From Chitral to Shandur, the journey takes approximately 9 hours

The scenery is spectacularly gorgeous...

With rivers raging amid rugged terrain

River crossings are few and far between

At last, we near the mighty Shandur plains

We stop to admire the view

Along the way to Shandur, friendly locals waved and cheered, while attempting to sell us fresh fruit

One last push up the hill on the way to Shandur

The sun's rays peaked through for one last hurrah...signaling to us that we had arrived to late to catch the first polo match of the festival

As if we didn't realize where we were, there are "Welcome to Shandor Polo Festival" signs greeting us upon arrival

Our first view of the bustling Shandur Plains

A view of the Shandur Lake

At 3,800 meters, the Shandur festival is the world's highest polo field

We woke up early to check out Shandur during the daylight hours...today is a brilliant, sunny day and we slather on the sunscreen

Robby walks downhill from our yellow North Face tent towards the polo field

Here is a photo of the make shift latrines at Shandur...bring your own blanket and toilet paper!

These men are doing brisk business selling chickens at Shandur

Everyone camps out at Shandur...some tents are more luxurious than others

The Shandur "bazaar" has a few early risers...as the day progresses, this main avenue becomes super crowded

Vendors lay out their wares for sale...popular items for sale include warm blankets!

An old man demonstrates embroidery to an attentive and curious crowd

Fried chicken for breakfast? Sign us up!

The Shandur mountains dominate us in the background

Unless you bring your own food to Shandur, here is a sample of the quick eateries that spring up overnight offering a bite to eat

Its a bit too early for spectators or polo players...a solitary guard strolls the Shandur Polo field

A formation of police huddles to receive their daily orders...security is serious business at Shandur

Another angle of the empty polo field

The policemen on this hill top ensure that no one gets close to the helicopter landing pad (reserved for VIPs)

View from the lake looking towards the polo field

Dress right dress...the military's tents are all neat and orderly in a row

Brightly colored shalwar kameez indicate this is the "women's only" sitting area...a little too far from the action for Becky's liking

Close up view of the women's only sitting area

Hopefully the soldiers won't have to use this!

We didn't know who these men were until the half time show...they are the dancers who whirl and twirl and excite the crowd

Pakistan's flag waves proudly over the VIP seating area

Just before the morning polo match kicked off, these supporters erected a Benazir Bhutto poster

An ultralight buzzes the crowd...flying in really low and fast

This security guard does not look amused

The crazy ultralight pilot zooms in for another fly by, the crowd cheering in delight

When we see this entourage of policemen take the field, we know that the opening match is about to get under way

Becky meets several friendly Pakistanis who hail from Quetta

A parachutist soars above the Shandur Plains

The Chitral polo team is wildly greeted as they arrive to the polo field for the morning match

A fan runs out on the field and does an impromptu dance, with the crowd cheering him on

The scoreboard reads Chitral C team 0 Gilgit C team 0 at the start of the game

Excitement builds as the teams prepare to face off

The match ball is thrown

And they are off! Polo is a violent sport, and the players beat each other mercilessly

Our seats are in the perfect location, and we have a great view of the entire polo field

It is stunning how physical this game is...the horses run at break neck speed and the players furiously whack a tiny ball across a huge field of play

We had never seen a polo match before, but were mesmerized with everything about the sport

The players are in hot pursuit, chasing each other and the polo ball

Score! Gilgit scores a goal through the red/white striped goal posts, and the crowd goes wild

A Gilgit (blue shirt) player reaches up and over to whack his Chitral (red shirt) counterpart

And of course, a fight ensures. Resolved only by the might of the polo stick!

This time, Chitral scores and the Chitrali fans go nuts

Spectators cheering in the stands

Profile of a devoted fan peering at the latest score

Polo horses can stop on a dime...they are amazing animals

Lost in a sea of spectators...the Shandur Polo Festival draws huge numbers of local and foreign tourists

Pure bliss for this die hard fan!

A little too close for comfort...polo is a brutal sport and sometimes spectators inadvertently get hit

Half time show is kicked off with a bagpipe procession

Another angle of the bag pipers

Look at all the folks rushing the field for the half time show!

These dancers put on a good show

And all of a sudden, there were 3 dancers (the guy with the white shirt couldn't contain himself!)

The crowd backed off once this dancer wielded his swords

And then the second half was off, with the players picking up where they left off

What a marvelous sight to behold...we can see why Shandur is one of Pakistan's highlights

The surrounding scenery is truly spectacular, and it was a privilege to watch "polo on the rooftop of the world"

The fans cheer in adulation

At the end of the match, the police rush the field to hold up the flimsy rope barricade

The coveted trophy cup

Gilgit's B team dances on the field, celebrating their win over Chitral, 8-1

Hip, Hip, Hooray! The Gilgit polo players proudly display their trophy

The spectators are riveted to the polo field

The proud 5 member Gilgit B Team

After an afternoon nap, we decided to sit on the other side of the polo field (across from the tourist section)

We joined the locals and grabbed a seat wherever we could find space

Since we were sitting next to a Chitral C Team member's brother, we cheered loudly when Chitral took the field

We had front row seats, and got up and close to the action

View of the spectators across the field from us

Nerves of steel are a must for the professional polo player

Even though this was our first time seeing a polo match, it won't be our last...after watching this magnificent game, we are hooked

The Shandur polo field offers a breath taking (figuratively and literally) venue for polo matches

Since 1936, the Shandur plains have been host to the annual polo festival held each July

Unfortunately, each year a horse succumbs to a heart attack while playing free style polo

The elevation at Shandur is no joke, and the horses (and players) fully exert themselves each match

Another half time show, with the band marching out in unison

The bag pipes were our favorite half time entertainment!

During the half time in between matches, the polo horses are slowly led around the field so they can cool down and catch their breath

The polo players get ready to mount their horse once half time is nearly complete

And the second half is off! We were front and center in the middle of the action

The brother of this polo player invited us to ride if we ever visited Chitral

Our companions were really into watching the polo match

Score! The jubilant crowd yells its approval

It takes an incredible amount of talent, skill and discipline to be a good polo player...look at how tiny the ball is!

Chitral players struggle to regain control of the ball

Umm, those players are not joking around...a big fight is about to ensue

Sure enough, this Chitral players wallops his Gilgit opponent...ouch!

Chickens are stuffed to the brink in the back of this truck...a make shift chicken stand

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well...these men look to make a quick rupee selling chickens

Becky relaxes for a quick afternoon snooze in between matches

Later that night, Robby and Zia attend the Zeek Afridi concert which was quite good

A helicopter brings VIP guests to the final polo match

Immediately after the helicopter landed, a huge sprinkling of dust saturated the crowd

Gotta love the CHITRAL fans!

After the second helicopter filled with VIPs landed, the final polo match could commence (over an hour late!)

The polo players saunter onto the playing field

The Pakistani flag bearer struts his stuff on the field of play

The half time dancers twirl away to the beat of the drum

After the Shandur Festival closing ceremonies, we headed up hill to pack our gear. Here is one final look at the massive camp ground

Dust is all that remains once the fully loaded vehicles speed off after the end of the final match

The view from the back of the Phander PTDC hotel

Even though we were initially told the rooms were "fully booked", once the receptionist took a look at our sorry (and dirty state), he relented and gave us a room with this gorgeous lake side view

The next morning, we got up early for a drive out to Hundrap Lake

Our morning drive took us past beautiful scenery such as this panorama

And this one...how beautiful!

We had to link up with a fisheries director, to get our trout fishing permit before hiking up to Hundrap Lake

Our merry group sets out...its a 3 to 4 hour hike up to Hundrap Lake where we plan to camp out tonight

These colorfully clad village girls followed us part way to bid us farewell

The initial part of the hike took us across relatively flat (but very pretty) terrain

Donkeys are a common mode of transport in this part of Pakistan

We stopped to take a photo next to this rocky outcrop

Robby asks and receives permission to take this photo of a lady washing vegetables in the river with her son hanging out nearby

The village boys steer their donkeys which are carrying our heavier gear up to Hundrap Lake

An easy hike so far...Becky is still smiling

This river skirted our journey the entire length of the trip

Tough girls carrying a load of twigs

At last...we reach Hundrap Lake (a world class trout fishing destination)

Becky immediately celebrates by soaking her feet in the freezing cold lake and lying out for a quick nap

Old men in Pakistan are tough! This one carries a bundle of twigs and isn't even sweating

Robby shows of his belly as the wind picks up his shalwar kameez

Our neighbor shows off a large trout he caught at Hundrap Lake...we are jealous!

Camping right by the water's edge has a whole new meaning..

Robby befriends our loyal donkey, who loves being scratched behind its ears

Robby tries his luck at trout fishing

No joke...the water is really freezing cold. How this fisherman stands the cold is beyond us

Robby shows off his freshly caught trout

Soon we have a plateful of trout...we are getting excited about dinner!

Close up of our donkey

Robby bundles up to stay warm...once the sun disappears, the wind kicks in and Hundrap Lake becomes quite cold

Becky is all grin after seeing tonight's dinner

Hundrap Lake is a peaceful setting...the villagers wondered why we were only staying for one night, and recommended we stay for a few days

Our fishing crew (Hamid, Hasan Sha, Zia and our porter)

Becky shows off her plate of fried trout...absolutely delicious!

Hasan Sha is an excellent cook and he hovers next to the propane gas fueled "kitchen"

Zia tries to force feed us with more trout

The next morning, the return hike back down to the village was a lot easier than the hike to Hundrap Lake!

Robby covers up from the sun, which is extremely bright today

These donkeys need no leader...they know exactly where they are and rush back home

Portrait of a village elder...we loved this guy's weathered face

The village girls are so cute and friendly. They love posing for the camera

What a beautiful smile!

The girl with the yellow scarf is the most daring, and she single handedly starts to juggle some rocks for our entertainment

The village children love posing for photos...we happily oblige

The boys ask for a group photo

Becky shows the kids their own image in her digital display

This attractive boy caught Becky's eye

Happy Golden Jubilee Mubarek! We join Hasan Sha in his house for a hastily prepared lunch meal

A village girl peers out at us in curiosity

We had a long drive to Gilgit, so after lunch, we hit the road

Passing by really pretty scenery

These ladies made carrying their heavy loads look easy

Northern Pakistan is quintessentially beautiful

"Golden Jubilee Mubarak" is etched into the side of this slope

We had to stop at this bridge for the mandatory "foreigner registration" check point

Even though it was a long ride, we enjoyed the route from Phander to Gilgit