Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Air Safari - Pakistan Himalayas by air
Early one Sunday morning we headed off to Islamabad airport to wait and hope that our flight would go ahead. We were fortunate to go on a flight from Islamabad through the Karokoram/Himalaya region and back to Islamabad. We saw mazing peaks including K2 (8,611m) - the second highest mountain in the world and Nanga Parbat (8126m) which was one of the deadliest mountains for climbers in the first half of the 20th century.
We were guaranteed window seats and I had my camera out for the entire flight. The cockpit was accessible to us for most of the flight too, took photos there too. It was a thrill to fly next to those amazing mountain peaks, often through the valleys, looking up at these peaks over 8000 metres. I was amazed to see the glacier paths through the valleys so clearly too.
I was pretty happy with my shots through the scratchy plastic plane windows. Especially after a huge Cinco de Mayo party the night before at the Canadian High Commission Club.
This flight is one of those amazing, unforgettable experiences. The flights were cancelled shortly thereafter and I understand they have only recently resumed after almost 5 years break. They didn't go every week and were frequently cancelled at the last minute, due to weather, not enough passengers and various other reasons.
Frustrating after getting to the airport at the crack of dawn, going through the very rigorous security checks which involved several x-ray check-points and pat downs for all passengers (at least twice on any flight) - ladies were taken aside in a curtained booth and patted down by female staff. I really hated these pat downs. We lucked out and out flight went ahead, it was my last weekend in Islamabad so I would have missed out. One of my colleagues did a big phone around the diplomatic community to ensure there would definitely be enough passengers for it to go ahead so that I wouldn't miss out. I am lucky to have good friends who help me achieve my wishes like that.
What a fantastic view - takes my breath away! Can't believe you even had access to the cockpit during the flight?! Incredible! What a wonderful experience. Gotta see it big!!
very very green with envy.... Ever since flying over the comparably monstrous alps of New Zealand's south island in a Cessna, I love taking aeroplane shots! This one would have had me giggling like a little girl...
Absolutely stunning . . . almost has an abstract kind of feel with all the swirling shapes and icy tones. Megan, you should write a book about all these fabulous travel experiences (with photos!); they are utterly fascinating and have quite a bit of historical/ cultural interest as well since many of them detail traveling through post-9/11 impact regions.
