Day 7: The last day in Hunza

Haris and I were going back to Lahore the next day and three days earlier than the rest of the team, so this would be our last full day in Hunza. I was already missing th place. Today would be a busy day, we were to visit Altit Fort, where the Mir of Hunza used to stay. Haris pulled out of the trip as his condition was getting worse, and the rest of us headed for the heart of Hunza. Altit was beautiful, brimming with culture and history. It offered spectacular views of Hunza as well. After taking lots of pictures and soaking it all in, we went to find some good local lunch. On the way we saw a house being built entirely by local women, which for us Lahoris, being from a highly patriarchal society, was astounding and massively impressive. We saw more of the same at the restaurant we ate at, with the head chef being a skilled home cook named Safina. The place was called Café Culture, and the owner was an old friend of Zeeo’s and Fayeem’s, (yet again) who greeted us very warmly and was an extremely friendly man. The food was better than any I had eaten so far. The menu started off with a delicious soup called Doudo, then moved onto cheese crepes made with a local cheese. For the main course there were strange yet enticing traditional pizzas, and my favorite part, the desert, consisted of floury pancakes with honey. I am not even ashamed to say that we stuffed our faces that day. The crew interviewed Safina on the running of the restaurant and how it had changed her life. After that the team headed to an local soccer match and interviewed an extremely entertaining young football player. I, however, did not accompany them on the trip, chosing to stay in the van and wait for them, as my fever got the better of me. Soon after we packed up the equipment and headed back. The last few hours were sad for me, as I already knew how much I would miss this. We sat in the lounge and talked for a few hours, which was nice. We had a late dinner, and joked and laughed heartily through it. Finally, it was time to say goodbye, as we would leave early in the morning. It was an emotional moment for me. Afterwards, Haris and I climbed to the top of the hill that the Nest was on and enjoyed the spectacular view of Rakaposhi one last time. I didn’t sleep at all that night. I didn’t want Hunza ’16 to end!