Driving from Deosai, this was our first view of Lake Sadpara

A closer look at Lake Sadpara...boating trips and fishing is possible if you are so inclined

Read and heed "Keep the fish happy, Don't litter"...a Sadpara Lake sign at the Lake View Motel

Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables for sale in Skardu

View of the Skardu Polo Field, a popular venue for the annual Baltistan polo competition held in August

Becky stands atop the Kharphocho Fort wall, with the mighty Indus River behind her

Skardu Valley is a wide, flat area surrounded by mountains

Old ruins below the Kharphocho Fort show a nice vantage point over the Indus River

Finally! The entrance to Kharphocho Fort is in sight

We had to wake up the caretaker to allow us to enter inside

Our guidebook suggests that this fort was built by Ali Sher Khan in the 17th Century

The fort was trashed and then rebuilt by the Dogras

Zia took a snapshot of us sitting atop Karphochu Fort

This window offers a fine view of the Indus River

A flag pole atop the fort's highest point

It must have been quite a feat building the fort on the top of this summit

Another view of Kharphocho Fort

A group shot on top of the fort

Its worth the 20 minute hike up to Kharphocho Fort for the amazing views all around

Robby cautiously exits the Kharphocho fort

So this is the way to catch trout! Taki's brother throws out a net and makes catching trout look easy

Trout fishing at Kachura Lake

Taki holds up a branch full of trout

One last look at Skardu's plentiful fruit/vegetables before we depart for Khapulo

Its a pretty drive from Skardu to Khapulo

The people of Baltistan truly think of themselves as a separate, autonomous nation from Pakistan as evidenced by this license plate

We passed by lots of men, women and children carrying heavy baskets such as this one

The Chakhchun Village girls flee from the sight of Robby's camera...but then they followed us to the base of our hike uphill

View of Chakhchun Village

It took us about 20 minutes to hike from Chakhchun Village to the 16th Century Mosque in the distance

Interior view of the 16th Century Mosque (note: non Muslims are not permitted to enter the mosque!)

Becky sits down outside the mosque with Chakhchun Village below

Past the mosque is a fantastic lookout point

The view from up here is absolutely worth the strenuous hike!

We sit back to back to admire the vista surrounding us

A look back at the old mosque

A group photo in front of the majestic Masherbrum Mountain is in order

On the hike back down, the sun broke through the clouds and Zia, Robby and Jan stopped for a photo

We decided to sneak a pose in between these two "rock" pillars

The girls of Chakhchun Village come out to wave goodbye as we take off

Bundles of hay are collected and stacked in bundles; Chakhchun Village

Zia, Jan, Becky and Robby admire the spectacular views of Khaplu

This old wooden mosque of Khaplu is not open to non Muslims

In case there is any confusion, a sign post in Arabic and English informs non Muslims they cannot visit the intricately carved mosque

Zia still decides to inquire if its possible for us to visit...we tell him that we don't want to because it is not appropriate

We can admire the exterior carvings of the mosque, however

The old Khapulo Fort is undergoing renovations

The caretaker was back from Friday prayers and allowed us to wander through to check out the old fort

Robby stands under a portal to the Khapulo Fort

The Khaplu Fort is a handsome building that will look amazing once the ongoing renovations are complete

Interior view of the fort looking out towards the garden

There is a small village located just outside the fort

The old royal palace is in pretty good shape, despite its weathered look

There are fine views across Khaplu Valley from the old fort

Laborers are painstakingly trying to preserve the ceiling's murals of the Khaplu Fort

A look down into the small "courtyard" of Khaplu Fort

This nicely carved doorway leads to the King's chambers; Khaplu Fort

Khaplu is a worthwhile stop in Baltistan!

License plate from Skardu in nearby Khaplu

Pretty flowers abound in the garden of our lodging, the Karakoram Lodge Khaplu

The next morning, these girls ran out to check us out as we were departing for Keris

We passed by some lovely scenery on our short drive to Keris

We asked these soldiers if we could take their photo and they happily obliged

An elderly couple picks apricots by the roadside

When we first arrived to Keris, this was all the excitement to be had...3 chickens eyeballing us suspiciously

Pretty sunflowers greet our arrival to Keris

The relatively empty quarters of Keris (a crowd soon gathered as the locals caught wind that there were visitors in town)

The Keris mosque dominates this tiny village, and is kept in remarkable shape

A carrier pigeon peers at us in curiosity

Keris is a quiet, peaceful village

The village boys pose for a portrait while Becky snaps away

Typical dwellings in the village of Keris

The holy shrine of the Hazrat Meer Muktar-E-Akhyar

The exterior of the shrine is quite colorful!

Interior view of the shrine

Keris' post office

Ornate wooden carvings adorn the door to this old mosque; Keris

Two goats seek refuge from the summer heat at the shrine

We pay a short visit to a well traveled Iman (he had lived for decades in Africa and now resides in the UK)...he was visiting his family in Keris and invited us for some apricots and tea

This is as busy as it gets in Keris

The old fort of Keris

Window archway at the Keris Fort

Flower pots adorn this view of the Keris Fort

The local women have devised an ingenious way to "capture" apricots

Keris Village has under 1000 residents and is a tight knit community

Jamal invites us to his house for a bountiful feast

We take a group photo with Jamal's wonderful family

The girls of Keris flocked our jeep when we were departing but disappear when they see the camera

Our parting view of Keris

We have to strain to read the message but it says "Welcome to Shigar, The Valley of Mighty K2"

Its a spectacular drive from Keris to Shigar

The landscape is absolutely mesmerizing

Shigar Fort is a lovingly restored project bringing the former Raja of Shigar’s timber/stone palace to its former glory

Shigar Fort is a gem...it keeps all of its traditional feel but has been updated to provide comfort for the modern day traveler

Our tour guide explains the history of the fort

The master bedroom makes us want to splurge for a night's stay here!

The interior of Shigar fort has a museum section

Relics from the old palace are nicely displayed within the fort

There are a handful of rooms (similar to this one) available for an overnight stay

Steve (an Aussie backpacker we met) and Robby take a break in the old kitchen; Shigar Fort

The views from the rooftop of Shigar Valley are quite scenic

We didn't realize it at the time but our room was the one that the ladder is adjacent to

The dining room area; Shigar Fort

An old mosque (outside Shigar Fort)

We read it was possible to hike up to the top of some rocks above the fort for a fine view of the valley

Zia and Jan had climbed ahead, so we set our camera on self timer and snapped this shot

Climbing up above Shigar Fort was a bit of a scary experience...check out the "path"

Robby takes his time going downhill....one stumble and it would be a painful descent!

Becky perches on a rock, soaking in Shigar's raw beauty

A moderate 3 day trek called "Thalle La" is possible from Shigar to Khasumik...this is the Shigar starting point

Shigar is a nice place to visit...not much traffic, and peaceful village life

This old man carries a heavy load but makes it look easy

We visit Shigar's oldest resident, a hardy 106 year old who claims eating Ibex is the secret to longevity

Shigar is full of serene villages...we love this place!

The Shigar Fort is a welcome sight after our long day...bathrobes, hot water, electricity, oh my!

Becky lounges on our bed as we get ready for dinner

Dressed in her finest shalwar kameez (thank you Saeed and Syed!), Becky is ready for dinner at Shigar Fort

Probably the best part of staying overnight at Shigar Fort is you can run around the museum at your leisure, taking in all the sights

The next morning, we relax in the Shigar Fort's garden, waiting on Zia to show up

Our room is to the top of the stair case...be cautious on the slippery steps!

The King of Shigar proudly displays the 2008 "Jashn e Nauroze" trophy

We take a photos with Shigar's King (doesn't he look comfy in his PJs and flip flops?)

Robby takes a picture with the super pleasant Mr. H.h.h.h.h.s.i from Shigar Fort

The Shigar Fort is undergoing constant TLC

We thought it was funny that Shigar Fort got its own license plate!

Robby thoroughly enjoys his horseback ride in Shigar

A group photo with our polo horses (and their guides)

A rare moment when Becky's crazy horse wasn't galloping up a storm

Becky's horse had a mind of its own, and constantly wanted to race Robby's horse at breakneck speed

A field of cattle; just outside Gulab Pur

Robby befriends Efran and Osmah

Becky absolutely LOVES Osmah, who is the cutest!

Mischievous Naima dresses Becky head to toe in the "local" fashion and giggles up a storm afterwards

Naima is a budding photographer and insists on taking all the photos

Naima gets some lessons on photography before she starts snapping away

We still don't know why we are posing with flowers galore but Naima insisted

We played with the kiddos until it got dark...they were so excited to have company

The girls are equally as fun, and they exhaust Becky with all the games, mulberry picking, and photography sessions

As night fell, we finally saw Zia and Jan again, and joined them for dinner

The next morning, we departed for Choutron Hot Springs (about a 2 hour drive from Gulab Pur) and stopped to check out this farmer

There were lots of locals carrying bundles of grass (possibly for their cattle?)

When we finally reach Choutron, we dipped our feet into the hot springs for as long as we could stand

Zia manages to stand the heat for quite a bit!

The locals dip themselves in from head to toe, and we decide later to join them (men in one section and women in another)

Afterwards, everyone hangs out the laundry to dry (the hotsprings serve as a bath and laundry facility!)

We had to traverse several raging rivers to get to the remote Choutron springs...thank goodness we had a jeep!

The scenery near Gulab Pur is mind boggling

Osmah and Hamid's daughter are dressed in their best when they hear we are coming back for breakfast

Osmah carefully carries in our breakfast on a tray

Naima is the funniest of all the children and she enjoys all the attention

Becky says goodbye to the girls who beg her to stay

Robby thanks Hamid for his service and we are thrilled to have a chance to see him again

Robby flashing a thumbs up sign on Saeed's property...what a beautiful area to build a house on

We had to drive back through Shigar to return to Skardu

Anwar gives Robby the all clear after checking his pulse

The Skardu Buddha dates from the 7th Century

A sign posted in Skardu urges women to consider wearing the hijab as a show of respect for the culture

Another view of the Skardu Buddha (the central Buddha is flanked by other Buddhas on either side)

We had a brief stop at Kachura Lake's posh Shangri-La Tourist Resort

The Shangri-La tourist resort has a Chinese feel to it. It was founded by Brigadier General M. Aslam Khan after he retired from the military

The resort has a large lake fully stocked with trout...too bad no fishing is allowed!

We took a quick tour of the resort and admired the views from these large windows

The Shangri-La even has its own DC3 fuselage turned cafe!

After our visit to Shangri-La, we headed up towards Kachura Lake

Ladies were out in full force laying their baskets of apricots to dry

It was a bit tricky hiking down to Kachura Lake

Where local boys were diving into the frigid lake and daring each other to jump head first

Afterwards, we cooled down with a cold soda at the welcoming Nazara Hotel

Before starting our drive out towards Astak

Nearby Kachura Lake, there are lots of rocks with petroglyphs carved all over them (if you squint you can make out a chain of men linking arms)

It was a bit of a scary ride from Astak up to Rhondu

We stopped to collect some apricots

Jan and Robby soon realized it was a lot easier to catch apricots with Becky's head scarf!

The boys of Rhondu showed off for us by jumping into this shallow pool

They quickly clambered back up to jump again

When word of our visit hit the villagers, they came out in full force to check us out

Apparently, there have been no tourists to this village in over 20 years! The children were so curious about us

And the adults were too. We took several group photos and promised to mail them pictures when we returned home

The village leader invited us to his house for tea and snacks. We had to climb up this rickety ladder to reach the second floor

The kids were all excited about our visit and they kept checking us out

The girls were definitely a lot shyer than the boys

Once we were escorted into the house, the kids piled up at the door, hoping to catch glimpses of us and hear our conversation

It was cool talking to the villagers who had a million questions for us

We finally had to say goodbye to the wonderful village of Rhondu...what a great visit we had!

Its a shame that no one has visited here for so long

The village elders explained that intrepid backpackers used to pitch tents in their backyard decades ago, as this was a popular trekking spot

Rhondu is a bit remote, and we had to traverse this terrain to get there

It was better (and easier) not to look out of our jeep at the winding road

The PTDC Astak was our welcoming refuge that night