Camping at Deosai

By Ammar Khalid

Anyways, I happened to go to the Deosai courtesy of a highly spontaneous plan; two hours after receiving the initial message, I, along with four of my internship colleagues (all of them at least ten years my senior), was on my way to the Deosai Plains. I still remember the feeling of disbelief I experienced as we passed the Sadpara Lake en route to the Deosai Plains; with the onset of Ramadan during my second (and last) month in Skardu, I had come to accept that it was unlikely I would be able to go to the fabled Deosai plains.

Along the way, I also remember the remarkable change in scenery as we took that last turn towards Deosai – much like the last turn en route to Shandur. How the narrow gorge, through which the jeep track had twirled throughout, gave way to the opening up of this vast expanse was nothing short of paradisiacal: livestock having a field day grazing on the undulating pastures, marmots frolicking here and there, flowers of all colors and sizes sprouting everywhere, streams with crystal-clear water; all of this set against a backdrop of snowcapped peaks standing in stark contrast to the cerulean of the skies.

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