -
Day 10 The beautiful Hushe valley Beth We were up early again because we went to bed at seven and we’ve been waking up early every day to get an early start on our hikes. -
Day 11 End of our Karakoram GG La trek Beth This was our last day hiking and truly the easiest day as we only had 5 miles to go with only 1200 feet mostly down hill. - Last days in Pakistan Beth Travel days move pretty slow around here. We took a jeep from Kanday Valley back to Skardu. It was a bit more roomy this time since we didn’t have the girls with us.
-
Bangkok and a Singapore layover Beth After a short 4.5-hour redeye flight from lslamabad, we landed in Bangkok. The excitement we felt upon arriving in this tropical, chaotic paradise, with its delicious food, was… -
Kota Kinbalu and Sandakan- our entry to Borneo Beth We had an easy, almost three-hour flight from Singapore to Malaysia. We landed in Kota Kinabalu and checked into our next comfy hotel, where we would stay for the next two nights. -
Kinabatangan River- first jungle journey Beth The tour company picked us up at noon for our three-hour journey to the resort. I could see Andy getting more and more frustrated with the driver’s slow pace, but I think… -
Seeing all there is on the Kinabatangan River Beth Today we kicked off our five-day, four-night jungle tour, and this time we upgraded to premium rooms! -
Danum Valley- the land of untouched nature (incl leeches) Beth After leaving the Kinabatangan River, we took a 2.5-hour van ride to a small town called Latah Datum, where we transferred to a Land Cruiser that took us to the Borneo Rainforest… -
The beginning of our Seoul eating adventure Beth Our trip to Seoul started off with a little bit of excitement at the airport. My bag was the very last to come out, and of course, it had been flagged by customs. -
Last days in Seoul and our vacation Beth We kicked off one of our final days in Seoul with lunch at Vatios Tacos (a must try recipe from Andy’s friend), where we indulged in a (two if I’m being honest- I’m on vacation)…