Hi!
Got VOA in Sust 10 of May. it's ok!
so how it goes - check post @ Tashkurgan, frontier guard asked me, do u have pakistani visa?
me - not yet, but @ sust - VOA
he - wait a minute pls (go to the room for something like make call - don't know) -
after 5 min - exit stamp in my passport, BUT - be sure u have double or multi entry china visa, because in case of problems @ sust u'll get stuck @ 4 700 masl pass and cannot return to China. also my friend had single entry china visa and the guards hadn't let him out of china. also - i've been told that let u chinese get out or not - it's like a russian rulette, the phone not working etc..., depends on good karma ;))
then few hours in the bus, @ Sust:
me - hello guys, whats up?
pakistani guards - so do u have visa?
me - not yet
guards - so u can get it, no problem, the cost is 150$ (it's only for russians and usa, overall - much cheaper).
me - yep, i know, it's not problem.
guards - welcome to Pakistan, sir!!! (all 4 ppl, working at the border - 2 guards, the chief + accountant - all doing something to arrange visa for me %))
i don't know, do u need this information? i had tickets from kashgar to home 10 days ahead, but army closed the roads and boat service. i asked them to help me, because my tickets cannot be refunded and date-changed, and i have only 100$ cash - that's not enough for any flight from islamabad to anywhere. so please - help me to cross the lake, because otherwise i cannot return home.
all the pakistani army did can do @ the moment - to call the press and make press conferense. i've hanged around their headquarters 2 days - a lot of media, a lot of some government ppl - or who they r. so the first day - was cloudy and raining and they said the boat service is closed, and the hellicopter cannot go such the weather. but the second day - the weather was perfect, few hellis with the media persons flying via the region all day long. but when i told them 'bout my situation, they said - sorry, man, but today hellis only for media ppl, but tomorrow if (1) the weather will be fine, maybe (2) will be hellis and perhaps (3) - we can help u to cross the lake.
so i head down to islamabad, bought one way ticket to home for 600$.
my advise - u can go, and the kkh adventure absolutely the MUST, but keep in mind u have to be very-very not fixed-dated of arrival/return due to the lake situation.
and keep in mind - the road conditions is awful weird!!! it's not the highway as they call it - it's pure off-road treck!!! from karimabad to gilgit - 103 km (5 hours by bus), gilgit - raikot bridge - 3 hours, gilgit - islamabad - 28 hours.
and wish to thank all u guys here at the forum for support and help, especially tim (dog) for his great report, that my travel come to life. it was absolutely the great (had trek to Nanga parbat alone - and meet no ppl at all during 8 hours walk at all, - fantastic! u and 8 000 masl mountain, tet-a-tet. is it possible in Nepal? - don't think so.)
but very sad that all can do pak gov + army - to make press conference for bbc and others, but not to help to ppl. so when u see the report from gojal - remember that a lot of bla-bla-blas, jeeps, hellis, army, govt, 'what terrific a disaster' and so on, - but what about to help ppl exept help to reporters?
