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Pakistan Trekking blog Pakistan 2009

Food

The restaurants are legion, with some Western cuisine. You will have many opportunities to sample the dahl (lentils) and bath (rice).

Basic food is quite fat. There are chunks of meat bathing in oil, along with lentils in oil, potatoes in oil ... all oily. You must have a strong stomach! There's good food, but you must be there at the right time, for parties or ceremonies, then it is a feast of fresh produce and cooked in an original way.

In the northern valleys, there are many fruits and vegetables locals will be happy to give you; cherries, apricots, apples, tomatoes, etc. ...

In addition to being known abroad for such apricots, Hunza Valley is also famous for the potatoes. During the season, thy are exported across the country. Cooked whatever way, it is a true delight.

During treks:

Essayez de récupérer des sachets instantanés avant de venir, pâtes, sauces... Sur place, des nuddles 15 Rps le paquet, fruits frais et secs, légumes, riz, dahl, fromages fondus... Attention aux boites de conserves locales, très épicées. Essayez les tomates et les oignons séchés, facile à transporter ils agrémentent bien les plats

Try to get dried food before coming: pasta, sauces ... In Pakistan, you can find 15r noodles for 1 pack, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, rice, dahl, processed cheese ... Watch out for local can which are very spicy. Try dried onions and tomatoes, easy to carry and they give good taste to dishes. Remember to take small sealed pockets to store food, it's very useful.

In the "Glacier Breeze" in Passu they cook dehydrated dishes. Let them know if you prefer without spices and warn 2 or 3 days earlier (because of power cuts).

Try to take a few fresh vegetables; even though they are heavy to carry, you’ll appreciate it in the mountain.

Our menus :

Morning :	Baby’s mix with milk and a pack of biscuits. We also took a walnut cake bought in Hunza, a little expensive but delicious and good fuel for the body.
On the way :	Dried apricots
Miday :	Noodles, crackers with “happy cow” cheese (their version of the “laughing cow”!), sardines or tuna, carrots, fruit.
On the way :	Dried apricots
Evening :	Knorr soup, rice or pasta with sundried tomatoes and onions, fresh vegetables, meat. Happy cows, crackers. Dessert: fruit, pineapple in a can (very heavy).

For the meat, we would purchase chicken kebabs just before leaving Gilgit. You can keep them up to 3 days in plastic bags and boil them with rice or pasta.

Les Kolsons

It is the pasta you can find in Pakistan. If their Chinese neighbours are excellent for cooking Wus, here it is a nightmare. Apart from a westerner we met who got accustomed to it, I don’t recommend them to my worst enemy. After 5 minutes cooking they bath in a thick starch inedible juice. In some restaurants they cook them ok, so try to get their secret before you leave for the mountain; it will prevent you from being sad with your 5kg inedible spaghetti.

Caution: Check the dates of conservation; often the products are long outdated.

Fuel
Water

French tips are not compatible with gas cylinders that can be found here. Unless an expedition sold what was left, it is best to buy the cap and corresponding bottles on site.

For alcohol stoves, no problem obtaining supplies of fuel.

Avoid using wood, on some busy routes such as the Baltoro, the only vegetation is decimated to cook.

On treks such as Boibar use chips of wood lying on the floor. Dung yaks are very useful, but in a closed environment they emit smoke quickly suffocating. In order to avoid waking up with a huge headache, do not sleep inside the hut where there is a lit fireplace.

Plan 2 litres when you leave in the morning, and at least 3 litres per day including cooking.

You can find water purification tablets in Gilgit, but not in all pharmacies. It is usually one tablet per 10 litres. In Aliabad and Karimabad we were unable to find those tablets. The water then has a bleach taste.

There is no problem with the boiled water for tea. In altitude, it boils at lower temperature, heat 10 minutes extra