Horse Dancing

Horse Dancing, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

Horse Dancing was a new sport I got to witness at the festival
where they make the horse buck up and down.

Bandi Amir

Bandi Amir, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

One of my favourite places in Afghanistan
it was good to go and film there for the Bandi Amir festival
jumped off the cliff into water to refresh myself,
it is kinda weird when hundreds of Afghans stare and take photos
of you
like it is something spectacular

Day 6 - Cold Desert

Day 6 - Cold Desert, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

I wake up early and can't sleep
and so I take a walk through the desert
I walk for ages
nothing really matter
finally i am friggin tired
and sit in the sand.

I dig into the sand and put the picture of Marion and I from my wallet
and bury it
it is funny and I laugh
It is the second ex girlfriend photo I have buried in Baltistan
the other photo is on K2 when I decided to bail off it

I don't know if there is peace from it
but it does feel good to let go
maybe this humanitarian relationships only go the distance
of the missions in the countries we travel around in
would be nice to have someone forever
anyway time to be just me
time to walk back for another few hours

The plane from Skardu has a failed engine as we take off
and we can't get past the 6000 mt+ mountains
scary when we land and see the engine smoking
eight hours later and it is fixed and we make it to Islamabad

I sat next a climber who tried Broad Peak but failed because of snow
he told me no one made it up K2 this year except to Camp 1
I was pleased somewhat to climb Abruzzi Ridge and get to Camp 3

Islamabad is hot and spend my night in a hot room
doing the Apocalypse Now scene in the mirror but air guitaring to Kings of Leon
then end up listening to Googoosh, an Iranian singer and trying to sing to Iranian love songs
and dream about making a pot of Fesenjan

Day 5 - Shangrila

Day 5 - Shangrila, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

Flights aren't going from Gilgit.
Panic sets in
Flight to catch on Monday
I am up for the 22 hr drive through SWAT
but my reporter Ashraf isn't so much
he has family he wants to see
Option B becomes available just when I had organised a bus trip
There is flights in Skardu apparently
so we do a seven hour drive back and we are almost killed by our driver
or almost sending the other car into the Indus River

We make it to Shangrila hotel
it is quiet peaceful
after dinner, i row a boat and look at the stars
laying in the boat
it is amazing looking at stars
but makes me sad
I want this depression to end.

Day 4 - You Remind me of Home

Day 4 - You Remind me of Home, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

Went and checked out Baltit Fort.
It was nice relaxing day of sorts, still no word on flight but I gave in and enjoyed the day
i started thinking alot about home
and where home is, is it Melbourne or Kabul
or Mia?

I miss her alot
I miss not being able to see her grow
but it is one of those things to accept
maybe her mother might take on another humanitarian mission
there was talks of Burma
It is possible for me to get a job there
Anyway still following the dream.

Day 3 - Smiling Girls

Day 3 - Smiling Girls, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

Went to Hunza Valley, upper north of Pakistan
on the way to China
We arrived to a beautiful well made school in Rahimabad Valley
A Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Model School,
way too long a name for a school

Felt great to photograph lots of smiling girls at school
Some of the girls even came up to me during lunch break to question me
and work on their English skills

The weather closed in and flights to Gilgit and Skardu are closed for the day or so,
looks like I am not going to Mingora to photograph the warzone and the burnt down schools

Decided to go all the way to Hunza Valley and stay at the Hunza Baltit hotel
and relax, do shopping for friends
Never had a interest in carpets but there was some amazing Hunza handwoven carpets
But I was more in love with the delicious cherries
which I managed to devour plenty.

Saw Rakaposhi, a 7682 metre mountain
quite spectacular which is where I drank chai and sat around and mused alot
think about things, life and so on
wondering where next?
well next is going to Bamiyan for Bandi Amir Festival for UNTV.

Day 2 - Man in the Mirror

Day 2 - Man in the Mirror, originally uploaded by Mild Seven Lights.

Spent my day photographing brave young women and getting their stories.
These women were the first pioneers of going to school up
in northern mountain region called Baltistan.
Gilgit is amazingly beautiful and believe it or not, there is a Serena Hotel
but then again there is a large population of Ismaelis here]

I thought Ismaelis and Shias were the same but I am obviously wrong
they were some of the nicest people and lucky didn't shy away from the camera
otherwise I would get nothing done here

A long day of driving around through Hunza Valley
but managed to really use the new system of video recording
with the Canon and wireless microphone which turned out to be great

Made the best of the Serena
consuming as much as possible from the buffet
and dancing it off by the pool then some night swimming
to finish off the day
may as well make the best of the situation

Still got a blown mac power supply which isn't good
when you are in the middle of nowhere.